About Janice K.
Janice K. Langbehn brings a rare mix of social work training and legal education to family law. She completed a J.D. at Seattle University School of Law in 2018 after earning an M.S.W. from the University of Washington in 2000. Earlier degrees include an M.P.A. in public health from Evergreen State College in 1995 and a B.A. in psychology from the University of Puget Sound in 1990. The sequence of degrees reflects a long interest in child welfare and public service.
Langbehn’s career began in direct child welfare practice. In 1994 she worked as a Child Protective Services social worker for the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Children’s Administration. That front-line experience in investigations and family intervention shaped how she assesses risk and advocacy needs in later legal work. She later served as a guardian ad litem in Thurston County Superior Court, representing children in family and juvenile proceedings beginning in 2013.
While in law school she served as a judicial extern to Justice Mary I. Yu at the Washington State Supreme Court in 2016. After earning her law degree she worked as a staff lawyer at the King County Department of Public Defense in 2018, gaining courtroom experience and exposure to public defense practice. Those roles placed her on both sides of juvenile and family-system matters and gave her time handling contested hearings and client counseling.
Langbehn moved into private practice in 2019 when she joined Lutz & Associates, P.S. Two years later she began practicing at Envision Family Law. Her work in private practice has addressed divorce, parenting plans, custody disputes, and issues that intersect with child welfare proceedings. She has represented clients in negotiations and contested hearings and has navigated the procedural and human elements family courts present.
Her professional credentials include certification from the Academy of Certified Social Workers through the National Association of Social Workers. She is a member of several local and national organizations: the National LGBT Bar Association (since 2018), the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association and the Thurston County Bar Association (since 2019), and the City of Tacoma Human Rights Commission (since 2022). These memberships reflect an ongoing engagement with both legal and community institutions.
Those who work with Langbehn note that her social work background informs case assessment and client interaction. She draws on that experience to frame legal options in terms clients can grasp and to address matters involving children with particular attention to safety and stability. She currently practices family law at Envision Family Law Group, handling divorce, custody, and related matters.
