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

Last 36 months: 3/10/21 Remote Mediation Before, During, and After (hopefully!) the Pandemic; US Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Washington, 1 hour; 9/9/21 KCBA ADR SECTION: From Practitioner to Practice: Appreciating Neurodiversity in ADR (1 hour); 3/17/22 Thomas T. Glover Mediation Program: Bringing Objective Evaluation to Mediation; Prof. Elayne Greenberg (1 hour); 4/14/22 Privacy, Power and Public Policy in Sexual Harassment Cases; KCBA ADR Section (1 hour); 5/12/22 TEDRA at 22- Reflections on the past, present and future of the Trust and Estate Dispute Resolution Act; KCBA ADR Section (1 hour)

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