Micky Forbes’ mediation experience includes work in family law, inheritance, employment, and medical malpractice. She offers mediation, consulting and training for organizations with management and supervision challenges.  She has taught mediation training programs with Alan Alhadeff that have allowed them to develop the community of mediators that is now Alhadeff and Forbes Mediation Affiliates.

Raised in London, Ms. Forbes moved to Seattle in 2001 from the Chicago area, where she practiced criminal law both in private practice and with the Chicago Federal Defender Program. She has considerable experience in litigation at the trial court and appellate level, is an experienced negotiator, and an expert in sentencing mitigation. Prior to her mediation and legal career, Ms. Forbes pursued graduate studies in philosophy, where she wrote on topics in philosophical psychology involving the explanation of human behavior. She also taught a wide range of philosophy courses, including logic, critical thinking, ethics, the philosophy of mind and personal identity. Ms. Forbes is bilingual, speaking French and English, and has some Spanish conversational abilities. She received her B.A. from University College, London University; her M.A. from Northwestern University, and J.D. with Certificate in Environmental Law from Kent Law School.

August G. Cifelli is a personal injury lawyer and long-time partner at Lee Smart. His law practice emphasizes serious injury claims from vehicle accidents, mechanical design/product liability and auto dealership cases. Mr. Cifelli believes almost any conflict can be settled at mediation if the parties believe their issues and concerns are being effectively communicated to the opposition.  As a mediator his task is to facilitate the parties' ability to be heard and to provide a fresh, informed perspective on settlement. He has consistently been named a Washington State Super Lawyer by Washington Law and Politics magazine. He was similarly honored as a Top Attorney in Washington in summer, 2008.  He serves on the regional faculty for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, and volunteers as a member of the Juvenile Court Diversion Program.

Jennifer Davis is a Mediator in the areas of family law, personal injury, education and non-profit organizations. Her goal is to open a pathway of communication that will lead parties beyond mere compromise.  By taking the time to explore context and perspective through the process of mediation, she believes people have the potential to reach true and lasting conflict resolution. Ms. Davis has been an attorney in the State of Washington since 1998 and is a graduate of Seattle University School of Law.

Jessyn Farrell, J.D., is one of the region's foremost experts in building public consensus on major infrastructure projects.  As an advocate, facilitator, and mediator, she has played a key role in developing community consensus for major transportation initiatives, including the I-90 light rail extension, the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement, Sound Transit's successful 2008 ballot package, and the Washington State Legislature’s 2005 Transportation Partnership Package.

Ms. Farrell was Executive Director of Transportation Choices Coalition where she led the advocacy, messaging and coalition-building strategy to break through the gridlock of the decades’ old “roads vs. transit” debate, unleashing over $25 billion in bus, rail, bike and pedestrian investments in Washington state. Most recently, for Pierce Transit, Ms. Farrell developed a community-based plan for major transit service reductions. She is currently co-chairing a Puget Sound Regional Council initiative, made of local elected officials from King, Pierce, Kitsap and Snohomish Counties, to create regional consensus on the prioritization of $87 billion worth of proposed transportation investments. She is a graduate of Boston College Law School and the University of Washington.

Dr. Fielding supports the general precept of mutual interest negotiations and has a reputation as a strategic thinker, being fair and candid, seeking understanding and clarity to support collaborative solutions. As a Physician Executive he is experienced in dispute resolution and provision of medico-legal opinions. As surgeon, he has a broad base in strategic planning, organizational structure, systems development, performance improvement and operations in the healthcare field. Dr. Fielding has provided consulting services as mentor for professional and career development, and since 2007, to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in support of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Office of Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research (OBBR).

Paul Giersch believes that disputes get resolved when opposing parties begin to listen to one another.  A good mediator helps to facilitate the listening process by bringing curiosity, imagination, respect and patience to the discussion. Paul has increasingly included the process of mediation in his legal practice, which he finds vastly more effective than traditional litigation in reaching fair and just case results.  Mr. Giersch has frequently served as a court-appointed arbitrator in personal injury cases in King County; has worked extensively as a felony trial attorney with various public defender offices and in family law and now focuses on personal injury law.  When he is not working to resolve disputes, Paul enjoys playing soccer, fly-fishing, reading anything historical and travelling anywhere.

Russel Hermes’ approach to mediation reflects a commitment to innovative problem solving and efficient conflict resolution. He serves as an MAR Arbitrator for King, Snohomish and Skagit Counties and formerly served as Fee Arbitrator for the Washington State Bar Association.  In 2010, he was recognized as a top Wealth Advisor for the Seattle metropolitan region. Mr. Hermes is the principal of Hermes Law Firm, in Everett, Washington and concentrates in real estate, business, construction, commercial transactions, and estates.

David Talbert Huber is a family law attorney with more than two decades of experience helping people solve their disputes as they relate to others.  Mr. Huber uses a graduated approach to assisting people solve their problems, starting with knowledge-based consultation and moving up the scale, as needed, from direct negotiation, to facilitated communication and negotiation using mediation and collaborative models, to third party decision-making models, including arbitration. David graduated from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in NYC 1986 and has actively practiced law and alternative dispute resolution since.

Nan Hundere believes a successful mediation occurs when there is full and direct participation by the parties in dispute. Her goal is to work diligently toward a meaningful resolution that preserves the most significant interests of all involved. Licensed in Texas and Washington State, Ms. Hundere has practiced school law for over 25 years.  Issues of focus include employment, constitutional law, students’ rights, including those of special needs students and the law as it relates to governmental entities. She has received advanced training in family law mediation, serves as a hearing officer for hearings relating to the Rehabilitation Act and as an independent consultant to school boards and non-profit organizations.

Facilitating for clients their need to communicate, to find solutions to problems, and to have satisfaction in their mediation process and settlement is David’s goal.   David Imburgia’s background in negotiation and mediation dates back to 1986, when he began practice and teaching at the college level.  His unique skills as a current financial planner add extra value to his work as a professional mediator. David currently performs mediation work in the areas of real estate (foreclosure situations are a specialty), finance, business and contracts, as well as family and neighborhood issues and non-profit organizations.  He holds certificates by Alhadeff & Forbes and the Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center, where he is a current member of the board of directors.   David is available for mediations throughout the region, and also consults on negotiations issues nationally.

Courtney Kaylor is a partner with the law firm McCullough, Hill, Leary, P.S. in Seattle, Washington.  Her practice focuses on land use and environmental law and on alternative dispute resolution.  Courtney is trained as a mediator through the University of Washington Professional Mediation Skills Training Program and the King County Inter-Local Conflict Resolution Group Practicum. She is Chair of the Land Use Mediation Committee of the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and Environmental and Land Use Law (ELUL) Sections.  She is President Elect of the Washington Mediation Association.  Courtney has written numerous articles and is a frequent speaker on land use law and mediation.

Galit Kedar has extensive experience working with individuals in conflict situations, helping them to deal effectively with complex underlying emotions. With her help, clients have been able to move into more amicable and cooperative resolutions, whereby parties feel heard, acknowledged and understood. An important part of Ms. Kedar’s work is to mediate conflict within families and other outside parties, helping them achieve resolution through justice, honesty and fairness. She also helps children and parents reconnect during and after divorce. As a Mediator with a therapeutic background, Galit Kedar brings a compassionate and empathic perspective to the table, making for an ideal complement to the more pragmatic legal perspective. She is a trained mediator and Licensed Mental Health Counselor with an M.A. in Psychology and Marriage and Family Therapy. Among many post-graduate courses and seminars, Ms. Kedar has also completed a comprehensive parent-teen mediation training program.

Rhonda Laumann's legal career is dedicated to dispute resolution in all its forms, earning her a reputation for resourcefulness, balance, focus and creation of win-win resolutions. Ms. Laumann brings a unique blend of experience to the mediation arena, based on representing both plaintiffs and defendants. She is skilled at listening to her clients and uses her negotiation and litigation skills to maximize recovery for her clients. As a mediator, her areas of expertise include personal injury and organization constructive regeneration, which is correction in strategies based on perspective and vision. Additionally, Ms. Laumann is a certified Life Coach, which has refined her ability to communicate with diverse individuals in meaningful and authentic ways. She is frequently appointed by the Superior Courts in King, Pierce, and Snohomish County as an arbitrator for Mandatory Arbitration cases.  For many years, she has been a faculty member for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA).

With both a business and therapeutic background, Anne Lucas works to move clients in mediation from places of dispute and conflict to the collaborative creation of resilient agreements. Based in Kirkland, Washington, Anne has worked with individuals, couples and families in her private therapy practice since 1996.  Her practice also includes work as a Collaborative Divorce Coach and Trainer with Seattle Collaborative Law Training Group.  She is an Approved Supervisor for licensure candidates in Washington; Adjunct Faculty at Saybrook Univeristy and the Leadership Institute of Seattle, and guest lecturer at Antioch University. Prior to becoming a therapist, Anne worked as a controller in the building industry and is experienced in accounting, risk management, human resources, IT and organizations. 

Kyme McGaw is a sole practitioner who provides advice and representation to the governments of federally recognized Indian tribes.  She has represented tribal clients in Washington, Oklahoma, Alaska, California, Kansas, Michigan, South Dakota, and North Dakota in litigation before the Federal, Sixth, Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Circuit Courts of Appeals, the United States Tax Court; the United States Court of Federal Claims; and numerous federal district and tribal courts.  She has also represented tribal clients in the Washington state court system.

Lindsay Parcells is a strong proponent of the mediation process and believes it provides a cost-effective and creative way for parties to communicate with their adversaries, empowering them to resolve their issues fairly and in a way that ultimately fosters reconciliation. In his mediation practice Lindsay assists clients in matters relating to business law, real estate, wills and estates and municipal law, including land use disputes. Mr. Parcells received his B.A. in Canadian Studies from the University of Calgary; a combined B.A. and MBA from Dalhousie University, and a Master of Law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. He practices law and mediation on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Divorce ends marriages, not families. This belief informs Joanna Roth’s work as both a mediator and a collaborative family law attorney. Joanna works with clients to uncover their long-term hopes for themselves, their  children, and their family. Through the mediation, she helps build a bridge between one's deep-seated dilemma's and the desired outcome. Her goal is for her clients to walk out of mediation with a lasting settlement that is legally binding, appropriate for their family, and supportive of their children’s healthy development.

Joanna serves on the board of King County Collaborative Law, and is a past co-chair of the King County Bar Association Collaborative Law Section.  She holds a JD from the University of Washington, and a BA from Harvard College.

James Rowles brings to mediation years of business and international experience as a transactional attorney working at a leading national law firm and for global corporations.  He has also worked on several litigation teams, and assisted in managing foreign litigation.

As a lawyer, Mr. Rowles has worked in a variety of areas, ranging from project finance and infrastructure development in the energy sector in South America and the Middle East, to telecommunications joint ventures in Europe, Latin America and Asia, and the commercialization of medical devices and biotechnology products in South America. He has also worked on e-commerce agreements and disputes, intellectual property issues, and a wide range of foreign regulatory issues.

Mr. Rowles brings unusual cross-cultural skills and experience to the mediation of disputes involving parties from different cultural backgrounds, countries, or legal systems.  He is fluent in French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish, speaks conversational Arabic and Farsi, and is currently improving his conversational abilities in Mandarin Chinese.  He offers mediation in Spanish as well as English.  He holds an A.B, a Doctor of Law (J.D.), and a Masters degree in Comparative Law from Stanford University, and a Doctor of Juridical Sciences (S.J.D.) in International Law from Harvard University.

Rodney Sarkees has a background in environmental engineering, IT, and real estate.  He presently buys, builds, rehabilitates, sells and manages property in Florida and Washington and has partnered with three other property investment holding companies with an aim to providing affordable housing to those in need while still achieving cash flow.  He has 15 years technical experience as a consultant, network analyst, network and sales engineer for clients from start-up ventures to Fortune 500 companies.  Throughout his career, Mr. Sarkees has been a diverse problem solver in multiple disciplines ranging from highly technical to sales and his pragmatic approach to mediation reflects this.  Mr. Sarkees (BS, University of Florida) is available to mediate a broad range of conflict involving residential construction, real estate transactions/foreclosure, landlord/tenant, consumer actions, and conflicts involving IT/computer technology and software.