Professional Details

Nancy J. Highness
Certified
Senior MediatorSenior MediatorSenior Mediator

Mediation First LLC

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PMB B1-133
15600 NE 8th Street
Bellevue, WA 98008
USA
206-399-1805
Fax: 425-895-8349

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Description of Practice

This Mediator is Certified
Mediation Focus Areas: Business, Workplace, Employment. Fact finding EEO investigations. Facilitation Services, FINRA Arbitrator. Certified to administer the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and Conflict Dynamic Profile (CDP).

Professional Background

MA: Early Childhood Education, Arizona State University MBA: Seattle University Basic and Advanced Negotiation Training: Program on Negotiation, Harvard Law School(June 1993 and June 1994) Mediation Training: Harvard Law School(April 1994) Mediation Training: DRC of Snohomish and Island Counties (Sept. 1993) Collaborative Negotiations and Cooperative Problem Solving: CRRI (24 hours, March 1996) DR in Employment Cases, Advanced Practice Institute (20 hours, December 1998) Advanced Mediaton Training: National Association of Security Dealers Regulation FINRA Approved Mediator Washington Mediation Association Certified Mediator FINRA Approved Arbitrator

Experience

65+ family dissolution/parenting plan mediation 300+ Business/Commercial Mediation 100+ Employment/Workplace Related Mediaiton 65+ Family dissolutions/parenting plan mediations (no longer practicing in the family mediation area) 8 hours EEO update Continuing Education required yearly.

Degrees

BA, MA: Education, Arizona State University MBA: Seattle University

Training

Dates    Trainer(s)    Title   
9/93    DRC of Snohomish & Island Counties: Trainer: Laura Pierson    Basic Mediation Training (40 hours)
6/1993    Harvard Law School-Program on Negotation: Trainer: Linda Singer, Michael Lewis, Frank A.E. Sander    Negotiation Workshop (40 hours)
4/1994    Harvard Law School-Program on Negotiation    Mediation Training (40 hours)
8/1997    National Assoc. of Securities Dealers(Sam Imperati)     Mediation Skills Training (24 hours)
5/1998    US Postal Service: Western Region    Transformative Mediation:Advanced Skills Training (16 hours)
12/1998    Advanced Employment Mediation Training (Margaret Shaw, David Hoffman, Homer LaRue)    Advanced Employment Mediation (24 hours)
1/2004    Alliance for Education in Dispute Resolution (Richard Fincher)    Advanced Employment Law Mediation (20 hours)
3/2004    Simon Frasier University    Creative Conflict Management in Healthcare (24 hours)
6/2005    Pepperdine School of Law    Designing Dispute Resolution Systems (20 hours)
8/2005    Equal Employment Opportunity Commission    EXCEL Conference (24 hours)
4/2010    Vital Smarts    Crucial Conversations (16 hours)
6/2010    Vital Smarts    Influencer (16 hours)
10/2010    CPP    Myers Briggs Type Indicator (32 hours)
4/2009    Leadership Strategies    Effective Facilitator (32 hours)
10/2007    Harvard Negotiation Project    Teaching Negotiation in the Organization (16 hours)
9/2007    HSM Management Series    Innovative Negotiation Strategies
11/2006    DeBono Thinking Systems    Focus on Facilitation (24 hours)
6/2006    DeBono Thinking Systems    Lateral Thinking/Six Thinking Hats (16 hours)
6/2011    Interlocal Conflict Resolution Group    Facilitation Training (20 hours)
6/2011    Department of Commerce    Foreclosure Mediation Training (20 hours)
6/2011    ICohere    Appreciative Inquiry Workshop (20 hours)

Approach

Primarily facilitative. I believe it is the parties dispute and to begin to assert my own values, opinions, or beliefs is to turn the mediation into a settlement conference where their personal or emotional issues are diminished or ignored completely in favor of a settlement that I orchestrate.

Fees

I bill on an hourly, half-day or full-day basis. Fees generally split by the parties. Administrative fees are billed when appropriate. This is always discussed up front. The final invoice is always based on time, so if a client has booked a full day mediation and we finish in 6 hours 45 minutes, that is the time the client will be billed for, not 8 hours.

Other Information

I have been the Co-Chair for the WSBA ADR Section Northwest Annual ADR Conference for 8 years. I was one of three Program Co-Chairs for the April 2008 ABA DR National Conference in Seattle, WA.

Areas of Practice

  • ADA (5 mediated)
  • Business (200 mediated)
  • Civil (general) (200 mediated)
  • Community (75 mediated)
  • Contracts (100 mediated)
  • Education (25 mediated)
  • EEOC (75 mediated)
  • Employment (100 mediated)
  • Foreclosure (5 mediated)
  • General (200 mediated)
  • Health Care
  • Labor - Management (10 mediated)
  • Landlord - Tenant (100 mediated)
  • Online Mediation (200 mediated)
  • Organizational (50 mediated)
  • Partnership (25 mediated)
  • Postal Service (75 mediated)
  • Securities
  • Workplace (100 mediated)

Professional Services

  • Mediator
  • Arbitrator
  • Systems Designer
  • Fact-Finder
  • Mediation Consultant
  • Mediation Trainer
  • Facilitator

References

Mr. Tom Melancon SFEB ADR Coordinator Ms. Chris Koser former SFEB ADR Coordinator

This dispute resolution professional keeps liability insurance.