Journey to Law

Selby Lighthill, Attorney

Selby was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and spent summers on Orcas Island, Washington with his grandparents. He graduated from the University of Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English, and received his law degree from the University of California Law San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings), beginning his legal practice in 2007.
In Berkely, California, Selby a Partner at the firm Paul & Hanley, LLP where Selby took to trial over two dozen successful major civil cases resulting in millions of dollars in verdicts for his clients.

In 2014 Selby moved to Orcas Island, Washington, the island where his great-great grandfather bought land in 1906.

Selby focuses on family law and civil cases in San Juan, Skagit and Whatcom County, and tenant-landlord cases in his local San Juan County.
With compassion, Selby represents clients who are leaving committed intimate partnerships, pursuing, or responding to divorce or legal separations, negotiating parenting and child support plans, couples attempting mediation, and those navigating family law situations as survivors of domestic abuse and violence. Selby also has an expertise in civil cases that involve catastrophic injury and wrongful death, and business litigation matters.

With a focus on keeping community strong, Selby serves on local boards including the Olga Strawberry Council, Friends of the Olga Store, Recovery in Community, and the Doe Bay Community Association, and has volunteered as a firefighter and certified EMT with Orcas Island Fire and Rescue.

Selby is a member of the Skagit and San Juan County Bar Associations, the American Association for Justice, and the Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce.
During his downtime, find Selby spending quality time with his daughter, hiking with his Australian Shepherd, listening to all kinds of music, working on a photography project, or reading and writing blogs about the latest in legal news.

Christina Patramanis,
Legal Assistant

Christina holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Iowa, with majors in English and psychology. She has worked for over 15 years in the field of communications and has a background in the legal field, participating in mock trial at university and in her younger student years, and studying legal practices from a variety of cultures and their changes overtime, regarding especially women’s rights and, domestically, workplace safety. Christina has also worked in the social work field focusing on families, addiction, mental health and domestic abuse and violence. In her personal life, her children, the arts, travel and outdoor adventures are Christina’s focus. She feels very honored to be able to work with our wonderful clients in San Juan, Skagit and Whatcom Counties.

Help for a small business

I’m a small business owner that needed legal counsel to navigate a touchy situation where I felt as though my personal and business reputations were under attack. Mr. Lighthill was available on short notice for me concerning this situation. I have tried to work with a few different attorneys over the last 10 years but hadn’t yet found someone who gave me the impression that they actually cared about my business.

Mr. Lighthill took the time I needed to go through all the details of my particular situation and lay out the options. He counseled me through everything and, as a result of his guidance, I was able to resolve the situation without litigation. Thank you Mr. Lighthill for your support!

I highly recommend Mr. Lighthill to anyone needing legal counsel within the Skagit and Whatcom County area.

Empathetic and Helpful

“Selby helped me when i was illegally evicted. He was so helpful and went out of his way for me. He was super empathetic and caring while dealing with a very crazy landlord. Thank you so much for all your work and for helping protect island workers.”

Passionate and powerful advocate

Selby has always been a passionate and powerful advocate for the injured. His tenacity and intelligence are only matched by his integrity and professionalism. I enthusiastically endorse him without reservation.

– Tom E