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Seattle Regional Chapter

Connecting and growing the Pacific Northwest
Connecting and growing the Pacific Northwest ADR community!

In March 2025, the CPR Institute officially launched its Seattle Regional Chapter, with the goal of providing a forum for CPR and its members who are based or practicing principally in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest to:

  1. Discuss current developments in dispute management in the region;
  2. Convene the local ADR community for networking and knowledge sharing;
  3. Promote the mission of CPR and its Dispute Resolution Services, Panel of Distinguished Neutrals, and other activities.

The Seattle Regional Chapter is led by the Seattle Advisory Board (SAB), currently co-chaired by Cynthia Randall, VP and Deputy General Counsel, Litigation, at Microsoft, and Michael S. Paisner, Partner at Perkins Coie LLP. Other SAB members include Joseph Davison, Associate at DLA Piper, and Stew Cogan, independent arbitrator and mediator.

To learn more about the Seattle Regional Chapter or membership in CPR Institute, please visit the Membership Benefits website page or e-mail Elizabeth Merrill, Director of Membership, at emerrill@cpradr.org.

From left to right: Stew Cogan (DRS Neutral), Cynthia Randall (Microsoft), Michael Paisner (Perkins Coie), and Joseph Davison (DLA Piper) from the Seattle Regional Chapter meeting on March 18, 2026 - “SCOTUS and the Evolving Arbitration Landscape.”

Upcoming Meeting:

TBA

Past Meetings:
March 18, 2026 - SCOTUS and the Evolving Arbitration Landscape
Michael S. Paisner of Perkins Coie moderated a substantive panel with speakers Josh Patashnik of Perkins Coie, James Berger of DLA Piper, and Elizabeth Porter of UW School of Law. This panel of Supreme Court and arbitration experts examined the Court’s recent arbitration decisions and offered perspectives on the meaning and significance of those rulings. 

October 16, 2025 - Funding the Fight: Third-Party Funding & the Future of Dispute Resolution

Michael S. Paisner of Perkins Coie moderated a substantive panel discussion with speakers Angie Jones of Perkins Coie, Nicholas Kim of Microsoft and Lina Bensman Cleary Gottlieb, which explored the basics of third-party litigation funding; its impact on early dispute prevention and resolution, and how its effects might be mitigated in those contexts; the role of TPLF in arbitration; and recent developments relating to third party funding, including case law, civil rule changes/proposals, and legislative developments.  

March 4, 2025 - Launch Event: The General Counsel View of Early Dispute Prevention: The Precursor to ADR 

Panelists Cynthia Randall of Microsoft, Laura Robertson of ConocoPhillips, Mary Beth Cantrell of Amgen Inc., and Michael S. Paisner of Perkins Coie explored in-house counsel views of B2B dispute prevention and early resolution mechanisms, as well as their expectations for the role(s) outside counsel can and/or should play in this environment. 

To learn more about the Seattle Regional Chapter or membership in CPR Institute, please visit the Membership Benefits website page or e-mail Elizabeth Merrill, Director of Membership, at emerrill@cpradr.org.