Our Firm

Bill Hames has always been a bit of a rebel. Bill was raised in a prefab in Richland, served in the Navy, then was a working law student supporting a family. He is no stranger to the financial challenges life brings.

As a kid, Tim Anderson fixed bicycles for other neighborhood kids. He worked at a Kennewick car lot at 15. Tim owned, fixed up, and sold 25 cars before he turned 21. He still loves to play with cars. His favorite was his ’69 Camaro SS.

In 1986 Bill, Tim, and Ray Whitlow came together with differing backgrounds and one goal. We were lawyers who honestly wanted to help people. We wanted to be not only competent and experienced but respected, caring, and careful with our clients’ money and their futures.

We believe 90% of a good lawyer’s job is telling a client when to stop, rather than dragging out a case which only benefits the lawyers.

The three of us were later joined by John O’Leary. Unfortunately, in 2013 we lost Ray due to an auto accident.

Raised in Seattle, John fell in love with Eastern Washington. After law school he and his wife made their escape to the Tri-Cities and can’t think of a better place to raise a family. An avid outdoorsman, John loves the patient discipline of training his dogs and the solitude of fly-fishing. He builds his own fly rods and ties his own flies.

John enjoys solving complex legal problems. His areas of practice include business, agriculture, debtor/creditor relations, real estate and environmental law, administrative law, and civil litigation. He brought strong research and writing skills as well as a heart for helping businesses and families negotiate the court system to achieve their goals.

A Kennewick native, Tim has helped clients with serious injury claims, and clients with estate planning and business needs for over 25 years.

Bill’s empathy for people in financial crisis has helped him to become one of the most respected family, business, and agribusiness bankruptcy attorneys in the state.

John W. O'Leary / William L. Hames Timothy / D. Anderson

John, Bill, and Tim

Our firm serves Southeastern Washington and Northeastern Oregon in diverse areas of practice, including:

  • Bankruptcy: Debtor and Creditor – We are a debt relief agency. We help people file for bankruptcy relief under the Bankruptcy Code.
  • Construction Law
  • Personal Injury Litigation
  • Real Estate Law
  • Social Security Disability
  • Trusts and Estates
  • Business Planning
  • Civil Litigation
  • Wills and Probate
  • Agricultural Law

We practice in all courts and before most agencies in the states of Washington and Oregon.

At Hames, Anderson, Whitlow & O’Leary, P.S., we’re here to help! We are committed to providing quality legal services to individuals, businesses and institutions. All of our clients receive personal attention from our attorneys and from our experienced and dedicated staff. We strive to represent each client in a way that will match their goals and resources.