Peder T. Punsalan-Teigen

Peder T. Punsalan-Teigen is a Principal at the firm. Peder focuses his practice on a wide range of family law matters including dissolutions of marriage, domestic partnerships and Committed Intimate Relationships, complex asset divisions, parentage, parenting and child custody, child support, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, and LGBTQ+-specific family law issues.

Beyond his work with the firm, Peder is actively involved in and committed to promoting excellence in the legal community, and to ensuring access to justice for LGBTQ+ individuals and families, as well as other minority and underrepresented populations, throughout Washington. Peder routinely publishes and presents on topics in family law and issues facing the LGBTQ+ community, and he is an editor for the Washington Family Law Deskbook. He has also provided expert testimony in immigration and asylum cases on Washington statutory and common law.  

Peder is a member of the American Bar Association, Washington State Bar Association, King County Bar Association, Family Law Institute, National LGBTQ+ Bar Association, QLaw Association (the LGBTQ+ Bar Association of Washington), and Filipino Lawyers of Washington. He is a past Chair of the LGBTQ+ Law Section of the Washington State Bar Association. Peder currently serves as the President of the QLaw Association. 

Peder received his J.D., Magna Cum Laude, from Seattle University School of Law. While at Seattle University, Peder was a Note & Comment Editor on Seattle University Law Review and served on the boards of Moot Court, OUTLaws, the International Refugee Assistance Project, and Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity. Peder took first place in both mock trial and mock appellate competitions and represented Seattle University at the Texas Young Lawyers Association Regional Mock Trial Competition. He was inducted into the Order of Barristers. Peder remains involved with the school as a volunteer judge for mock trial competitions, volunteer mock interviewer, and volunteer speaker; he also teaches family law at Seattle University School of Law as an adjunct professor.

When he is not working or volunteering, Peder enjoys spending time downtown with his husband, taking advantage of the great food, drink, and leisure activities that Seattle offers. As a Seattle-area native, Peder also enjoys exploring the region’s many parks and outdoor areas with his dogs.  He rows recreationally and competitively with the Green Lake Adult Crew masters rowing team, for which he has served previously as a Co-Captain and continues to serve as a member of various advisory councils and committees.

Memberships & Affiliations:

• American Bar Association
• Washington State Bar Association
• King County Bar Association
• Family Law Institute
• National LGBTQ+ Bar Association
• QLaw (LGBTQ+ Bar Association of Washington)
• Filipino Lawyers of Washington
• Order of Barristers

Education:

J.D., magna cum laude, Seattle University School of Law, 2018

B.A., History, Classical Studies, Minor in Latin, University of Washington, 2010

Awards & Honors:

Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America 2026 edition for Family Law

Recognized as one of the 40 Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers under 40 in the U.S. by the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association in 2025

Recognized as a Washington Super Lawyers® Rising Star honoree in 2022 – 2025

Pro Bono Publico Honor Roll (recognized annually for the years 2019-2024), Washington State Bar Association

Mary H. Wechsler Scholarship for Social Justice in Family Law, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Washington

Order of Barristers, Order of Barristers / Seattle University School of Law

Presidential Law Scholar, Seattle University School of Law

Dean’s List, Seattle University School of Law

CALI Excellence for the Future Award (awarded in Family Law, Professional Responsibility, and Mediation Skills courses), CALI / Seattle University School of Law

Presentations:

Washington Family Law from A to Z, Discovery in Divorce, presented at NBI CLE, November 2024

Discovery and Evidence in Washington Family Law Cases, Practical Tips for Discovery Requests: From Interrogatories to Subpoenas, presented at NBI CLE, November 2023

Discovery and Evidence in Washington Family Law Cases, Direct and Cross Examination of Expert Witnesses, presented at NBI CLE, November 2023

2022 Judicial Fellows Clinic, Judicial Evaluations, presented at Judicial Institute CLE, March 2022

Hot Topics in LGBTQ Law, presented at Washington State Bar Association CLE, December 2021

Self-Awareness and Boundary Setting: Strategies to Support Attorney Health and Ethical Practice, presented at American Inns of Court / William L. Dwyer Inn of Court CLE,  February 2021

Family Law Task Force Training, Discovery in Family Law Cases, presented at Northwest Justice Project CLE, February 2020

Hot Topics in LGBTQ Law, Updates to the Uniform Parentage Act, and the Impact for LGBT Relationships, presented at Washington State Bar Association CLE, December 2019

Publications:

Mississippi Black Codes, 1865-1866, BlackPast.org, May 2021

Did Young Create an Absolute Bar Against Contempt?, King County Bar Association Bar Bulletin, November 2019

How to Become a Legal Parent in Washington, June, 2018