Denise George Mediation

I began my legal career in 1981 in Bellingham, Washington as a family law attorney. I practiced family law in Bellingham for thirty-four years, and retired in 2015. After retiring I relocated to north-central Florida where I became certified as a Family Mediator and mediated family court cases in and around Gainesville, Florida. 

In 2016, I relocated to Honolulu, Hawaii to assist my family with the care of our elderly mother. There, I volunteered with the Mediation Center of the Pacific (MCP) where I conducted over 1250 mediations, as well as being trained in special education mediation, landlord-tenant mediation, workplace mediation, elder/family conference mediation, and employment mediation. I trained new mediators both at MCP and at the University of Hawaii Richardson School of Law, and provided training for community and local educational institutions as well as fire and police departments.

In 2022 I returned to Bellingham and joined the Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center (WDRC) as a Family Mediator. To date, I have conducted over 250 family mediations at WDRC. In 2024 I was recognized by WDRC as Outstanding Mediator of the Year. While with WDRC I volunteered as a coach and mentor for Professional Mediation Trainings, and as an evaluator for certification of new mediators.

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In 2026 I opened my own private mediation practice in Bellingham, focusing on matters such as Dissolutions of Marriage, Legal Separations, Parenting Plans, and Parentage. I am also experienced in mediating interpersonal issues not strictly related to families, such as co-workers, neighbors, housing (landlord/tenant and housemates), families navigating care for their elders, and small business owners and customers.

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In my personal and professional life I have striven to be an advocate and ally for marginalized communities. I have participated in civil rights and social justice movements since my college years in the early 1970’s. I am the proud mother of two queer, neurodiverse adults who were born and raised in Bellingham, and I have knowledge and experience with navigating the social and educational challenges parents face. I have volunteered locally with agencies providing legal advocacy and crisis intervention to those in need. In mediation we must remain open to the complexities of life as they arise, and I will address the following in cases I mediate when indicated: LGBTQIA+ Matters, Trans Matters, Neurodiversity, and Multiple Parent Households.