About Paula
Paula McCandlis earned her J.D. from Gonzaga University School of Law in 1993 after completing a B.A. at the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1990. She established herself in Washington soon after law school and has remained active in the state’s legal community for decades. Her academic background set a steady base for work that alternates between trial advocacy, supervision and teaching.
Her early career included opening her own practice in 1997 as Paula McCandlis, Lawyer at Law. That venture allowed her to build courtroom experience and client-facing skills. In 2006 she took on a supervisory role at Law Advocates, overseeing casework and mentoring younger attorneys. That same year she expanded into the classroom, serving as an adjunct professor at Whatcom Community College and later contributing to the college’s paralegal program.
In 2011 she joined Brett Murphy - Washington’s Injury Lawyers as a partner, bringing hands-on litigation experience to the firm. Four years later she became managing partner at Brett McCandlis & Brown PLLC, a position she has held since 2015. Through those firm roles she has handled matters that required coordination among counsel, discovery management, and trial preparation.
McCandlis’s professional life has run parallel to public service and community involvement. She serves as a Commissioner Pro Tem for Whatcom County Superior Court, a role that places her in the courtroom on a judicial level for specific proceedings. She has been active in the Whatcom County Bar Association and has served as its vice president since 2013. On the nonprofit side, she has been involved with the Brigid Collins Family Support Center, serving as president of the board at one point and remaining connected to the organization’s leadership.
Teaching remains part of her routine. She continues to work with the Whatcom Community College paralegal program as an adjunct professor, bringing practical experience from the courtroom and the firm into the classroom. Students in the program see how case strategy and client interaction work together in real practice.
Colleagues describe her approach as practical and straightforward. She moves from case assessment to courtroom work without unnecessary detours. She combines supervisory experience, teaching, and firm leadership in a practice anchored in Washington state courts. Her current practice focuses on personal injury representation and her work in local courts through commissioner pro tem duties.
