Chehalis Native John Panesko Has Been a Lawyer for 50 Years

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John Panesko’s decision to be a lawyer was an easy one. It’s the career his dad took in Chehalis, so Panesko figured he’d carry on in his father’s footsteps.

Panesko completed his undergraduate and law degree from the University of Washington, the latter in 1972. He was admitted to practice the year before he graduated, also one year before the Multistate Bar Examination was added to the bar exam.

“There was a special program for law students who completed their second year to begin practicing early if they showed certain abilities, and I qualified,” Panesko said.

He was accepted as an attorney in a large law firm in Seattle. He quickly learned they didn’t recognize the smaller attorneys, and it was all based on how much money one could earn, rather than the level of service provided. The firm’s emphasis was on overcharging clients.

“The emphasis on making money bothered me,” Panesko said.

Instead of finding another law firm to join after graduating, Panesko instead joined the military during the Vietnam War, serving in the U.S. Navy for four years. Luckily, he never went to Vietnam. Many of his fellow enlistees never came back.

After being honorably discharged from the military, Panesko elected to join his dad back in Chehalis and become partners at his dad’s firm. The two would go on to work together for 18 years, until his dad retired following a 60-year career in law. Learning from his dad, who had gained a wealth of knowledge over the years, played an impactful role on Panesko.

“I learned doing the right thing was more important than doing the profitable thing,” Panesko said. “Lawyers that lie, cheat and take advantage of others don’t last very long. I never had the desire to do those things, but he pointed it out.”

Panesko has stood the test of time. This year marks 50 years practicing law, a half-century, all in Chehalis. He wouldn’t have wanted to spend his life anywhere else.

“I liked the idea of a small-town practice where I get to know my clients and they get to know me,” Panesko said.

Panesko limits his practice to estate planning and estates, which includes wills, trusts and powers of attorney. He’s also available to help families when a loved one dies. 

He decided to focus on only this aspect of law after realizing so many families were being torn apart because they didn’t have legal documents in place when a loved one passed away. It seemed like something he could do for the community.

“The last thing you need at a time of crisis is a family feud, because no one knows who’s in charge and no one knows what they’re supposed to do,” Panesko said. “Getting that set up ahead of time calms the water.”

He finds joy when people visit his office to write their document, thinking it’s going to be a long, complicated process, and they realize how inexpensive it is and how easy he makes it. But the most rewarding part about the job, for him, is seeing the change in people from when they first come in all worried, compared to when they leave relieved.



The most frequent phone call he gets is from families when a loved one has to go into a nursing home and the documents work perfectly and everything goes smoothly — and they were glad they had the papers done ahead of time.

“No one wants to talk about being disabled or dying; no one,” Panesko said. “But it is a necessary conversation that we all have to have at some point. I make it as easy as possible.”

Panesko said the most important thing to get done while a person is young is having a power of attorney in place. Auto accidents, heart attacks and strokes can happen anytime to anyone, he said. If no one has authority to handle one’s situation, it can make an already difficult situation even worse. It’s something most people don’t think about, but it’s very expensive to go to court to take care of a disabled person, he said.

“I think everyone should have a will, but then every dentist thinks everyone should have perfect teeth,” Panesko said. “It’s like an insurance policy. You buy it once, put it away and it’s there when you need it.”

Panesko recently remodeled his office so he can see clients in complete safety. The rooms have separate air supplies so clients are kept safe. Also, if someone has passed away, he will gladly talk to the family about finding the least expensive and easiest path to solve the issue.

Panesko’s office is located at 2000 S. Market Blvd. in Chehalis. He can be contacted at 360-748-0505.

More Information on John Panesko, Attorney

Owner: John Panesko

Location: 2000 S. Market Blvd., Chehalis

Hours: By appointment

Phone: 360-748-0505

Website: www.panesko.com

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