About Our Firm

Stephen Maddox

From 1984 to 2005, Steve ran a private practice in historic downtown Olympia WA, focused on helping disability clients. In 2005, Jeanette joined him as his law partner at Maddox & Laffoon.Recently retired, Steve practiced law in Washington State from 1980 to 2024. He has represented thousands of disabled clients at Social Security administrative hearings and in the Federal Courts. He also has decades of experience representing clients with personal injury and workers compensation claims.

Steve was born in 1949 in Hampton, Virginia. He received a BS and an MS degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1971 and 1974. He worked as an engineer for the DuPont Company and Lockheed California Company, before going to law school. In 1980, he graduated with honors from Southwestern University Law School, where he worked as a research assistant for Professor Jim Kushner, investigating land use, civil rights, environmental, and civil liberties issues.

In 1980, Steve relocated to Washington for a staff attorney position at Evergreen Legal Services. Until 1983, he represented clients in Ellensburg and Yakima, dealing with public entitlement issues like Social Security disability and SSI claims. In 1983, Steve moved to Olympia to join the Puget Sound Legal Assistance Foundation, continuing his work with disability-related cases.

During this time, he actively participated in class action litigation in public assistance and Social Security disability areas. Notably, the Morrison case challenged SSA’s decision-making process at the initial and reconsideration levels of appeal. The agency failed to give adequate weight to treating physicians’ opinions, mishandled cases with both mental and physical impairments, disregarded claimants’ limitations, and failed to apply the improvement standard in cessation cases.

In the end, the Federal District Court compelled SSA to reopen and re-adjudicate tens of thousands of previously denied claims from the early 1980s

Since 1984, Steve has run a private practice in Olympia, WA, focusing on representing clients seeking Social Security disability and SSI benefits. He’s represented thousands at hearings and appeals. In 2005, Jeanette joined him as his law partner at Maddox & Laffoon, specializing in medical-legal matters, Workers’ Comp, and Personal Injury claims.

Areas Of Practice:
Social Security — Disability
Bar Admissions:
Washington, 1980
U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1980
Education:
Southwestern University School of Law, Los Angeles, California
Virginia
B.S.

Sirena Denbow

Sirena’s primary role at Maddox & Laffoon is to prepare for and attend administrative hearings with clients. Having worked in this area of administrative law for more than 20 years, she has a deep understanding of the process. She is also the most compassionate person you are likely to ever meet.

Hailing from the beaches of Southern California, Sirena has been a Washington resident since 1986. In 2001, she completed her AA through Green River Community College and her bachelor’s degree in 2020 from The Evergreen State College. She is currently a Washington State APR 6 Law Clerk under the tutelage of Jeanette Laffoon. Starting as a legal assistant in 2001, under Jeanette’s guidance, she became a Non-Attorney Representative, providing advocacy for Social Security Disability and SSI claimants since 2011.

Outside of work, Sirena has three children with her partner of over 25 years, the youngest of which was born with a genetic mutation known as Dravet Syndrome. They share a home with two dogs, two cats and a bunch of squirrels and deer who like to eat their plants. When she is not working or studying, she spends time with her family, travels to Disney parks, and hangs out with her friends in the Obstacle Course Racing community. In her free time, she volunteers with the Dravet Syndrome Foundation and is currently working on a legislative project related to paid parent caregivers of minor children.

Sirena believes that life is precious, and everyone deserves to be seen. Equity, equality, and passion drive her. She looks forward to working with you to make sure you have quality representation in a process that can seem daunting.

Anne Wan

Anne moved to the Olympia area in 2017, and began working for Maddox & Laffoon the next year.  She brought with her eight years of experience in another Social Security disability law firm.  She enjoys the outdoors and hiking, and sometimes borrows Steve’s Blue Heeler to accompany her.”