Experience

• Principal owner: Desonier Law & Mediation Services, P.S.
• Attorney in private practice with emphasis on family law: 1979 to present
• Former Chairperson: King County Bar Association Family Law Section (7/88 – 6/89)
• Former Chairperson: King County Bar Association Continuing Legal Education Family Law Subcommittee (1992-1994)
• Professional mediator: 1989 – present
• Contract mediator: United States Postal Service: 1998 – present
• Provides family law mediation
• Provides mediation and group facilitation services in multi-neighbor, multi-party neighborhood, homeowner, and homeowner association disputes
• Frequent presenter at legal and dispute resolution continuing education seminars
• Mediation trainer (co-trainer): Professional Family Mediation Trainings – 1994 to 2002
• Trainer: Basic Collaborative Law; Collaborative Law Interest Based Negotiation Skills
• Past President: King County Collaborative Law
• Adjunct Faculty Member: Seattle University School of Law

Education

• 1970: B.A., Philosophy: Chaminade University, Honolulu, Hawaii
• 1973: Juris Doctor Degree: University of Arizona School of Law
• 1985: Basic Mediation Training: Denver Center for Dispute Resolution
• 1998: Advanced Mediation Training: The Role of Empathic Listening in Mediation (Dr. Tony Roffers)
• 1998: Mediation Training: United States Postal Service
• 2002: Advanced Mediation Training: United States Postal Service
• 2003: Collaborative Family Law Training – Marion Korn
• 2004: Collaborative Family Law Training – Marion Korn
• 2005: Collaborative Family Law Training – Marion Korn
• 2006: Collaborative Family Law Training – Pauline Tesler
• 2006: Collaborative Family Law Interdisciplinary Training – CDTT

Professional Credentials and Affiliations

• Washington State Bar Association
• King County Bar Association
• Washington State & King County Bar Association Family Law Sections
• Washington State & King County Bar Association Dispute Resolution Sections
• Past member of Board of Directors: King County Collaborative Law

Publications:

• “Collaborative Family Law”, Chapter 57, Washington State Family Law Desk Book (2007 edition)
• “BATNA’s – Not Always What They’re Cracked Up To Be!”, Bellevue Neighborhood Mediation Program’s Update, March/2002.
• “Collaborative Mediation: An Alternative Approach to Case Management in Family Law Cases”, Washington State Bar News, March/2000, (www.wsba.org/barnews/2000/03/desonier.htm) – co-author
• “Closing in on Disparity” {an analysis of spousal maintenance}, Washington State Bar News, July/1994 (co-author)
• “Active Listening: The Window to Clear Communication”: Co-author

Professional Presentations:

• 2006: International Academy of Collaborative Professionals San Diego Forum – Moving Beyond the Shadow of the Law & Shallow Peace: Letting Go & Other Tips To Advance Your Collaborative Skills (Co-presenter)
• 2005-2008: UW & Seattle University Law Schools – Presentations on Mediation and Collaborative Law
• December, 2003: The Use of Mediation in Family Law Cases, National Business Institute.
• March, 2002: United States Postal Service Transformative Mediation Process, King County Bar Association ADR Section (co-presenter)
• September, 2001: Real World ADR: Making it Practical – Without Malpractice!, Skagit County Pro Bono Program/WSBA DR Section “On The Road” series, (co-presenter)
• April, 2001: Settlement of Equitable Distribution Issues Through Negotiation and Mediation, National Business Institute.
• April, 2001: Exploring Mediator Authority (co-presenter), Tenth Annual Northwest Alternative Dispute Resolution Conference.
• December, 2000: Mediation: Let’s Try the Different Models on for Size!, 7th annual Family Law Institute, sponsored by the Family Law Section of the King County Bar Association.
• June, 2000: Collaborative Mediation, Washington State Bar Association Family Law Mid-Year Conference.
• May, 2000: The Role of the Co-Parent Therapist in Family Law Cases, King County Bar Association Family Law Section.
• April, 1998: Preparing Your Client for Mediation (Panel – co-presenter), 7th Annual Northwest Alternative Dispute Resolution Conference.
• April, 1998: How Clients Decide: A Model for Mediation (co-presenter), 7th Annual Northwest Alternative Dispute Resolution Conference.
• December, 1997: Mediation – When is it Okay to Let Your Client Take Charge?, 4th Annual Family Law Institute (co-chair), sponsored by the King County Bar Association Family Law Section.
• November, 1997: Stages of Dissolution Mediation; Mediation Ethics, sponsored by the National Business Institute.
• August, 1997: The ABC’s of ADR – A Comparison of ADR Processes: Negotiation, Mediation, Settlement Conferences, Arbitration – The Processes Defined, Compared and Contrasted, sponsored by the Washington State Bar Association.
• November, 2003: Family Law for the Social Work & Mental Health Professional, sponsored by National Association of Social Workers – Washington State (co-presenter).
• On-going: Parenting Seminar – What About the Children?, co-sponsored by King County Family Court Services and Divorce Lifeline.

• December, 1994: The Law of Spousal Maintenance, 1st Annual Family Law Institute, sponsored by the King County Bar Association.
• December, 1994: Encore Presentation – Client Control: Maintaining a Professional Relationship with Diverse and Demanding Clients, sponsored by the King County Bar Association.
• June, 1994: Spousal Maintenance: The Hardest Issue to Argue, sponsored by the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) in conjunction with the WSBA Family Law Section Mid-Year Conference.
• February, 1994: Client Control: Maintaining a Professional Relationship with Diverse and Demanding Clients, sponsored by the King County Bar Association.
• December, 1993: Chaos of Divorce Without a Marriage, sponsored by the King County Bar Association (co-chair).
• October, 1993: Leaving a Long-Term Marriage: Loss of Economic Expectancy, sponsored by the Washington State Bar Association.