Page 40 - Pierce County Lawyer - September October 2025

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF PARTNERSHIP:
a culture of collaboration in Pierce County
BY MARALISE HOOD QUAN
Relationships Make the
World Go Round -
especially here in Pierce County, where
our longstanding alliance between the
Pierce County legal community and
the Center for Dialog & Resolution has
created a unique culture of collaboration
and trust.
A Foundation of Trust
It began in September 1994, when
forward-thinking members of the
Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association
joined passionate social justice advocates
to establish the Center with a simple, yet
profound mission: provide accessible
mediation for all. Since then, hundreds
of volunteer attorneys have served as
mediators, generously donating their
expertise to the community. Law firms
regularly refer clients, confident that
agreements crafted in mediation are
carefully reviewed by legal counsel.
We also work hand-in-hand with legal
advocacy organizations, sharing skills in
dialog and negotiation to better serve our
community and improve access to justice.
Many former mediators now serve our
community from the bench as judges
and commissioners, further weaving the
threads of this partnership into the fabric
of our local justice system.
Collaboration,
Not Competition
Unlike other regions where mediators
and lawyers compete, Pierce County
stands out for genuine collaboration. It
takes all types of mediators to meet our
communities’ needs.
Evaluative mediators guide represented
parties toward a settlement while offering
their assessment of legal merits of the
case. In other situations, a facilitative
mediator is needed because helping co-
parents work through a parenting plan
requires practice reaching solutions
together, without a mediator's advice.
A Living Legacy of Resilience
Conflict is inevitable, yet the outcome
is not. When each person has choice
and agency in creating
solutions, we see it as
an opportunity to build
resilience. We routinely
see families return to
mediation as their needs
change, evolving from
contentious court battles
to respective co-parenting
– and ultimately resolving
issues on their own, a true
mark of success.
Continuous Growth
and Learning
Continuous growth is one of our core
values. Every mediation and training
is a learning opportunity and our
commitment to reflection, peer review,
and ongoing education keeps us at the
forefront of this field.
We’re especially proud to offer the only
evaluative mediation service operated
within a community mediation center
in the United States (according to the
American Bar Association) and we
invite new and returning Settlement
Conference mediators to join our
biannual trainings, where mentoring
and support are offered alongside
opportunities for networking and
community service.
Together we’ve built
a healthier, more
resilient Pierce County
and we look forward
to many more years of
collaborative impact.
Our Mission and
Invitation to You...
Our mission has always been to help
people explore their differences,
discover common ground, and
transition antagonistic relationships
toward respectful collaboration. When
relationships are rebuilt, agreements
last and productive dialog remains
possible in the future.
As we celebrate
30 years of partnership,
we invite you to join us on
International Conflict
Resolution Day
Thursday, October 16
for public training focused
on de-escalating conflict and
fostering productive dialog.
Visit
CenterForResolution.org
to learn more!
Maralise Hood Quan has served as Executive Director of the Center for
Dialog & Resolution since 2007, bringing decades of experience in conflict
resolution. Her work spans international peacebuilding, professional
mediation, and public policy, including a role as Chief of Staff to a state
legislator. She holds a JD and was named the 2023 Greater Tacoma Peace
Prize Laureate, attending the Nobel Prize ceremony in Oslo.
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