Janna Annest,
Founding Member

Janna has been practicing in her hometown of Seattle since 2003. After starting her career as a litigator, she began building her family formation practice after adopting her daughter in 2008. In 2015, she joined the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys, served on the board of trustees from 2021 to 2024 and is currently president-elect of the Academy.

Her practice includes all aspects of adoption, including complex cases involving the Indian Child Welfare Act, interstate placements, stepparent, second-parent and even third-parent adoptions and contested cases. She also represents birth parents who are considering an adoption plan. In addition to adoption, Janna represents parties in surrogacy contracts, egg and sperm donation agreements and embryo donation contracts.

Washington is considered one of the best states in the country for assisted reproduction, with clear laws, a straightforward legal process for establishing parentage and strong protections for unmarried parents and same-sex couples. Because the arrival of a child often prompts new parents to complete estate planning, Janna prepares wills, powers of attorney and medical directives to ensure that her clients’ loved ones are cared for in the event of an emergency.

With her litigation background and experience as an adoptive parent, she brings a strategic and compassionate approach to all her cases. She understands the anxiety and intensity of taking a less conventional path to parenthood and helps her clients navigate both the practical and emotional aspects of the process.

• Associate, Mills Meyers Swartling, 2003-2010
• Shareholder, Mills Meyers Swartling, 2010-2019
• Partner, Lirhus Keckemet Annest PLLC, 2020-2025

• Juris Doctor, with honors, University of Washington School of Law, 2003
• Bachelor’s Degree, cum laude and with high honors, Dartmouth College, 2000

Janna captained the women’s volleyball team at Dartmouth and was a strength and conditioning All-American in 1999.

• Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers, 2020 to present
• Thomson Reuters Rising Stars, 2009 to 2018
• Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award, Dartmouth College, 2014

• Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys

  • - Fellow, 2015 to present
  • - President, 2026 to present
  • - Annual Conference Co-Chair, 2019
  • - Conference Chair, 2023
  • - Trustee, 2021 to present
  • - President’s Award, 2023
  • - President-Elect, 2025

• “Adoption,” Washington Lawyers Practice Manual, 2020
• Contributor, “Washington Civil Discovery,” LexisNexis Practice Guide, 2013
• Contributor, Adoptive Families Magazine:
  • - “Hiring Your Adoption Professional,” Summer 2013
  • - “Building ‘Nontraditional’ Families,” March–April 2012
  • - “Before the Adoption: Connecting with Expectant Mothers,” October 2011
  • - “Finally Final,” August 2011
  • - “Adoption Leave: Your Legal Rights,” February 2011
  • - “What Is the Adoption Tax Credit? Am I Eligible?” December 2010
  • - “How Do I Find My U.S. Adoption Team?” October 2010
  • - “Is Open Adoption Right for My Family?” April 2010
  • - “How Should Parents Budget for a Domestic Adoption?” August 2010
  • - “How Does the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children Affect Domestic Private Adoptions?” January–February 2010
• “Only the News That’s Fit to Print: The Effect of Hazelwood on the First Amendment Viewpoint-Neutrality Requirement in Public School-Sponsored Forums,” Washington Law Review, Vol. 77, No. 4, 2002