Forrest Wagner grew up in Aberdeen, WA and got his undergraduate degree at Whitman College, where he graduated Cum Laude in 1983.  For his legal education, he went back east to historic Lexington Virginia where he attended Washington and Lee University, eventually becoming class president and Moot Court semi-finalist and team qualifier.

He has been practicing in Olympia for the past 32 years, emphasizing family law but also remaining active in the area of criminal defense. Forrest has presented at several CLE seminars and has written on family law subjects, including "The ABC's of Child Support" presented as part of a CLE seminar and "Defending Your Family Law Client Against Allegations of Sexual Abuse", presented as part of the 1995 Family Law Midyear.  He has finished a book, "Winning the Divorce Game in Washington", which is not yet published but which will be available soon online.

For several years Forrest also taught Family Law and Business Law at South Puget Sound Community College.

Forrest has been a mentor at the Thurston County Volunteer Legal Clinic for the last two years and occasionally presents CLE's at the Volunteer Legal Clinic.