Tracey J. Coates is a partner in the firm’s Washington metropolitan area (DMV) offices and Co-Chair of the firm's DMV Family Law practice group and a member of its Litigation practice group.  She represents clients from a wide range of family structures in a variety of domestic relations matters, including pre-marital agreements, divorce and separation, child custody, child support modification, enforcement of court orders and agreements, adoption, and guardianships.  Ms. Coates is also a certified mediator.

Ms. Coates works hard to engage in background conversations with her clients to understand family dynamics and build rapport and trust. She goes into every case with a caring, but realistic approach with her clients. She is often touted for being accessible to her clients, understanding how important it is to respond to clients when emotions are heightened.

Prior to joining C&W, Ms. Coates was a partner and co-chair of the Family Law practice group at a Bethesda-area law firm for over 10 years.

Ms. Coates has published numerous articles on a variety of Family Law issues and is a frequent presenter and commentator at events and on radio and television in the D.C. metropolitan area.

Ms. Coates has been recognized in Best Lawyers in America 2021, 2022 and 2023 for Family Law, “Top Divorce Lawyers’ by Washingtonian Magazine in 2018, 2019 and 2020 and "Top Attorneys" for Family/Divorce in Bethesda Magazine in 2019.

Ms. Coates is licensed to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia and is a member of the American, District of Columbia, Maryland and Montgomery County Bar Associations.  She is also a member of the Board of Directors for the D.C. Volunteer Lawyers Project (DCVLP) where she provides pro bono legal representation in family law cases for low-income D.C. residents, including custody, divorce and guardian ad litem work for survivors of domestic violence and children in high-conflict custody cases.

Ms. Coates received her B.A. from Smith College in 1998.  She received her J.D. from Hamline University School of Law in 2005 where she was a member of the National Moot Court Team, President of the Black Law Students Association and Law Clerk Grant Recipient of the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau.

Following law school, Ms. Coates clerked for then-Chief Presiding Judge John S. Leonardo of the Pima County Superior Court in Arizona and worked as a Staff Attorney for the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau in Baltimore before entering private practice.