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Attorneys Suzan Barrie Aiken
Suzan serves on the boards of Collaborative Practice California and Integrative Mediation Marin. Suzan also serves on the board of the Collaborative Practice Marin as their immediate past president, after more than five years of service as their first board president. Suzan was the chair of the Collaborative Practice California annual statewide conference that took place in April 2012 and was a chair of the sixth and third Collaborative Practice California annual statewide conferences. Suzan regularly presents on Collaborative Practice and consensual dispute resolution topics to statewide, international and local organizations, including the first three-day training at the 2012 Collaborative Practice California conference, at the annual California Psychological Association and California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists Conferences, and at the annual conference of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals. Suzan regularly serves as a Settlement Master in San Francisco; Settlement Panelist in Marin, including the innovative Interdisciplinary Settlement Conference program with high conflict custody matters; and is a former arbitrator for the Bar Association of San Francisco. She is a member of the Dispute Resolution Section of the ABA. Suzan is an active member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals. phone: 415 332 9400
Available for client meetings in Marin.
phone: (415) 495-5353
After graduating from UCLA in 1983, I obtained my law degree from Southwestern University in 1987 and have been practicing family law exclusively ever since. I married in 1992 and have two wonderful children. I embrace the collaborative approach to divorce because the Court system is often unable to provide workable, long term solutions, frequently increases animosity and often depletes the financial resources which can be used instead to create a more secure and tranquil future. phone: (415) 924-8870
phone: (415) 461-6392
phone: 415-454-8980
Earl Hokenson: The Law Office of Earl Hokenson provides quality family law services to families and individuals in Marin County, California . Mr. Hokenson has forty years experience as an attorney. Quality legal representation comes also from well qualified associates and assistants. For the past five years, Mr. Hokenson has participated in and prefers to work through the collaborative law process, when possible. This process is described in detail in links to this site. Collaborative law seeks to preserve the resources, time, strength and good will of participants in these difficult cases. phone: 415-924-1299
M. Lee Hunt has been practicing family law for 27 years in San Rafael, Marin County, CA . She began mediating family disputes 20 years ago and helped create the Collaborative Lawyers of Marin group 15 years ago with other family law attorneys who believed there was a better way to practice family law. They saw in the litigation process the exacerbation of disputes and sought a way of helping clients get through the divorce process by solving problems rather than adding to them. Divorcing is particularly hard for the children involved. Parents owe them an honest effort to be the best parents they can be during the divorce process and for the co-parenting years to come. Collaboration and mediation provide the non-adversarial, problem-solving structure for that work to take place. phone: (415) 457-5700
phone: (415) 456-4444
Edith has been practicing collaborative family law for eight years as well as effectively litigating family law and other civil cases for over 20 years. She graduated with honors in 1984 from USF School of Law. Edith also works with the Center for the Contemplative Mind in Society and is instrumental in producing the highly successful meditation retreats for lawyers at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. phone: (415) 453-3055
After litigating hundreds of family law cases, I believe that mediation and collaborative law are the methods best suited for resolving cases. In addition to my training in mediation and collaborative law, I also have a personal understanding of this area. In my own divorce, we resolved all of our custody and property differences out of court. We share joint custody of our two sons and they have greatly benefited from observing their parents’ collaborative approach to ongoing custody and financial issues. phone: (415) 455-9322
phone: (415) 459-1438
I helped to create the Collaborative Lawyers of Marin Group more than 15 years ago with colleagues who shared my belief that Family Law was not being served in the court room. In addition to 25 years of experience practicing Family Law and Mediation in Marin County, I also bring to all of my cases my own personal experience of going through a highly successful divorce, and subsequently raising two extraordinary children who always felt that they had the total love of two cooperative and supportive parents. phone: (415) 485-5600
Pauline H. Tesler
Charles B. Tunnell: It is my belief that the role of a family law attorney is to guide the client through a difficult life experience by providing practical legal knowledge of the alternatives available that afford the client the opportunity to make intelligent, informed decisions. Collaborative law practice, in appropriate cases, facilitates respectful problem-solving that can lead to “successful” conclusions. A family law practice requires knowledge not only of family law but also of those disciplines that can be an integral part of such cases including finance, contracts, business fundamentals and real estate, all areas in which I have had significant exposure during my 31-year practice. phone: (415) 457-5707
phone: (415) 454-8790
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Suzan Barrie Aiken is a highly trained and skilled family law attorney, mediator and collaborative law practitioner with more than twenty years of experience successfully negotiating and mediating family law settlements. Suzan is a strong and effective collaborative advocate known for providing her clients with personalized service and accessibility. She is committed to facilitating respectful negotiation and creative settlements. Suzan has been a collaborative practitioner since 1998. Her practice is devoted exclusively to consensual dispute resolution: mediation, collaborative law, consultation and negotiated agreements, including prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. Suzan is respected throughout the consensual dispute resolution community as a practitioner dedicated to ongoing cutting edge training, both as a participant and as a trainer. Suzan was honored with the Collaborative Practice California Eureka Award in 2010, which recognizes those who have made significant contributions to Collaborative Practice in California.
Susan Stephens Coats is a Family Law Attorney, Collaborative Law practitioner and mediator with over 25 years of experience. She is a former chair of the Family Law Section of the State Bar of California and the Family Law Section of the Bar Association of San Francisco, and a former member of the governing board of the American Bar Association Family Law Section. She is also a past board president of Kid's Turn, an organization which provides education for children whose parents are divorcing. Ms. Coats enjoys the prestigious Martindale-Hubbell "AV" rating and has been named a "Superlawyer" by Law and Politics Publications. Ms. Coats' practice is limited to collaborative law, family law mediation, family law consultations, and the preparation of premarital and post-marital contracts.
Pauline Edgemon: My goal is to help people achieve a “better divorce” using creativity, insight and compromise. As a mediator and Certified Family Law Specialist with over 20 years of experience, I will help you understand the law concerning your unique circumstances. Together with mental health and financial professionals, if and as needed, we will work to develop a better outcome for you, your spouse and your entire family. 
Nancy Foster is a lawyer-mediator who has focused on non-adversarial processes for resolving divorces for more than 18 years. She is the Director and principal mediator and trainer at the Northern California Mediation Center in northern San Rafael. Her passion is the study and practice of communication and negotiation skills. She fosters respect and reciprocity in conflict resolution through non-defensive yet powerful communication. Nancy has presented at numerous law schools and conferences. She graduated from the University of Michigan Law School, has served as President of the North ern California Mediation Association, Vice-President of Marin County Women Lawyers and is an Advanced Practitioner Member in the Family Section of the Association for Conflict Resolution. 
Mary V. Halbert received her law degree at USF law school and has over 25 years of experience as a Family Law Attorney working in Marin County. She has served as the Board President for the Marin Family and Children's Law Center, a non-profit organization serving low-income families in Marin County and currently serves as a volunteer Bench Bar panelist for the Marin County Courts. Mary has a special interest in children and serves as counsel for children at the court's request. She also is retained privately by parties to act as a Special Master or Judge Pro Tem to resolve custody and other disputes. Mary has long been committed to alternative dispute resolution processes and has over 10 years experience working in both the mediation and collaborative processes.
Edith Kelly Politis helps people dissolve their marriage without destroying their lives. You and Edith team up with the other collaborative professionals (divorce coaches, financial consultants, and child specialists) to transform a family tragedy into the most positive outcome possible. The job is done when everyone wins, including you. She knows what she’s doing and is good at it, and is especially effective at the thorough preparation that is indispensable for successful negotiation. 
David Ostiller: I have practiced family law exclusively in Northern California since 1990, and my practice is comprised of litigation, mediation and collaborative divorce. Since 1996, I have been certified by the State Bar of California as a Family Law Specialist.
Barbara Rohan graduated from USF Law School and has been a family law lawyer for over 25 years. She has taken numerous training courses in mediation and collaborative law, and now devotes her practice to both divorce mediation and collaborative divorce. She believes strongly that these modes of solving the difficult and painful issues connected with a divorce are, in almost all cases, less stressful, less expensive, more positive and better for the parties and their children. Barbara has served as a Board member of the Family Law Center and is currently a Board member of Adopt a Family of Marin, a non-profit devoted to helping families in crises.
Ellen Rothman: I am committed to the concept that Family Disputes do not belong in the court room. I believe that achievement of the best results for all parties in Divorce, Custody, Pre and Post-Marital situations requires a ‘collaborative approach’. This approach is truly a "win-win", in that it achieves optimal results, maintains dignity and respectful relations, and does not compromise legal, financial, and psychological safeguards.
Pauline H. Tesler practices law in San Francisco, Marin and Sonoma counties and has been certified as a family law specialist by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization since 1984. Since 2000, she has limited her practice to collaborative representation, consultations, and second opinions. Appointments are available in San Francisco, southern Marin, and Santa Rosa. A co-founder and first president of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and co-founder of its journal, The Collaborative Review, Pauline lectures and writes extensively about collaborative law and interdisciplinary team collaborative practice and has conducted more than a hundred trainings for lawyers and other professionals in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Israel since the early 1990's. A graduate of Harvard, the University of Manchester (England), and the University of Wisconsin Law School, Pauline is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and adjunct faculty in the Straus Dispute Resolution Institute (Pepperdine Law School). Her book Collaborative Divorce: The Revolutionary New Way to Restructure Your Family, Resolve Legal Issues, and Move on with Your Life (co-authored with psychologist Peggy Thompson) is available at Borders and Amazon. She received the American Bar Association's first "Lawyer as Problem Solver" award in 2002 and is included in "Best Lawyers in America."
Karen Worth has been practicing family law for over 23 years. Her current focus is in a mediation and collaborative practice, which is informed by her many years of experience as an advocate. Karen credits her knowledge of “real consequences” in the courtroom as essential to representing parties in a successful collaboration. She brings sensitivity, skill, and wisdom to the collaborative table. Karen is a visible member of her local community, having served on a number of boards. Her law degree is from Golden Gate University School of Law.
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