Our Team

Attorneys

Jerry J. Moberg

Founding Partner

Jerry J. Moberg is an honors graduate of Gonzaga University Law School.  He has practiced law in this community for over 50 years.  He was one of the youngest lawyers to ever appear in front of the United States Supreme Court where he argued the noted case of United States v. Powell.  He has served Grant County as a Superior Court Judge.  He is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Washington State Bar Association representing the lawyers of the 4th Congressional District.

Jerry has tried a wide variety of cases ranging from serious injury cases to First Degree Murder cases.  He has tried over 150 cases to verdict and is recognized as one of the more experienced trial lawyers in this area.  His practice is statewide and he has tried cases in a majority of the counties in the state.

A large portion of Mr. Moberg’s practice is dedicated to civil litigation defending municipalities specifically, school districts, cities and counties. His primary areas of practice are employment law, premises liability, and personal injury.

Mary M. Rathbone

Partner

Mary M. Rathbone is a Partner at MLG. She has a BA in Business Administration from Washington State University, with an emphasis in International Business. She is a graduate of the Washington State Law Clerk program, and studied under the mentorship of her father, Jerry Moberg. 

Mary is equipped through her experience as a former law clerk and licensed legal intern to handle a variety of legal matters including civil municipality defense, probates, and commercial litigation. She is also admitted to practice in Federal Court.

Mary’s passion to become an attorney was ignited at the ripe age of four when her father and mentor would take her to work because she refused to take naps at the local pre-school. In her free time, she serves the local community as a member of Soroptimist International, a non-profit that serves to better the lives of women and children.

James E. Baker

Attorney

James “Jim” E. Baker was raised in Ephrata and graduated from Ephrata High School.  He holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Eastern Washington University and a law degree from Gonzaga University Law School.  He practiced five years in Yakima and 18 years in Seattle.  Jim has practiced with senior lawyer Jerry Moberg since 2005.  He is admitted in federal court for the Eastern and Western districts of Washington together with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.  His practice emphasizes the defense of civil rights, employment and personal injury actions.  He is also is active in appellate practice.

Wendy T. Mickelsen

Of Counsel

Wendy joined Moberg Law Group in 2019.  She has been admitted as a lawyer in Washington since 1996, but for the past several years has been a stay-at-home mom, raising her three daughters and working with her husband on their dairy farm.  She was raised in Chehalis and moved to the Ephrata / Moses Lake area in 2002. She graduated from Washington State University with a BS in Psychology, along with a minor in Business. Wendy earned her Juris Doctor in 1996 from Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College (now Lewis & Clark Law School), and began working in Chehalis at Hillier & Scheibmeir, primarily in City Prosecution and Family Law.  She was raised in Chehalis, Washington, and moved to the Ephrata / Moses Lake area in 2002. She graduated from Washington State University with a BS in Psychology, along with a minor in Business. Wendy earned her Juris Doctor in 1996 from Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College (now Lewis & Clark Law School), and is excited to resume her legal career at MLG representing individuals in family law, probate, and elder law matters.

Support Staff

Melissa Baker

Practice Manager

Melissa is our Practice Manager and grew up in Grant County.  She attended Washington State University, where she earned her BA in English, and lived on the Palouse for four years before moving back to central Washington.  She has extensive administrative support experience in the fields of education and manufacturing, and brings a background in human relations and personnel management to the firm. Melissa has a passion for reading and writing and enjoys spending time outside gardening and visiting new places with her family.

Cinthia Piedra

APR Rule 9 Law Clerk

Cinthia grew up in Soap Lake and started with MLG in 2016 while attending Central Washington University.  She graduated from CWU with a BS in Law and Justice and a minor in Administrative Management.  She is enrolled in the APR Rule 9 Law Clerk program, and is studying to become an attorney under the mentorship of Jerry Moberg.. Cinthia is a fitness enthusiast who loves working out and spending time with her younger siblings.

Mallory Avila

Paralegal

Mallory joined MLG in 2020 as our Administrative Assistant. She was then promoted to Legal Assistant and has now worked her way up to Paralegal. Mallory brings significant administrative experience to our firm. She has lived in the Columbia Basin since she was a teenager and in the summers enjoys boating and camping with her family and friends.

Paige Moen

Legal Assistant

Paige started with our firm in 2021. She is orginally from Montana and moved to Washington to pursue a career in barbering. After starting up a successful barber shop in Wenatchee, she found she enjoyed the administrative side of the business and decided on a career change. Paige is an avid hiker and Big Foot hunter and loves all animals great and small.

Christina Moore

Legal Assistant

Christina joined our team at MLG in 2021. She comes to our firm after working multiple years in quality assurance. She earned her degree in business from Big Bend Community College and brings a highly detail oriented skillset to our establishment. In her off time, Tina can be found off-roading, camping with her family in Idaho and enjoying her grandkids.

Marjorie Thulesen

Administrative Assistant

Marjie is originally from southeastern Montana and joined our team in the fall of 2022. She attended Everett Community College where she received an AA in Business Administration as well as Edmonds Community College where she earned a Certificate in Office Support. Marjie brings a robust administrative skillset to our team with experience in the fields of engineering, education and manufacturing. She enjoys spending time with her family and is a creative DIY project enthusiast. In her free time she can be found gardening and working on interior design projects.