About the Firm
Built On Shared Conviction
Melanie Nguyen and Ruby Aliment met in law school, drawn to the same type of work and a shared instinct for how it should be done. They spent the next decade at established Seattle firms handling complex cases, gaining trial experience, and refining their approach.
Along the way, they came to share a clear conviction: great lawyering comes from hard work, excellent work product, and committing to cases you truly believe in. Nguyen Aliment was founded to work with these intentions.
Too often, people facing catastrophic injuries are rushed into early settlements, or treated like files on an assembly line. By keeping the caseload selective, Nguyen Aliment gives every client the time, preparation, and attention that serious cases deserve. And by preparing every case for trial, the firm gives clients the strongest possible position at every stage.
Your Team
Melanie Nguyen
Melanie represents individuals and families whose lives have been changed by catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and civil rights violations. She believes that the courtroom is one of the few places where ordinary people can stand on equal footing with powerful corporations, institutions, and government entities – and demand accountability.
As the daughter of Vietnamese refugees, Melanie's commitment to advocacy began long before law school. Her parents fled Vietnam in the early 1980s after growing up amid war, poverty, and political instability. Raised in Section 8 housing in Everett, Washington, Melanie witnessed firsthand how language barriers, poverty, and systemic inequities limited access to justice for many families in her community. From an early age, she understood the difference a strong advocate could make for people without power, and by middle school she had already decided she wanted to become a lawyer.
Melanie attended the University of Washington, where she focused her studies and advocacy on human rights, policing, and poverty. She served as President of the university's Amnesty International chapter and worked to address discriminatory social and legal systems. During law school, she worked at DESC, supporting vulnerable adults experiencing housing instability and mental health crises, volunteered with the Housing Justice Project, and represented indigent clients as a Rule 9 extern with the Defender Association.
After graduating from law school, Melanie clerked for Justice Charles W. Johnson at the Washington Supreme Court. The experience sharpened her ability to analyze complex legal issues and deepened her understanding of how litigation can drive meaningful change.
Melanie is particularly passionate about representing individuals whose voices have been ignored or minimized and helping clients tell their stories in a way that demands to be heard. She has helped recover more than $100 million in verdicts and settlements for injured individuals and families.
Outside of work, Melanie spends her time with her family, including her wild 18 month old, exploring the Pacific Northwest, and finding new ways to build community both inside and outside the legal profession.
Presentations
- Anatomy of a $21.5 Dog Mauling Case Against King County, October 2025
- When to Stay, When to Go: Navigating Withdrawal and Fee Agreements Ethically, Washington State Bar Association Trial Advocacy Program, September 2025
- Clemency and Justice: Defending Southwest Asian Immigrants from Removal, June 2025
- ERISA Overview and Update, WSAJ Convention, September 2024
- Dog Attack Cases from A to Z, August 2024
- Documentation throughout Trial, Washington State Bar Association Trial Advocacy Program, April 2024
- The Fifth Amendment in a Civil Context, August 2023
- The Impact of Emotional Connection in a Plaintiffs Practice, May 2023
- Claims for Police Misconduct in Federal and State Court, Federal Bar Association, January 2023
- Pleading Police Negligence for Police Misconduct, July 2022
- Insured’s Duties, WSAJ Convention, May 2022
Publications & Media
- Author, What Beard v. Everett Clinic Means for Washington Medical Malpractice Cases, March 2026
- Author, What the Cardi B Trial Teaches Plaintiffs’ Lawyers Not to Do, September 2025
- Quoted, City of Sedro-Woolley settles wrongful death lawsuit with family of man shot by police, Cascadia Daily, July 2025
- Author, Fifty Years Since the Fall of Saigon, WSBA Bar News, June 2025
- Author, Gray’s Harbor County Jury Finds Negligence and Failure to Provide Informed Consent in Peyronie’s Disease Medical Malpractice Trial, WSAJ Trial News, May 2025
- Quoted, Sedro-Woolley officer returns to force after killing motorist; lawsuit looms, Cascadia Daily, January 2023
- Author, ERISA, WSAJ Deskbook, Motor Vehicle Litigation, April 2025
- Author, Insured’s Duties, WSAJ Deskbook, Insurance, April 2022
- Host, Token Majority Podcast, 2022
Melanie Nguyen
Melanie represents individuals and families whose lives have been changed by catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and civil rights violations. She believes that the courtroom is one of the few places where ordinary people can stand on equal footing with powerful corporations, institutions, and government entities – and demand accountability.
As the daughter of Vietnamese refugees, Melanie's commitment to advocacy began long before law school. Her parents fled Vietnam in the early 1980s after growing up amid war, poverty, and political instability. Raised in Section 8 housing in Everett, Washington, Melanie witnessed firsthand how language barriers, poverty, and systemic inequities limited access to justice for many families in her community. From an early age, she understood the difference a strong advocate could make for people without power, and by middle school she had already decided she wanted to become a lawyer.
Melanie attended the University of Washington, where she focused her studies and advocacy on human rights, policing, and poverty. She served as President of the university's Amnesty International chapter and worked to address discriminatory social and legal systems. During law school, she worked at DESC, supporting vulnerable adults experiencing housing instability and mental health crises, volunteered with the Housing Justice Project, and represented indigent clients as a Rule 9 extern with the Defender Association.
After graduating from law school, Melanie clerked for Justice Charles W. Johnson at the Washington Supreme Court. The experience sharpened her ability to analyze complex legal issues and deepened her understanding of how litigation can drive meaningful change.
Melanie is particularly passionate about representing individuals whose voices have been ignored or minimized and helping clients tell their stories in a way that demands to be heard. She has helped recover more than $100 million in verdicts and settlements for injured individuals and families.
Outside of work, Melanie spends her time with her family, including her wild 18 month old, exploring the Pacific Northwest, and finding new ways to build community both inside and outside the legal profession.
Presentations
- Anatomy of a $21.5 Dog Mauling Case Against King County, October 2025
- When to Stay, When to Go: Navigating Withdrawal and Fee Agreements Ethically, Washington State Bar Association Trial Advocacy Program, September 2025
- Clemency and Justice: Defending Southwest Asian Immigrants from Removal, June 2025
- ERISA Overview and Update, WSAJ Convention, September 2024
- Dog Attack Cases from A to Z, August 2024
- Documentation throughout Trial, Washington State Bar Association Trial Advocacy Program, April 2024
- The Fifth Amendment in a Civil Context, August 2023
- The Impact of Emotional Connection in a Plaintiffs Practice, May 2023
- Claims for Police Misconduct in Federal and State Court, Federal Bar Association, January 2023
- Pleading Police Negligence for Police Misconduct, July 2022
- Insured’s Duties, WSAJ Convention, May 2022
Publications & Media
- Author, What Beard v. Everett Clinic Means for Washington Medical Malpractice Cases, March 2026
- Author, What the Cardi B Trial Teaches Plaintiffs’ Lawyers Not to Do, September 2025
- Quoted, City of Sedro-Woolley settles wrongful death lawsuit with family of man shot by police, Cascadia Daily, July 2025
- Author, Fifty Years Since the Fall of Saigon, WSBA Bar News, June 2025
- Author, Gray’s Harbor County Jury Finds Negligence and Failure to Provide Informed Consent in Peyronie’s Disease Medical Malpractice Trial, WSAJ Trial News, May 2025
- Quoted, Sedro-Woolley officer returns to force after killing motorist; lawsuit looms, Cascadia Daily, January 2023
- Author, ERISA, WSAJ Deskbook, Motor Vehicle Litigation, April 2025
- Author, Insured’s Duties, WSAJ Deskbook, Insurance, April 2022
- Host, Token Majority Podcast, 2022
Ruby Aliment
Ruby has spent her entire career representing people injured or killed by corporations, government entities, and their insurance companies. She believes the jury system is the great equalizer against powerful interests.
But Ruby also understands that injured people need attorneys during the worst moments of their lives and that it takes extraordinary courage to stand up to corporate giants. Being chosen to step into these fights to ensure her clients receive the full power of the civil justice system is the best job in the world.
Ruby has been recognized repeatedly by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star, an honor reserved for less than three percent of attorneys. An active member of the Washington State Association for Justice, she is frequently invited to speak on trial practice and civil litigation. In 2023, Ruby secured a $13 million verdict for a catastrophically injured client, believed to be the nation's highest recorded judgment for cosmetic surgery malpractice claims. Ruby also volunteers with the Sexual Violence Law Center and the Seattle Clemency Project.
Before becoming a lawyer, Ruby was an exceptional student, a campus organizer, a yoga instructor, a barista, the managing editor of the Seattle Journal for Social Justice, and a researcher for the Homeless Rights Advocacy Project.
When not working, Ruby spends her time getting 10,000 steps each day in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood with her very miniature min pin, Pip. She loves being with friends, watching people share their stories at The Moth, and going to the movie theater. She hopes defense lawyers read this biography and underestimate her.
Presentations
- Moderator, Wellness and the Law, Women of WSAJ Retreat, June 2026
- Scientific Evidence and the Use of Experts, WSAJ Summer Convention, June 2025
- Turning Defense Attacks Back on Them, Women of WSAJ Retreat, June 2024
- A Practical Analysis of Washington’s Uniform Voidable Transactions Act, WSAJ Summer Convention, June 2024
- Navigating Your First Trial as First Chair: From Filing to Verdict, WSAJ Getting Started Series, January 2024
- Trying A Good Case Against a Bad Doctor, WSAJ Summer Convention, September 2023
- Building the Record for Spoliation, WSAJ Seattle Roundtable Series, May 2023
- Zoom-Era Ethical Considerations During Depositions, Stritmatter CLE Series, June 2022
Publications & Media
- Author, Rethinking “Bad Facts:” Custodial Sexual Abuse and Access to Civil Justice, WSAJ Trial News, February 2026
- Author, Scientific Evidence and the Use of Experts, WSAJ Motor Vehicle Textbook, 2025
- Quoted, Lawsuit against King County claims sexual abuse inside juvenile detention centers, King5, April 2025
- Author, Vanessa Oslund: Trial Lawyer of the Year, WSAJ Trial News, September 2024
- Quoted, Patient to get $13M for ‘botched’ surgery by Burien cosmetic surgeon, The Seattle Times, 2023
- Host, Token Majority Podcast, 2022
- Author, Gender Bias in Our Profession, WSAJ Trial News, December 2022
- Quoted, State sued after girl leaves foster care with 20 teeth in need of repair or extraction, KOMO News, 2021
Ruby Aliment
Ruby has spent her entire career representing people injured or killed by corporations, government entities, and their insurance companies. She believes the jury system is the great equalizer against powerful interests.
But Ruby also understands that injured people need attorneys during the worst moments of their lives and that it takes extraordinary courage to stand up to corporate giants. Being chosen to step into these fights to ensure her clients receive the full power of the civil justice system is the best job in the world.
Ruby has been recognized repeatedly by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star, an honor reserved for less than three percent of attorneys. An active member of the Washington State Association for Justice, she is frequently invited to speak on trial practice and civil litigation. In 2023, Ruby secured a $13 million verdict for a catastrophically injured client, believed to be the nation's highest recorded judgment for cosmetic surgery malpractice claims. Ruby also volunteers with the Sexual Violence Law Center and the Seattle Clemency Project.
Before becoming a lawyer, Ruby was an exceptional student, a campus organizer, a yoga instructor, a barista, the managing editor of the Seattle Journal for Social Justice, and a researcher for the Homeless Rights Advocacy Project.
When not working, Ruby spends her time getting 10,000 steps each day in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood with her very miniature min pin, Pip. She loves being with friends, watching people share their stories at The Moth, and going to the movie theater. She hopes defense lawyers read this biography and underestimate her.
Presentations
- Moderator, Wellness and the Law, Women of WSAJ Retreat, June 2026
- Scientific Evidence and the Use of Experts, WSAJ Summer Convention, June 2025
- Turning Defense Attacks Back on Them, Women of WSAJ Retreat, June 2024
- A Practical Analysis of Washington’s Uniform Voidable Transactions Act, WSAJ Summer Convention, June 2024
- Navigating Your First Trial as First Chair: From Filing to Verdict, WSAJ Getting Started Series, January 2024
- Trying A Good Case Against a Bad Doctor, WSAJ Summer Convention, September 2023
- Building the Record for Spoliation, WSAJ Seattle Roundtable Series, May 2023
- Zoom-Era Ethical Considerations During Depositions, Stritmatter CLE Series, June 2022
Publications & Media
- Author, Rethinking “Bad Facts:” Custodial Sexual Abuse and Access to Civil Justice, WSAJ Trial News, February 2026
- Author, Scientific Evidence and the Use of Experts, WSAJ Motor Vehicle Textbook, 2025
- Quoted, Lawsuit against King County claims sexual abuse inside juvenile detention centers, King5, April 2025
- Author, Vanessa Oslund: Trial Lawyer of the Year, WSAJ Trial News, September 2024
- Quoted, Patient to get $13M for ‘botched’ surgery by Burien cosmetic surgeon, The Seattle Times, 2023
- Host, Token Majority Podcast, 2022
- Author, Gender Bias in Our Profession, WSAJ Trial News, December 2022
- Quoted, State sued after girl leaves foster care with 20 teeth in need of repair or extraction, KOMO News, 2021
Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.
Our Values
Transparency
We don’t play games. No posturing, no double-talk. Just honest, upfront communication.
Tenacity
We are strong, not bullish. Formidable representation starts with excellent work product. We keep our caseload lean to out-prepare and out-maneuver the other side.
Integrity
When we work together, it is because we want to join you in your fight. We only take on matters and causes that we genuinely believe in.
Empathy
We navigate the legal system daily, but we never forget that this is your one opportunity for justice. We treat you and your story with the weight it deserves.
The First Step
All consultations are free & confidential. We'll listen, ask questions, and tell you honestly if we can help.