Welcome to CSD Attorneys at Law

CSD Attorneys at Law, was established in 1984, is a regional Northwest Washington law firm based in Bellingham. We principally represent municipal governments, businesses, and the people who own and manage them. The core commitments of our team to our clients are quality, responsiveness, creativity, teamwork, and professionalism.

Our commitment to quality begins with our recruitment of attorneys, paralegals, and staff, all of whom are integral to our team. This includes the standards that we expect of ourselves, our investment in technology, and our determined resolve to continue to provide efficient and responsive legal services at the highest level. These commitments and standards, set forth as a part of our mission statement, enable our firm to develop solution-oriented approaches and vigorous representation of our clients’ interests in increasingly complex and challenging legal matters.

Our Office

1500 Railroad Avenue
Bellingham, Washington 98225

Office: 360.671.1796
Fax: 360.671.3781

Where We’ve Been

The firm was founded in 1984 by Steve Mura, who, since 1992, has served as a Whatcom County Superior Court judge. Mr. Mura practiced business law, municipal law, community association law, and litigation—all of which remain core areas of our firm’s practice. In 1987, Frank Chmelik joined Mr. Mura after having obtained extensive trial experience as a U.S. Army JAG Corps officer and an associate at a large Seattle law firm.

In 1993, Richard Davis left one of Seattle’s largest law firms and joined the firm. His expertise in litigation, in general, and construction disputes in particular, proved to be a valuable addition to the firm. Over the next several years, Mr. Chmelik and Mr. Davis managed the growth and development of the firm, refining our municipal and business practices while adding estate planning to the firm’s practice areas. Mr. Davis is now the managing partner for litigation matters, and Mr. Chmelik manages the firm’s business practice.

In 1994, the firm completed the renovation of a historic brick warehouse in the Railroad Avenue business district of downtown Bellingham, making it a distinctive feature in the downtown renaissance.

The firm continued to represent an increasing number of special purpose municipal governments, contractors, businesses, and community associations throughout Whatcom County and Western Washington. In 1998, Jon Sitkin, a real estate and land use attorney, joined the firm, and the shareholders adopted the name Chmelik Sitkin & Davis P.S. Mr. Sitkin was then a well-established land use attorney. Since 1998, our firm’s land use and real estate practices have developed at a deliberate and steady pace.

During the last twenty years, our firm has consistently and steadily focused our practice on issues related to municipal and business clients. Maintaining this focus has allowed us to develop and offer sophisticated, yet cost-effective, legal services to our clients without the “big firm” experience of costly representation, inconvenient access, and overstaffing of projects.

Where We Are

We have developed a reputation for providing prompt, high quality legal advice to clients throughout the State of Washington. Our attorneys have earned the respect of their colleagues and are regularly invited to speak at continuing legal education seminars and statewide conferences on municipal law, employment, construction, and community association issues. For example, Frank Chmelik has been recognized by Washington Law & Politics Magazine as a “Super Lawyer®” for 20+ consecutive years.

We have developed various practice areas within our firm so that we can most effectively represent our clients’ interests. While we strive to provide a full spectrum of legal services to businesses and municipal clients, occasionally a specialized issue (e.g. bankruptcy, securities, or issuance of voter-issued bonds) requires that we engage outside counsel. We have well-established relationships with a number of law firms in Seattle with whom we can associate and supervise on behalf of our business and government clients to ensure that our clients receive cost-effective representation.

Where We’re Going

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

The attorneys and staff of CSD Attorneys at Law want to do the right thing and do things right. This mission statement is an affirmative statement of the goals and standards that guide us. The work that we do and the decisions that we make will be judged against these goals and standards.

WITH REGARD TO THE LEGAL SERVICES WE PROVIDE

  • We will always remember that to serve our clients is a privilege and an indication of the trust and confidence they place in us.
  • We will set the standard for high quality legal services, delivered on time, to our clients throughout the State of Washington.
  • We will remember that every client is important and that each client has entrusted our firm with very important matters.
  • We will always seek to exceed our clients’ expectations.
  • We will, in all respects, act fairly and ethically.
  • We recognize that each client expects our honest opinion even if that opinion is not what the client wants to hear.
  • While we expect to be compensated fairly for our services, we will also strive to ensure that each client has received real value for the services we have provided.
  • Unless otherwise requested, we will advise our clients without regard to our personal views.

WITH REGARD TO THE ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH WE WORK

  • We will continue to grow in sophistication and size so that we can continue to provide the highest quality legal services to our clients.
  • We will continue to seek out and promote well-educated, creative, and dedicated attorneys and staff.
  • We will continue to emphasize and insist upon a culture of competence, accountability, creativity, respect, integrity, ethical conduct, and professionalism.
  • We will continue to emphasize a well-managed, technologically-advanced work environment.
  • In all things, we will be more fair to each other than we are to ourselves.
  • We will continue to compensate the attorneys and staff well.
  • We recognize that we all have divergent personal views and backgrounds and that these contribute to our strength as a firm.
  • We will respect the importance of family and encourage our attorneys and staff to achieve a balance between their work at the firm and other aspects of their lives.

WITH REGARD TO OUR COMMUNITY

  • We will continue to serve our community by encouraging the spirit of volunteerism in our attorneys and staff.
  • Our firm will continue its tradition of generous support for community based charities.
  • We recognize that our many clients will have divergent views. These clients expect and deserve that their attorneys will not be involved in public debates in which their interests or positions are challenged. Therefore, our attorneys and staff will look for opportunities to serve our community which do not involve us in public debate.
  • We will continue to serve the legal profession by sharing our knowledge with other attorneys and the public.