Raised near a tiny rural Montana town that you might miss if you blink, my brother and I grew up running in fields, wading in creeks, building forts in trees, and developing a deep appreciation for the peace and tranquility nature can impart.  Receiving my elementary education in a small two-room school house and being the only one in my grade from 3^rd through 7^th taught me the importance of maintaining positive relationships with those around me.  Watching my parents work hard in all their endeavors – whether in the office, on the ranch, or in the home – led to a strong work ethic and tenacity of spirit.  I came to value compromise and team work, having observed the importance of each person’s contribution toward the achievement of a mutual goal. 

With a love of words and an analytical mind, I chose to attend law school and thrived in composing and delivering persuasive and well-reasoned arguments.  I then joined a national law firm in San Francisco where I worked with and served people from a variety of backgrounds, living various lifestyles, with a wide range of needs and interests.  While I am grateful for everything those big city experiences and relationships taught me, the wide open spaces and blue sky I grew up with eventually beckoned me home.  I have been fortunate to raise my daughter in the state I love and blessed to learn from her every day since.

Over many years in practice, I observed first hand the toll litigation can take on those who find themselves in it – lines etched in anxious faces, bloodshot eyes, and slumped shoulders as if the yoke was nearly too much to bear.  Despite their patience and perseverance, on more than one occasion, I observed the “wrong” result in court and came to realize that after going through the long, arduous, stressful, and expensive litigation process, even the clients who “won” had still lost.  So, I began to focus my efforts on a better way to resolve disputes. 

Learning from one of the state’s best ADR specialists and having now mediated and arbitrated cases for many years, I can attest to witnessing the benefits of greater satisfaction in outcomes, greater economic savings, less time to reach resolution, and less anxiety throughout the process.  Yet even then, I felt that the resolution to a particular dispute could best be achieved if the process was specifically tailored to the individual needs of the parties and attorneys.  Having been taught that if I was going to do something, I had best do it right, I founded Pax Dispute Resolution Services to refine and customize the dispute resolution process.  Today I incorporate skill, experience, creativity, and the use of technology in an effort to resolve disputes in the best possible way for everyone involved.  I am thankful to have been blessed with the opportunity to help people put their conflicts behind them and promise to do my best to help guide you on your path to peace.