Compass Collaborative: Lawyers
Lisa Barton
O’Brien Barton, Wieck & Joe, PLLP
175 NE Gilman Blvd., Suite 100
Issaquah, WA 98027
(425) 391-7427
web: http://obrienlawfirm.net/
email: lisabarton@obrienlawfirm.net
Family Law Attorney
Family Law GAL
When Lisa Barton started law school in 1991, she knew she wanted to help families in some capacity. In law school, she became interested in alternative dispute resolution while working on the staff of The University of Missouri School of "Law’s Journal of Dispute Resolution."
Lisa began her family law practice in Issaquah, WA after having been admitted to the Washington State Bar in 1994. Her legal practice focused on dissolution, legal separation, establishment of parenting plans and child support, and domestic violence litigation. Wanting to help children in a more direct manner, she began volunteering as a family law Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and expanded her private practice to include acting on behalf of children as a court-appointed guardian ad litem.
Lisa became trained as a mediator and collaborative professional in 2006. Throughout her career, she has welcomed the opportunity to help families deal with their conflicts in a respectful, positive manner. She joined the Compass collaborative group at its inception and enjoys working with its members.
Lisa Gilmore
Helsell Fetterman LLP
1001 Fourth Avenue
Suite 4200
Seattle, Washington 98154
voice: (206) 689.2160 fax: (206)340.0902
email: lgilmore@helsell.com
web: www.helsell.com
Family Law Attorney
Lisa is on the Board of Directors of King County Collaborative Law and the GLBT Bar Association of Washington. She is a member of the Family Law Section of the American Bar Association, the Alternative Families Division of the American Bar Association’s Family Law Section, the Washington State Bar Association’s Sexual Orientation and Gender Identification Legal Issues Section, and the King County Bar Association Family Law Section. She is also currently involved with the Initiative for Diversity Governing Council, and has completed the Family Law Guardian Ad Litem training.
Lisa is a volunteer attorney with the King County Bar Association Domestic Violence Clinic. She also volunteers at FareStart.
Lisa has presented at Continuing Legal Education seminars on the topics of the State Domestic Partnership Registry, Domestic Partnership Agreements and discovery of children’s records.
Lisa has received recognition for her continued work with the King County Bar Association’s Domestic Violence Family Law Clinic. She received a Special Recognition Award from the Greater Seattle Business Association for Collaboration for Social Change and received a Cynthia Gillespie Award from the Northwest Women’s Law Center for her work with the Marriage Equality Team.
Adrienne Keith
Keith Law & Mediation
9500 Roosevelt Way NE - Suite 301
Seattle, WA 98115
office: (206) 523-3047
fax: (206) 219-6714
web: http://keithlawandmediation.com
email: Ak@KeithLawandMediation.com
Collaborative Family Law Attorney
Mediator
Adrienne Keith is a Seattle-based family law attorney who helps couples and families reach common ground. Drawing on her experience as a collaborative lawyer, and on her experience as a mediator, Adrienne guides clients in meeting the demands of the legal process and addressing their interests. Adrienne’s goal is to educate clients so that they can make wise choices for their unique situation.
Adrienne Keith graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and attended the University of Wisconsin Law School, where she served as an Editor-in-Chief for the Wisconsin Women’s Law Journal. Since relocating to Seattle in 2003, Adrienne has been active in bar and community groups. She is active in King County Collaborative Law. She has been chair of the King County Bar Association's Alternative Dispute Resolution section, and is also a volunteer mediator with the Bellevue Neighborhood Mediation Program. She also serves on the board of Centerpoint Institute, an organization devoted to helping people discover creativity, passion and renewed commitment in life and at work.
James McGuire
Moschetto & Koplin
1800 112th Avenue N.E., Suite 300-E
Bellevue, WA 98004-2954
(425) 641-6000
web: www.mandk.net/
email: JamesM@mandk.net
Gwen Mathewson
2003 Western Ave., Suite 300
Seattle, WA 98121
(206) 447-4348
web: http://mathewsonlaw.com
email: gwen@mathewsonlaw.com
Solo practitioner Gwen Mathewson’s law practice is entirely family-law focused. She has a particular interest in Collaborative Law as a powerful alternative dispute resolution process that is often well-suited to helping couples through the difficult transitions that any separation or divorce entails.
Before opening her own practice in 2007, Gwen practiced law in both California (general business litigation) and Washington (family law and estate planning). She also has taught at the University of Washington School of Law, in the University of Washington Departments of English and Women Studies, and in the Seattle University Department of English.
Gwen earned her B.A. degree from Yale University, her M.A. from the University of Washington, and her J.D. from the University of Chicago.
Focusing her energies as much as possible on developing her alternative dispute resolution skills, Gwen has completed numerous Collaborative Law and mediation trainings, including: Basic Collaborative Law, Communication and Negotiation Skills for Collaborative Practitioners, Understanding and Managing High Conflict Personalities, The Art of Differentiation for Collaborative Professionals, and A Deeper Look at Divorce and Family Mediation.
Gwen is a member of King County Collaborative Law and the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals. In 2009-2010, she will be Co-Chair of the Family Law Practice Group of King County Collaborative Law.
Dominik Musafia
Reed, Longyear, Malnati & Ahrens
801 Second Avenue, Suite 1415
Seattle, WA 98104
tel: (206) 624-6271
fax: (206) 624-6672
web: www.rlmalaw.com
email: dmusafia@rlmalaw.com
Collaborative Family Law Attorney
Business and Real Estate Attorney
My attraction to Collaborative Law stems from its focus on the clients, rather than the courts. The traditional (adversarial) family law work I do often pushes parties further apart, as each party tries to exploit holes in the other side’s case. The resulting court-imposed solutions often appear to be based on cookie-cutter principles.
My Collaborative practice attempts to create a new paradigm for communication within already established relationships. I focus on facilitating solutions amongst the parties in tandem with the “Collaborative Team”, employing creativity, fostering openness and safety, and working towards durable, long-term solutions.
Adversarial or not, Collaborative Practice can be just as complex as traditional litigation. As a licensed real estate broker I have a specialized understanding of the diversity of options that may be available to clients owning real property. As an experienced business person and business attorney I can also comfortably approach complex business issues.
I firmly believe that traditional litigation is not the best approach for most people; however, I find it unfortunate that most people choose that option. I welcome prospective clients to meet with me so that they can better understand which approach may be best for them.
I graduated from UC Berkeley in 1990 and Seattle University School of Law in 2000. I am also fluent in the Italian language.
Tara Richardson
Principal
Lasher Holzapfel Sperry & Ebberson, PLLC
2600 Two Union Square,
601 Union Street
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 654-2483
web: www.lasher.com
email: richardson@lasher.com
Collaborative Attorney
As a family law attorney, I have participated in my share of adversarial divorce litigation. One particularly harsh trial that left both the husband and wife emotionally and financially crushed became the turning point in my career to “find a better way.” I saw collaborative law as an opportunity to compassionately and constructively help divorcing couples. Today I provide a range of collaborative law services that includes dissolutions, parenting plans and child support modifications.
The collaborative approach means you're not doing this alone. You have a dedicated team of people who care about you and are driven to help you through this difficult process. As the legal member of that team, I apply my balanced, levelheaded approach to quickly get to the root an issue and effectively handle a client's needs. My goal is to help couples experiencing divorce to understand that no matter how difficult the situation becomes, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
I am inspired to see the positive impact my collaborative work has on people's lives. Almost without fail, when I reconnect with clients years after a divorce, they are happier and healthier than before.
I graduated from Seattle University Law school and was admitted to the bar in 1998. I am a member of the King County Bar Association Family Law Section, a member of IACP and KCCL.
Joanna Roth
150 Nickerson St, Ste 103
Seattle
WA 98109
(206) 283-9050
web: http://www.RothAttorney.com
email: Joanna@RothAttorney.com
Collaborative Family Law Attorney
I help parents who are stuck in divorce conflict to explore their options and efficiently reach a respectful settlement that protects their kids. Given appropriate assistance, most people can resolve conflict and create lasting, satisfying agreements. I offer my clients support and guidance so that they can make the difficult choices that are part of divorce. I listen carefully to my clients in order to come up with strategies that best address their concerns, fears and hopes.
To meet the range of my clients’ needs, I provide a variety of services. For clients in mediation, I provide advice on an as-needed basis. Clients who have a significant amount of conflict often benefit from the tighter structure of the Collaborative process. In all cases, I guide my clients through the legal process to reach a legal solution that is as tailored as much as possible to the situation.
I am the current co-chair of the King County Bar Association Collaborative Law Section, and serve on the board of King County Collaborative Law. I am the immediate past chair of the King County Collaborative Law Civil Practice Group.
Kevin Scudder
9706 4th Avenue NE, Suite 320
Seattle, WA 98115-2157
office: (206) 524-7828
fax: (206) 524-1302
email: kscudderlaw@speakeasy.net
Collaborative Law Attorney
Co-Chair, King County Collaborative Law Section
Kevin grew up in large family in Omaha, Nebraska where the values of community, adventure, love of learning, physical activity (sports and camping/hiking), and an appreciation for nature were fostered. He graduated from Hampshire College (Amherst, MA) with a degree in comparative religious traditions and philosophy. Kevin’s love of adventure has taken him on travels throughout the USA and abroad.
Kevin graduated from the UW School of Law in 1989. Over the past 20 years Kevin has built a successful private law practice that incorporates his values of compassion and integrity, as well as intellectual / emotional growth and development. He is a trained mediator and has volunteered his legal services at free legal clinics. Kevin continues to be an active athlete and has made sure to indulge his love of sports by completing the Sports Management Certification program at the UW and by coaching his daughters’ sports teams.
When he is not working you will find Kevin tending his bountiful vegetable garden, coaching his daughters’ sports teams, or singing in the kitchen as he cooks.
Kevin’s peers describe him as being a natural leader. Kevin’s compassion and commitment in all areas of his life, whether it be as a father, a gardener, an athlete, or as part of a collaborative team, serves as an inspiration and brings out the best in others for the benefit of his clients.
