Mediator, Arbitrator
Expertise Areas:
- Commercial & Contract
- Probate and Estates
- Professional Negligence
- Securities
- General Civil & Tort Litigation
- Family Business
WAMS Mediator Certification: 1991
Accomplishments: Margo Keller handles tough cases while effectively assisting parties and attorneys in preserving ongoing relationships. Formerly a partner in the Seattle firm of Lasher, Holzapfel, Sperry & Ebberson, she has extensive trial experience representing plaintiffs and defendants in a broad range of civil matters. Ms. Keller has litigated claims involving breach of contract, business sales, partnership dissolution, employment, homeowner associations, real property, securities transactions, TEDRA, domestic relations and personal injuries. She argued a breakthrough case before the Washington Supreme Court that set the standards for fiduciary duty and management of partnerships in the state. She prevailed against the IRS at the Ninth Circuit in a case of first impression involving the tax treatment of a stock redemption in a marital dissolution. She was appointed by the US Bankruptcy Court (Eastern District) to manage and resolve claims by more than 100 investors in businesses operated throughout the state.
Margo Keller is also admitted to practice in the US District Courts in Washington (Western and Eastern), the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and US Tax Court. She has qualified as an expert witness in legal malpractice matters relating to conflicts of interest in estate and business representation. She also serves an adjunct professor of Dispute Resolution at the Seattle University School of Law and is a frequent speaker on negotiation and settlement strategies at CLE and other seminars.
As a neutral, Ms. Keller has mediated cases involving a wide range of issues, from personal injury claims to complex commercial/contract disputes, employment-based grievances and real estate matters. She has effectively resolved sensitive family business and estate disputes and has worked as a mediator and facilitator with numerous Indian Tribes in the Northwest to assist with conflict resolution and new business formation issues. She also serves as a Special Master, swing and sole arbitrator in tort, commercial, employment, estate, real property, Lemon Law and MAR proceedings.
Education: USA&M Mediator Training, 1991; USA&M Advanced Mediator Training, 2001, 2004, 2005; UPS School of Law, JD, Cum Laude, 1982; University of Utah, BS, Cum Laude, 1977.
Affiliations: Washington Arbitration & Mediation Service; Board of Directors; Washington State Bar Association, Dispute Resolution Section (1990-91); Judicial Conduct Commission (1995-2004); Community Association Institute (CAI), Business Partner; Executive Women’s Golf Association (EWGA).
Learn More about Margo:
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