Focus of Practice

I am a full time mediator and arbitrator with experience in the following areas: Insurance Law, ERISA, Contracts, Employment Law, Product Liability, Torts and General Litigation.

Legal Experience

LeMaster Mediation - July 2017 to present. Hackett, Beecher & Hart - July 2011 to July 2018. Porter, Kohli & LeMaster, P.S., February 2000 to July 2011, shareholder; George, Hull, Porter & Kohli, P.S., 1999 to February 2000, shareholder; George, Hull, Porter & Kohli, P.S., 1993 to 1999, associate.

Court Admissions

Washington Supreme Court, 1993; U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington, 1993; U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington, 1996; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 1997; United States Supreme Court, 2006.

Education

Willamette University College of Law, Salem, OR, J.D., cum laude, 1993; Willamette University College of Law, Certificate of Dispute Resolution, 1993; Willamette University College of Liberal Arts, Salem, OR, B.A., French, magna cum laude, 1990.

Professional Associations

Washington State Bar Association (Member: Alternative Dispute Resolution & Litigation Sections); King County Bar Association (Member: Alternative Dispute Resolution, Labor & Employment Law and Litigation Sections); Defense Research Institute (Member: Alternative Dispute Resolution, Employment Law, and Life Health and Disability Insurance Law Committees); Federal Bar Association for the Western District of Washington; Washington Defense Trial Lawyers; French-American Chamber of Commerce.

ADR Training

Ethics of Evaluating a Party's Offer in Mediation, KCBA, Feb 2012; Neuroscience in Mediation, KCBA, March 2013; Dealing with Anger during Mediation, April 2013; ADR and Policy: Where Alternative Dispute Resolution and Politics Intersect, KCBA, May 2013; Mediation on Appeal: The Pathway to Getting to Yes, FBA, May 2013; Preventing Resistance in Mediation: Our Clients' and our Own, KCBA, May 2016; Preventing Bad Settlement Decisions and Impasse, Pepperdine University School of Law, Straus Institute, June 2016; Examining Lawyer-Mediator Ethics Opinions in Washington and Other States, KCBA, December 2016; 23rd Annual Dispute Resolution Conference, University of Washington, March 2017

ADR Experience

I have served as a mediator in a variety of substantive areas since 1996, including insurance coverage disputes, personal injury, breach of contract, commercial disputes and legal malpractice. A substantial portion of my litigation practice involves life, health and disability insurance claims. I have a particular interest in claims governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act ( ERISA ).

ADR Practice Areas

Business Litigation, Contracts, Employment, Insurance, Product Liability, Torts