Attorney at Law Magazine is proud to introduce its 2025 Mediation special issue celebrating ADR professionals nationwide.
Lawyers! Welcome to the 2025 Mediation Special Issue. I’m excited to introduce you to several ADR practitioners who have each followed different paths to the practice of mediation or alternative dispute resolution.
In our cover story, we sit down with Paula Lawhon who began her career as an investigator before attending law school. She started out as a litigator, but a moment in the hallways of the courtroom would change her career trajectory again. Today, she has practiced mediation for more than 20 years with a focus on family law.
Timothy Dowling applied his business acumen and his legal education to launch the Resolvium Mediation Group, which offers a solution to clients and mediators alike. He has built a national brand with a signature 5-day resolution framework to support clients and the licensing platform to help support mediators.
As Messner Reeves celebrates 30 years, we sat down with two of their mediators to discuss their approach to conflict resolution and how the process complements the firm’s trial practice.
In this issue, we also sat down with paralegal turned mediator Mae Villanueva and several trial attorneys and litigators who found their rightful place in mediation including Paul Eza, Karen Roberts Washington, Dominique Bartholet and Robert Heath. Joy Hernandez began her career in mediation out of college, going on to earn her master’s in dispute resolution. After more than 12 years on the bench, Jeff Rose turned to mediation work. It didn’t take Jennifer Segura long to know that mediation was the right niche for her legal career. Mara Linder took a detour between corporate regulatory law and her mediation practice focused on divorce to earn a master’s in counseling. Debora Gama Lima transitioned from general surgeon and physician consultant to mediator with a focus on family law.
Thank you to the lawyers and mediators who shared their stories with us in this issue. Looking ahead, we’re excited to bring you an issue focused on first-generation lawyers who forged their own path and became the first in their family to enter the legal profession.
Happy reading,
Kenneth Minniti
Executive Publisher
When people say an attorney “wrote the book” on a topic, it’s usually just a metaphor. In the case of Paula M. Lawhon, it happens to be literally true. Her forthcoming book, Steering the Ship: A Case Management for Mediators—to be released in early 2026—captures what she has spent over 20 years refining: a clear, compassionate, structurally sound approach to
When Timothy Dowling describes the origins of Resolvium Mediation Group, he does not begin with its official 2022 launch. Instead, he talks about friction — not the abstract kind that shows up in a law school textbook, but the lived, human friction created by systems that were never designed for the people moving through them. His career began in environments
Mae Villanueva, the founder of Mae Villanueva Mediation in San Ramon, has worked with hundreds of litigants in civil disputes involving employment, wage and hour disputes, landlord-tenant and family matters. AALM: You began your career as a paralegal. How did that experience shape your perspective on conflict—and ultimately lead you to mediation? MV: My years as an employment litigation paralegal
At Messner Reeves LLP, litigation expertise and entrepreneurial spirit have long defined the firm, but the art of mediation has become a proactive—and now defining—hallmark of its practice. Among the firm’s accomplished attorneys, two stand out for their ability to guide parties from conflict to resolution as ADR practitioners: Jeff Finley and Bruce Montoya. Though they arrived at mediation from
Paul Eza’s story began as a young graphic artist making a living designing greeting cards. “It was fine,” he says. “But I was bored. I was at a point in my life when it was a good time to make a change, so I considered my options. I was interested in education but knew a law degree would give me
If you’ve mediated a case in recent years, you’ve probably noticed a trend that parties are increasingly stating they want to skip the joint session and proceed straight to caucus. For many mediators, this raises a concern. The mediator is responsible for safeguarding the mediation process, which historically begins with a joint session. The joint session is intended to be
Mediation is an opportunity that should not be missed. It gives parties a time, a place, and a guide to talk in a constructive way about how to move through a dispute,” says Karen Roberts Washington. Her considerable experience as a litigator gives her an advantage as a mediator. It was this same experience in litigation, which left an often-negative
AALM: Joy, you started out in the field of mediation over 15 years ago. What drew you to this field? What do you enjoy most about it? JH: I have been incredibly blessed. I am one of those individuals who can honestly say I love what I do and would not want to be doing anything else. I was originally
After more than 12 years of service on the bench, Jeff Rose made the decision to hang up his robe and take a seat at the mediation table. We sat down with him to discuss his transition and the benefits his years of experience both as a litigator and as a judge bring to his mediation clients. “I love working
During an undergraduate anthropology course, Jennifer M. Segura was introduced to “The Cheyenne Way” by Karl Llewellyn, which explored how the Cheyenne tribe resolved conflict. Their relational, collaborative approach mirrored modern mediation and inspired Segura to pursue law school with the intent of building a mediation-focused career. AALM: Tell us about your decision to focus on mediation over traditional family
For decades, mediation meant traveling to a conference room to view bullet points on a whiteboard, attend breakouts down the hall, and listen to a mediator shuttling between rooms. The mediator could gauge the atmosphere in each room through the personalities and emotions of the participants, reading the temperature, and applying pressure points to advocate for a deal. Online meeting
When Dominique Bartholet begins her workday, she takes notes on a yellow legal pad amidst an office filled with Wonder Woman memorabilia, in homage to her favorite superhero. To Bartholet, Wonder Woman represents the strength, resilience, and unwavering determination she relies on every day in mediation. The notes on her pages shift between English and Spanish as she moves from
AALM: Mara, what experiences or interests first drew you to a legal career? ML: The TV show L.A. Law had just premiered, and, like a lot of people at the time, I was captivated. Everyone wanted to be Grace Van Owen or Victor Sifuentes. At the same time, I’ve always loved solving complex problems, which drew me to the intellectual
A first-generation lawyer, Robert Heath was captivated by Perry Mason as a young man. He consumed every Earle Stanley Garnder book he could find and was dedicated to becoming a trial lawyer. Today, he has transitioned to a full-time mediation practice. AALM: Tell us about your career as a prosecutor and civil litigator. RH: During law school, I interned at
Debora Gama Lima was a general surgeon and working as a performance consultant for physicians when a case sent her career in a different direction. It was a medical malpractice case for one of her clients that left such an emotional toll on all the parties even beyond the tragic medical outcomes. “Navigating the claim was deeply traumatic for everyone,”
When people say an attorney “wrote the book” on a topic, it’s usually just a metaphor. In the case of Paula M. Lawhon, it happens to be literally true. Her forthcoming book, Steering the Ship: A Case Management for Mediators—to be released in early 2026—captures what she has spent over 20 years refining: a clear, compassionate, structurally sound approach to
When Timothy Dowling describes the origins of Resolvium Mediation Group, he does not begin with its official 2022 launch. Instead, he talks about friction — not the abstract kind that shows up in a law school textbook, but the lived, human friction created by systems that were never designed for the people moving through them. His career began in environments
Mae Villanueva, the founder of Mae Villanueva Mediation in San Ramon, has worked with hundreds of litigants in civil disputes involving employment, wage and hour disputes, landlord-tenant and family matters. AALM: You began your career as a paralegal. How did that experience shape your perspective on conflict—and ultimately lead you to mediation? MV: My years as an employment litigation paralegal
At Messner Reeves LLP, litigation expertise and entrepreneurial spirit have long defined the firm, but the art of mediation has become a proactive—and now defining—hallmark of its practice. Among the firm’s accomplished attorneys, two stand out for their ability to guide parties from conflict to resolution as ADR practitioners: Jeff Finley and Bruce Montoya. Though they arrived at mediation from
Paul Eza’s story began as a young graphic artist making a living designing greeting cards. “It was fine,” he says. “But I was bored. I was at a point in my life when it was a good time to make a change, so I considered my options. I was interested in education but knew a law degree would give me
If you’ve mediated a case in recent years, you’ve probably noticed a trend that parties are increasingly stating they want to skip the joint session and proceed straight to caucus. For many mediators, this raises a concern. The mediator is responsible for safeguarding the mediation process, which historically begins with a joint session. The joint session is intended to be
Mediation is an opportunity that should not be missed. It gives parties a time, a place, and a guide to talk in a constructive way about how to move through a dispute,” says Karen Roberts Washington. Her considerable experience as a litigator gives her an advantage as a mediator. It was this same experience in litigation, which left an often-negative
AALM: Joy, you started out in the field of mediation over 15 years ago. What drew you to this field? What do you enjoy most about it? JH: I have been incredibly blessed. I am one of those individuals who can honestly say I love what I do and would not want to be doing anything else. I was originally
After more than 12 years of service on the bench, Jeff Rose made the decision to hang up his robe and take a seat at the mediation table. We sat down with him to discuss his transition and the benefits his years of experience both as a litigator and as a judge bring to his mediation clients. “I love working
During an undergraduate anthropology course, Jennifer M. Segura was introduced to “The Cheyenne Way” by Karl Llewellyn, which explored how the Cheyenne tribe resolved conflict. Their relational, collaborative approach mirrored modern mediation and inspired Segura to pursue law school with the intent of building a mediation-focused career. AALM: Tell us about your decision to focus on mediation over traditional family
For decades, mediation meant traveling to a conference room to view bullet points on a whiteboard, attend breakouts down the hall, and listen to a mediator shuttling between rooms. The mediator could gauge the atmosphere in each room through the personalities and emotions of the participants, reading the temperature, and applying pressure points to advocate for a deal. Online meeting
When Dominique Bartholet begins her workday, she takes notes on a yellow legal pad amidst an office filled with Wonder Woman memorabilia, in homage to her favorite superhero. To Bartholet, Wonder Woman represents the strength, resilience, and unwavering determination she relies on every day in mediation. The notes on her pages shift between English and Spanish as she moves from
AALM: Mara, what experiences or interests first drew you to a legal career? ML: The TV show L.A. Law had just premiered, and, like a lot of people at the time, I was captivated. Everyone wanted to be Grace Van Owen or Victor Sifuentes. At the same time, I’ve always loved solving complex problems, which drew me to the intellectual
A first-generation lawyer, Robert Heath was captivated by Perry Mason as a young man. He consumed every Earle Stanley Garnder book he could find and was dedicated to becoming a trial lawyer. Today, he has transitioned to a full-time mediation practice. AALM: Tell us about your career as a prosecutor and civil litigator. RH: During law school, I interned at
Debora Gama Lima was a general surgeon and working as a performance consultant for physicians when a case sent her career in a different direction. It was a medical malpractice case for one of her clients that left such an emotional toll on all the parties even beyond the tragic medical outcomes. “Navigating the claim was deeply traumatic for everyone,”
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This year, we’ve highlighted immigration lawyers, the family legacy of the practice of law, personal injury attorneys, women in the practice of law, family law practitioners as well as some of the best expert witnesses nationwide. Check out the most recent issues below.
