About Brooke
Brooke Barnes built her career steadily across public defense and private practice in Washington. She moved into private practice after several years working in assigned counsel programs and small firms. Over time her roles expanded from courtroom advocacy to firm management.
Barnes began her professional path at Lee & Associates in 2014. A year later she joined the Department of Assigned Counsel, where she handled a range of criminal matters on behalf of appointed clients. In 2018 she worked at Ashby Law and then joined Yakima Law PLLC in 2019. Her responsibilities at Yakima Law grew over the next several years, and she was named Managing Partner in 2024.
Her work has attracted local and national recognition. She has been named among the 10 Best Lawyers by the American Institute of Family Law Lawyers and listed in the American Academy of Lawyers’ Top 40 Under 40 for Criminal Law. Local outlets have taken notice as well: she appeared on the Yakima Herald-Republic’s 39 Under 39 list and has been identified by that paper as Yakima’s Best Criminal Defense Lawyer. These honors reflect both criminal defense work and family law matters in her portfolio.
Barnes has been active in professional organizations that align with those areas of practice. She held membership in the Washington Defender Association from 2014 until 2021. She is currently a member of Washington Women Lawyers and the Washington Family Bar Association, where she has been involved since 2018. Outside bar associations she joined Rotary in 2022 and remains a member.
Colleagues describe her as practical and direct in court. Her background in assigned counsel work gave her extensive trial exposure early on. In private practice she took on more complex case management and supervisory responsibilities, which eventually led to her leadership role at her firm.
As Managing Partner at Yakima Law, Barnes oversees firm operations and continues to represent clients in criminal defense and family law matters. Her current practice concentrates on defending criminal cases and handling family law disputes in Washington.
