Top best Mediation Lawyers Near me in ZIP 98101

WMAC Certified Mediator

US Supreme Court Justice Burger advised lawyers to be “Healers of Conflict”. We agree. 98% of our clients surveyed (over a 2 year period) report they would recommend us to a friend or use the firm again. We have helped people in more than 1 thousand cases. We would like the opportunity to help you. Our job is to help you to “heal” conflicts as productively, as cheaply and as quickly as possible, not to promote them or provoke them. Having studied conflict resolution theory since the 1970’s we work with you to better understand how the legal system can be used, along with other “alternative dispute resolution” strategies, to resolve the conflicts or problems that led you to seek assistance.

Thank you for looking me up. I know that achieving a just outcome for you takes hard work. I am committed to providing honest, responsive, effective, innovative and ethical representation. Please check out my website  for more information on whether I am the right lawyer for you.

Stew Cogan has arbitrated more than 300 cases and mediated more than 3,500 cases. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America in both the Mediation and Arbitration categories. Stew has been named a Super Lawyer in the ADR category for the 24 consecutive years from 1999 to 2022. He has been named a Top 100 Super Lawyer in the ADR category thirteen times, far more than any other ADR professional in Washington. He was also named one of the Best Lawyers in Seattle by Seattle Magazine in its last four surveys in 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007, and one of Puget Sound's Top Business Lawyers by Seattle Business Monthly in 2006, 2007, and 2008.. .

Steve represents plaintiffs and defendants in a wide range of commercial disputes, including intellectual property matters, business torts, contracts, securities claims, and employment-related issues.   He tries cases, handles appeals, engages in ADR, and assists clients with litigation-related counseling.. Steve joined Savitt Bruce & Willey in 2003 and previously practiced with Perkins Coie in Seattle and Latham & Watkins in Menlo Park, California.  Steve has also been in-house as the sole Corporate Counsel for a 100-employee start-up company, where he was responsible for all legal matters, including contracting, corporate finance, and intellectual property enforcement.  He is a graduate, cum laude, of the University of Wisconsin Law School and is licensed in Washington and California.

Rina Goodman, founder and principal of Transforming Conflict LLC,  has been providing mediation, conflict coaching, meeting facilitation, and training to couples, families, businesses, and organizations since 2004.. As a former trial lawyer, Rina understands the financial and personal impact litigation often has on parties. Today she is passionately committed to helping her clients achieve mutually satisfying solutions—even when the conflict appears to be intractable—without going to court.. Rina brings to her practice a background that distinguishes her from many other attorney mediators in Washington state. Prior to engaging in mediation practice, she immersed herself in mediation study and hands-on mediation experience. She received her initial mediation training at the highly-acclaimed Northern Virginia Mediation Service, which granted her certificates of completion in commercial and workplace mediation, and later participated in a one-and-a-half year mediation practicum with the Dispute Resolution Center of King County (King County DRC). In 2004, she was certified by the DRC to mediate civil and family disputes and to serve as a mentor mediator. In 2007, the DRC honored Rina by recognizing her as Mediator-of-the-Year.. Since establishing her ADR practice, Rina has earned a reputation as a tenacious mediator who blends compassion and understanding with a skillful ability to remain impartial. Throughout her professional career as a lawyer and mediator, she has been commended by employers, clients, associates, and judges for her professional knowledge and integrity. Her clients have praised her ability to instill confidence in what they can do for themselves and in her commitment to helping them find the best long-term solutions.. Rina chaired the ADR Section of the Washington State Bar Association from 2011-2012. She is currently a member of the ADR Subcommittee of the WSBA Task Force on Eliminating Court Costs in Litigation (ECCL) and the Legislative Committee of the WSBA’s ADR Section. She has served on the planning committee for the Annual Northwest Dispute Resolution Conference since 2008. She also serves as a volunteer mediator for the Seattle Federal Executive Board’s ADR Consortium and the King County DRC.. In 2007, Rina was certified as a Collaborative Divorce lawyer. She is pleased to announce that she now offers Collaborative Divorce as well as mediation services to her clients.

Quentin combines laser-focused attention to client goals with his outstanding courtroom talent. By doing this, he is able to achieve significant success in resolving disputes for his clients.

Our commitment is to help our clients divorce respectfully and efficiently. We offer a divorce mediation process that keeps you focused on the tasks necessary to completing your divorce, and that allows you to create the necessary substantive agreements that best suit your interests and values. Our process is more cost effective than court because you control the process and stay focused on an outcome that works for you rather than one imposed by a court. We also offer mediation to develop parenting plans, dispute resolution, and arbitration on all family matters.

One of the original members of the firm, Shannon Sperry practices business, real estate and employment law.  Her experience includes the acquisition,  financing (construction and permanent) and leasing of regional shopping malls, office buildings, retail centers, golf course and apartment buildings.  Conduit, corporate and project finance transactions are part of her practice.  She represents a broad and diverse range of clients, including publicly traded and closely held businesses and provides employment advice for termination and wrongful discharge claims, wage and hour disputes and employee policy manuals.. "I pride myself on producing a high-quality product for my clients.  I don't miss loopholes, I return phone calls, I'm efficient, I'm accurate ... most of my clients have been with me for years because they know they can depend on me to deliver the best.". Shannon also provides mediation services for real estate and employment related disputes and is affiliated with Washington Arbitration and Mediation Services.

My practice is primarily family law with an emphasis on separation, divorce, child custody and complex property including closely held business issues. My emphasis is negotiation where possible and litigation, as a last resort, where necessary.. I also provide dispute resolution services (limited to negotiation, mediation and arbitration) for closely held business disputes.. I handle WA, interstate and international cases.. I am a member of several Bar Associations and Sections amongst which are the following: KCBA Family Law section, Chair of the International Law section for KCBA, Vice Chair ABA International Family Law section, KCBA Collaborative Law Section.. My goal  is to reduce stress and expense to the parties  as much as possible and to explore all avenues to defuse conflict and  reduce litigation.. I provide mediation,arbitration,collaborative law,cooperative law and litigation services to clients.. I am a member of the WA State, District of Columbia, Minnesota Bars, and a member of the Bar of England and Wales.. I can be reached at, e-mail:

Mr. Hemmat is the Principal Attorney and founder of The Hemmat Law Group, a preimeir family law, domestic violence, and civil litigation firm in Seattle, Washington.. With over 36 years of legal experience, Steven Hemmat has earned the respect of his adversaries by approaching litigation and negotiations with high ethical standards and with professional integrity.. Whether clients are involved in a hotly contested divorce or emotionally wrenching custody battle, seeking redress for a severe personal injury, or wrangling over a contract, Steven Hemmat’s determination to be reasonable has achieved the best results for client after client.Clients trust Mr. Hemmat’s compassionate and conscientious approach to resolving even the most emotional issues.. Visit his website: hemmatlaw .com.

Miles has over a twenty-year track record of successfully litigating and resolving a wide range of disputes in federal and state courts, in arbitration, through mediation, and as a mediator himself. Miles achieves favorable outcomes for clients by combining a practical, common-sense approach with finely honed legal skills, including the ability to cut quickly to the heart of a case, to make strategic use of the litigation tools available, and advocate persuasively by telling a compelling story. Miles joined Savitt Bruce & Willey in 2007. Before that, he practiced with Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, Riddell Williams PS, and served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney at the Civil Division of the King County Prosecutor’s office. Miles also was a law clerk to Judge Carolyn Dimmick, then Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, magna cum laude.

Mike has been licensed to practice law since 1986 and his practice emphasizes real estate transactions, land use/zoning, alternative dispute resolution, litigation and school law. A signifncant part of his practice involves advising property owners on waterfront property issues.  He is a certified mediator and arbitrator, a licensed real estate law instructor and 2012-2013 President of the Bainbridge Island School Board. He frequently serves as a Court-appointed referee on real estate matters.  Prior to entering private practice, Mike represented the Realtor® organization to local, state and federal legislative bodies, and in that capacity, he has had a hand in the drafting of many major pieces of real estate-related legislation.. Mike studied planning and economics at the University of Wisconsin and worked as a Planner and in the title insurance industry before becoming licensed to practice law. Because of this combination of experience, Mike was invited to Shanghai, China to consult with housing and land use officials on regulation of real estate markets, and he subsequently took a one-year leave of absence from Harrison, Benis & Spence to serve as Lead Attorney for a USAID and World Bank-sponsored land reform project in the former Soviet Republic of Moldova.. Mike’s passion is education, and since 1994 he has taught real estate law and related topics to brokers and others for North Seattle Community College, the Rockwell Institute, the Seattle-King County and Washington State Realtor® organizations and every major brokerage in Puget Sound. In 2009 he was elected to the Bainbridge Island School Board. Mike lives on Bainbridge Island and is part owner of the Green Bay Packers.. MIke is available for the following:

Marc serves on the mediator panel for the Washington Arbitration and Mediation Service (WAMS). As a mediator, he works tirelessly to get parties to resolution so that they can avoid the expense, uncertainty, stress, and emotional toll of litigation. He has a knack for assessing risk and helping parties make reasoned decisions to reach pragmatic resolutions of their disputes.. Marc has successfully mediated hundreds of cases in the areas of employment discrimination, wrongful termination, sexual harassment, class action litigation, sexual abuse, wage and hour law, and civil rights. He has significant experience in matters involving all aspects of the employment relationship, civil rights, negligence, class actions, and disputes involving closely held businesses.. Marc’s considerable experience litigating class action cases has given him a keen sense of the ins and outs of class action settlement structure and the settlement approval process under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23 and Washington State Civil Rule 23. He has successfully mediated several class action cases, helping parties to get closure and end high-risk and expensive litigation. He also speaks Spanish and welcomes the opportunity to serve as a mediator for cases involving Spanish-speaking parties.. Marc successfully completed the “Mediating the Litigated Case” program through the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law. He is a certified neutral on the ADR panel for the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington and has served as a pro bono mediator for the EEOC.

Lish Whitson has been a trial lawyer for more than 43 years. He has tried more than 50 jury trials and successfully argued many others cases to a judge without a jury. He has also settled hundreds of cases out of court on behalf of his clients, thereby avoiding the uncertainty of a trial. Lish has been recognized for his ability as a trial attorney with his nomination and election to membership in the American College of Trial Lawyers, Litigation Counsel of America and in the American Board of Trial Advocates.. Lish’s practice has emphasized litigation in motor vehicle accident cases and other personal injury, commercial, medical malpractice, health care, construction, employment, product liability, and consumer class action cases. He has also litigated matters involving intellectual property, administrative, antitrust, criminal, defamation, environmental, insurance and real property law. In addition, Lish is a very successful independent Mediator and Arbitrator with more than 30 years of experience. He also serves as an arbitrator and mediator with the American Arbitration Association.. Before attending graduate school and then law school, Lish served in the United States Peace Corps in Afghanistan as an English and pottery teacher. After graduating from the University of Washington School of Law, Lish practiced for three years with The Public Defender Association. Lish has practiced with the firms of Helsell Fetterman, LLP, Stokes Lawrence PS and Badgley Mullins Law Group. He presently has his own firm, Lish Whitson PLLC.

Ken Hart is a Principal at Carney Badley Spellman, P.S.  His practice is focused on commercial and business transactions, business startups, real estate transactions and related litigation. He assists clients with business formations, as well as with negotiating and drafting partnership, shareholder and employment contracts; and negotiating and documenting business purchases and sales and secured sales transactions.. For many of his business clients, Ken serves the role of general counsel to handle such matters as lease negotiations, vendor disputes, employment issues, sales and acquisitions, and ownership succession. He strives to stay current with his clients and to be available and responsive when they need help and advice, so that they can concentrate on running and growing their businesses.. In addition to business law, Ken has extensive litigation, trial practice and appellate experience in various courts and jurisdictions, both state and federal, and in a broad range of areas. These include general civil litigation, commercial and real estate law. He has researched and written extensively on the law as it pertains to adverse possession, property boundary line and easement disputes, and is a sought-after CLE speaker on those topics. Ken is also a trained mediator and experienced arbitrator.. Both by training and inclination, Ken is a problem-solver, and his approach to the practice of law is collaborative. That means helping clients better understand whatever situation they are facing and providing them with information and guidance they need to make informed decisions. Ken's experience as both a transactional lawyer and litigator allows him to better provide his clients with insightful strategic planning and the advice they need to meet their day-to-day challenges.. Ken has been active in both the state and local bar associations, and over the years has served with distinction in various leadership roles. In 1990, Ken was honored as the Washington State Bar Association's Young Lawyer of the Year. Ken is also a former treasurer of the King County Bar Association. He served for three years on the Washington State Bar Association Disciplinary Board, a dedicated group of practicing lawyers and laypersons appointed to review complaints of lawyer misconduct and determine disciplinary actions when appropriate.. Ken is the former editor of the Washington Lawyers Practice Manual and a former member of the Editorial Advisor Board for De Novo magazine. He has also served as chairman of the King County Fair Judicial Campaign Practices Committee and currently serves as a Trustee of the King County Bar Association's Employee Retirement Fund.

JUSTICE FAITH IRELAND, WASHINGTON SUPREME COURT (RET) "Just Results" When experience matters, Faith Ireland can help. Thirty-five years as trial lawyer, judge and justice of the WA Supreme Court prepare her to meet any challenging legal issue. "Helping people resolve legal problems requires more than knowing the law – you have to know people." Faith Ireland, Washington Supreme Court Justice, Ret.

Jim specializes in the trial and creative resolution of substantial disputes for a diverse client base, including Fortune 500 companies and major e-commerce firms.  While much of his practice has focused on intellectual property, corporate, and commercial matters, Jim believes that knowing how to win a case – developing and executing a strategy to position a case for a win by motion if possible and by trial if not – is the most important skill of a lawyer handling complex litigation.. Jim teamed with David Bruce to establish Savitt Bruce & Willey LLP in 1999, after a nine-year tenure as a partner at Perkins Coie.  Jim began his career with the firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in New York City before finding his way to the Great Northwest.  He is a graduate, magna cum laude, of the Georgetown University Law Center.. Outside of the office, Jim recently completed service as the Chairperson of the Pike Place Market Preservation & Development Authority (which owns and operates Seattle’s famed Pike Place Market) and is a past President of the Federal Bar Association of the Western District of Washington.

Jim Breitenbucher focuses his civil trial practice on complex commercial and real estate disputes.  Jim also litigates non-compete, trade secret, product liability and wildfire lawsuits, and takes particular pride in handling cases that involve complex technical issues.  Beyond the Pacific Northwest’s courtrooms, Jim’s first two decades of practice have found him successfully defending a $500 million shareholder derivative action during a four-week trial in New York City; challenging fines issued by the Department of Financial Institutions before an administrative law judge in Olympia, Washington; and pursing a commercial claim before an arbitration panel in Milan, Italy.  Jim’s primary objective, however, is to resolve cases before trial, and he has obtained summary judgment while representing clients as both plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal courts in Washington and throughout the United States.. Jim originally joined Riddell Williams in 1999, after serving a two-year clerkship for the Honorable Faye C. Kennedy of the Washington Court of Appeals.  He practiced with Schulte Roth & Zabel in New York City from 2003 until rejoining Riddell Williams in 2007.. Jim received his J.D., Order of the Coif, from Washington University School of Law, where he was a Scholar in Law, received the Honor Scholar Award and served as an editor on law review.  Jim has a B.A. in Economics from the University of Washington.

Jason is a trusted mediator helping parties successfully resolve conflicts and reach mutually beneficial resolutions. He has a Certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution from Willamette University College of Law, and has completed mediation training through the King County Dispute Resolution Center and the Straus Institute’s intensive “Mediating the Litigated Case” program at Pepperdine Law School. Jason litigated for more than 20 years in numerous areas of law, including personal injury, municipal law, police excessive force, professional liability (legal, medical and chiropractic), employment, civil rights, construction project owner/contractor liability, construction defects and product defect liability. He consistently won favorable decisions for clients, in federal and state courts, at both the trial and appellate levels.. Jason comes to his mediation practice after years of representing both plaintiffs and defendants. His skills and personality are best suited as a mediator, helping parties reach productive solutions. As for mediation styles, he takes the approach that gets the job done. Extensive pre-mediation work, including conversations with both sides, helps determine what that will look like. He has an innate ability to “read the room” and create the best environment for fruitful discussions.

I have been a litigator for more almost 20 years.  During that time, I have successfully handled a variety of complex commercial litigation matters, including trials, arbitrations and mediations.  Although my passion for oral advocacy makes me relish opportunities to be in court, I recognize that it is often in my clients' best interest to find creative, business-driven solutions to litigation problems.

I am a solution-focused attorney who strives to help my clients find common sense, cost-effective solutions for avoiding and recovering from conflict and financial distress. I'm focused on what's important to my clients.. A friend called me "A Northwest Kind of Lawyer," and I like that. Born and raised in Seattle, I spent my youth and adulthood exploring beaches, islands, rivers, and mountains, enjoying hiking, climbing, fishing, and kayaking. Thinking I would become a teacher or photographer, I surprised myself by choosing a career in law. I have more than 30 years of law firm experience, including more than a decade as a litigation, bankruptcy and family law paralegal prior to becoming an attorney in 2007. Over the past 15-plus years, I have focused my law practice on advising and representing individuals and business clients in a variety of matters including bankruptcy, receivership, business restructuring, foreclosure, business and real estate, estate planning and probate, family law/divorce, and related litigation and transactions.. More recently, I have expanded my practice to include private mediation and arbitration for several types of disputes including civil, commercial, business, real estate, eviction, condominium, divorce/custody, probate/estate, partnership and law-firm dissolution, and attorney's fee disputes. I currently split time between Seattle and Honolulu. In addition to my Seattle law and mediation practice, I am a family mediator with Family Mediation Hawai'i and a mentor mediator for the Mediation Center for the Pacific in Honolulu, where I completed advanced mediation training in 2021 and divorce mediation training in 2023. I am also a panel member for the Hawai'i Bankruptcy Alternative Dispute Resolution Program and the CR 39.1 ADR Program in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington.. I previously served as Chair of the WSBA Law Clerk Board and as a Court Appointed Special Advocate, and continue to volunteer on the Camp Long Advisory Council, which supports outdoor education, stewardship, and leadership opportunities for underserved youth in the Seattle area. I am a member of the Washington Mediation Association and the Conflict Resolution Alliance of Hawai'i. I am available for private mediation in Seattle through my law firm, Westwood Pacific Law PLLC, and for family mediation in Hawai'i through Family Mediation Hawai'i.. I regularly present at seminars regarding legal issues, ethics, and dispute resolution topics, and have been recognized as a Super Lawyer in 2020-2025.

For more than 35 years, my practice has focused on resolving challenging securities, franchise, banking and other complex civil cases on behalf of businesses and individuals.. Securities Fraud, Enforcement, Regulatory and Broker-Dealer Defense. Investors, broker-dealers, investment bankers, advisers, and registered representatives seek my representation in regulatory investigations and disciplinary actions brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA and NYSE), the New York Stock Exchange and the State of Washington Securities Division, including presenting Wells submissions and Central Registration Depository expungement requests.  I often handle the prosecution and defense of customer claims against investment advisors, broker-dealers and registered representatives. These matters involve claims of unsuitability, churning, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud and misrepresentation, particularly before FINRA Dispute Resolution.. I was FINRA’s appointed arbitrator and mediator trainer for the Seattle panel of FINRA arbitrators from 1993-2003. In that capacity, I trained hundreds of arbitrators and mediators around the country. A substantial portion of my practice has been as a FINRA, National Futures Association and NYSE arbitrator and mediator.. Broker Recruitment Litigation. I frequently prosecute noncompetition, non-solicitation and trade secrets disputes for broker-dealers and registered representatives.. Securities and Complex Civil Litigation. I have considerable additional securities litigation experience in the areas of shareholder derivative action, directors’ and officers’ liability, insider trading, corporate governance and internal investigations, mortgage-backed securities and stock option disputes.. Franchising and Related Disputes. I represent franchisors advising on business, regulatory and growth strategies, and defend franchisors in regulatory investigations and lawsuits. I advise franchisees on their rights and defend them in franchise termination matters.

Duffy guides clients with thoughtfulness and efficiency through complex commercial disputes.  He has comprehensive experience in pretrial, trial, and appellate proceedings in federal and state courts as well as in alternative forums.  Duffy is a graduate of the Yale Law School and is admitted to practice in California and Washington.. Before joining Savitt Bruce & Willey, Duffy served as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Alan B. Handler of the Supreme Court of New Jersey and practiced at Morrison & Forster in Los Angeles.  He is a recipient of the Wiley W. Manuel Pro Bono Services Award from the State Bar of California.. Duffy is the author of The Consciousness of the Litigator (University of Michigan Press, 2005), an analysis of the moral sensibility engendered by litigation work and recommended reading for litigators and their clients.

Drawing on years of prior experience in business and real estate litigation, as well as representation of numerous property owners in condemnation cases, Dean represents clients in real estate transactions and purchases and sales of privately-held businesses. He also represents clients in business sales and disputes, and trusts and estates litigation.