Michael Blanton

While in law school, Michael volunteered at the Immigration Law Project for Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, started and was president of an American Civil Liberties Union chapter at the Saint Louis University Law School, and was a board member of the ACLU affiliate for Eastern Missouri. After law school, Michael has continued volunteering by doing pro bono work for Legal Aid of Western Missouri as a public defender and representing families in legal proceedings at the Division of Family Services in Missouri.

Since 1997, Michael has practiced Social Security Disability law, representing DIB & SSI clients in hearings before Administrative Law Judges at Offices of Hearings and Appeals, throughout the United States. Michael is a member of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh and Eighth Circuits, is a member of five U.S. District Courts, and has represented plaintiffs for Social Security Disability claims in seven U.S. District Courts.

Michael is a native of Missouri, and has lived throughout the Midwest, New Orleans, and Puerto Rico. Michael lives in West Olympia with his wife, Dawn, a native of Washington who is a school teacher in Rochester. In his free time, Michael enjoys visiting National Parks and hiking with his wife. He also enjoys movies, books, music, and playing ice hockey and tennis.

Maureen Cleary

Maureen began her professional life as an RN. Following the receipt of her BS Degree in Nursing, she pursued a MS Degree in Nursing, to become both an FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner) and GNP (Gerontological Nurse Practitioner) and practiced and taught in these areas at the University of Utah. During that tenure, Maureen became involved in nursing and health care legislative issues, particularly the passage of the first Utah Nurse Practitioner Prescriptive Practice Act.

Between the years of 1986 – 1994, Maureen built her own disability law firm in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she had returned following the completion of law school.

Between the years of 1994 – 2002, Maureen took a sabbatical from the practice of law, pursuing a spiritual path.

In 2002, Maureen returned to Portland, Oregon and intermittently practiced disability law there until 2006. In July of 2006, Maureen joined the law firm of Halpern & Oliver, PLLC. With a compassionate ear and heart, Maureen listens to the stories of illness, injury and disability of our disability clients, and in addition to her legal advocacy, she applies her nursing education and experience to assist our clients. Maureen is looking forward to being even further Northwest than Portland, and has one personal goal in moving to the area of the South Puget Sound: to catch the biggest fish and/or to tell everyone she has!

Amy Gilbrough

Long before she applied to law school, Amy volunteered taking intake calls for the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington. Amy derived satisfaction from helping people talk through their problems and offering solutions, but experienced a degree of frustration with not being able to help more and be a real part of the solution. This fueled Amy’s desire to become a lawyer.

After completing Lewis and Clark Law School, Amy found a job writing decisions for Administrative Law Judges at the Social Security Administration (SSA). Amy later worked for the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) defending SSA decisions in the Federal District Courts and the 9th and 11th Circuits and drafting legal opinions on the finer points of Social Security law. Amy built a firm foundation of knowledge at OGC in Social Security’s laws and processes and had the opportunity to work with many wonderful, bright attorneys and dedicated public servants. Nevertheless, working at OGC was not a good fit for an attorney with the goal of helping people work toward personal solutions.

In January 2003, Amy happily accepted a job working with Elie Halpern and David Oliver in Olympia. Amy has since then used the skills garnered at SSA and OGC to pursue disability benefits for individuals at all levels of appeal through the 9^th Circuit. Since July 2006, Amy has been the Managing Attorney at the Seattle office of Halpern and Oliver, PLLC. A Seattle native, Amy enjoys spending time with her family and creating a garden retreat on Phinney Ridge.

Ari D. Halpern

For the entirety of 2007, Ari and his wonderful wife Lisa have been traveling the world via foot, plane, bike, train, bus, cars, boat and tuk tuk. Following their travels, Ari and Lisa will be relocating to Olympia to work with Halpern & Oliver, PLLC beginning February 1, 2008. Some of Ari’s interests include travel, gardening, pottery and exercise. 

Elie Halpern

Elie is blessed by working with a much younger staff and is nurtured by a loving spouse, several children and at least four grandchildren. Elie prefers a warmer, sunnier climate such as Hawaii, but is committed to continuing to work part-time in the northwest rainforest for up to another three years.

Jon Mueller

Jon, a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School in Minneapolis, earned a B.S. in Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin.

After graduating from law school in 1990, Jon moved to Spokane, Washington to work at Spokane Legal Services, represented low-income persons in a variety of legal matters including landlord-tenant disputes and housing discrimination cases.

In 1995, Jon moved west of the mountains and took a position with a firm practicing Social Security Disability Law. Since 1995, Jon’s practice has focused on helping individuals who have been denied Social Security disability benefits. In September 2007, Jon joined Halpern & Oliver, PLLC.

Jon lives with his wife and two sons in Seattle. In his free time, Jon enjoys spending time outdoors with his family and woodworking.

Seeking to bring his career in line with his socially progressive beliefs, in 1992 he took a position in a firm practicing Social Security Disability Law and has been happily doing so ever since.

Betty Tharrington

Betty is a bona fide Tar Heel – born, raised and educated in North Carolina (University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Bachelors Degree in English – 15 years later returned to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning her JD in 1990)

She taught English in Portsmouth, Virginia, and worked for 12 years in Human Resources (8 years for North Carolina Department of Transportation; 4 years with Carolina Power & Light Co.)

After graduation from UNC – Law, she practiced in Virginia for 12 years - Social Security Disability/state and longshore workers’ compensation.

In 2001, Betty made a huge leap – from Tidewater, Virginia to Tacoma, Washington – to open her own law office where she limited her practice Social Security Disability claims.

Betty is a former member of President’s Committee on Employment of Individuals with Handicapping Conditions; and a former Board Member with TACID (Tacoma Area Coalition on Individuals with Disabilities).

She is married to Mark and together they have 3 children. She LOVES her two cats and enjoys gardening and old movies.