Stephen M. Gaddis, Mediator & Arbitrator
Stephen Gaddis was graduated from UW School of Law in 1970, and practiced law for 10 years
prior to being appointed to the bench. He retired in 2005 after 25 years of service with King
County Superior Court (Seattle/Kent) as Judge, Superior Court Commissioner and Family Law
Commissioner. Thereafter he presided as a pro tem Judge and Commissioner in Pierce County
(Tacoma) for two years, and since has worked exclusively as a mediator and arbitrator.
Mediation Experience: Gaddis received his mediation training in 1977, and in 1978 he and nine
attorneys and social workers founded the Northwest Mediation Service. NMS pioneered
mediation services in the Family Law area and later received grants to provide mediation training
on a broader basis in local schools and the community.
While on the bench, Gaddis initiated a program for the mandatory mediation of all custody and
visitation disputes coming before the court, and later drafted proposed Local Rules for ADR.
For five years he was an adjunct professor at Seattle University School of Law, teaching
Advanced Family Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution. Additionally, he has trained
mediators for the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Pierce County District Court
and the King County Dispute Resolution Center. He was on the founding board of the
Washington State Bar Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Section.
Philosophy: Mediation offers the best means for resolution of issues, as it is preserves the
parties as the decision-makers; is faster, more convenient and less costly than litigation;
maintains the parties’ privacy to the greatest degree possible, and offers a final solution to be
approved by the court, thus allowing the parties to move on in their lives without the jeopardy of
post-trial activities. Mediation focuses on attaining the parties’ interests, rather than casting
them in the win-lose paradigm of litigation. In mediation, the parties may agree to solutions that
“are outside the box” or that the court, itself, could not order absent agreement of the parties.
Procedures: In order to keep mediation affordable, services are provided at one of counsel’s law
offices. Ordinarily only one matter per day is scheduled, so that each pending matter can be
given full attention and can be completely concluded. Most correspondence is by email and
FAX. Upon settlement of a case, a CR2A Stipulation as well as final papers are usually prepared
and signed by all at the mediation session. This allows the parties to move on from that day
forward, without conflict or further court involvement.
E-mail: StephenGaddis@comcast.net; Web: www.GaddisMediation.com; Phone:206-465-3500;
FAX: 425-671-8097; Address: 15600 NE 8th St, Suite B-1, #177, Bellevue, WA 98008.
September, 2008