Get to Know Our Dedicated Legal Professionals in Eastern Washington

Stephen Matthews is an accomplished civil and criminal trial attorney. He has served Spokane County as Deputy Prosecuting Attorney and Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor. His most notable prosecution was against serial rapist Fred Harlan Coe who is known as the “South Hill Rapist.”

Steve joined our firm in 1995. His practice focuses on all types of litigation with an emphasis on personal injury and employment matters, including workers’ compensation, disability issues, non-compete agreements, discrimination, and sexual and other forms of harassment. He also has extensive experience in professional licensing cases and administrative law.

Although his experience is heavily focused on litigation and trial work, Mr. Matthews describes his objective as an attorney to be service-oriented, “I just want to help my clients with whatever they need.”

His master’s degree in Public Policy Studies and law degree were conferred by Brigham Young University. Steve is married with three sons and four grandchildren.

Robb Grangroth’s practice is primarily focused on areas of probate and estate planning, taxation, business contracts, business formation, and corporate management, as well as all aspects of real estate matters including boundary disputes and easements. He is an experienced trial lawyer frequently assisting his clients in the areas of probate litigation, will contests, insurance disputes, and other various civil litigation matters.

As an attorney, Robb strives to provide assistance and advice through all stages of life, both personal and professional, and to achieve the best possible results for his clients. Robb attended the University of Utah where he obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology with an emphasis in Criminal Justice. He earned his Juris Doctorate from Gonzaga University in 2000, receiving a CALI Award in Estate Planning for ranking highest amongst his peers.

From Gonzaga University, Robb went on to the University of Washington where he obtained his postgraduate Master of Laws degree in Taxation, graduating in 2001.
Robb began his career providing Tax Law support for 110 Tax Preparation Offices. In 2005, he opened his private law practice here in Spokane and eventually joined Phillabaum, Ledlin, Matthews & Sheldon in 2016.

Robb was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, but has lived in Washington for over twenty years. While attending law school at Gonzaga, he met his wife – the love of his life and a Spokane native – Mary. Together, they have two very active sons. During their leisure time, the family loves exploring the outdoors and the surrounding areas of the Pacific Northwest, frequently hiking, biking, camping, fishing, downhill skiing, and backpacking the nature trails in and around our beautiful state.

Ben Phillabaum was born and raised in eastern Washington. He received his BA from Washington State University in 2001. After working as a Commercial Lender at various banking institutions, Ben studied under and completed the Washington State APR 6 Law Clerk Program. As a Partner with Phillabaum, Ledlin, Matthews & Sheldon, Ben’s practice now specializes in consumer and commercial collections, as well as business formation, real estate, contracts, estate planning, and probate.

Ben is a Spokane resident and an active member of our community. He has served on the Law Clerk Board for four years and has been Chair of the Board for the last two. Ben is also a member of the Spokane Estate Planning Council and Rotary Club. He is licensed in both Washington and Idaho and practices in all counties and jurisdictional levels within them. Additionally, Ben has been admitted to practice in the Kalispel and Coeur d’Alene Tribal Courts.