J. Stefan Otterson

J. Stefan Otterson

Otterson Law & Mediation, P.C.

Lawyer, Mediator

425 G Street, Suite 714
Anchorage, Alaska 99501

Phone: (907) 868-5050

Fax: (907) 868-5060

Email:

The collaborative process is the best way to manage any family problem which has legal aspects. The beauty of collaborative work is that all the time, expense, and energy is focused on stabilizing the situation and then developing a forward looking plan for the parties.

I have practiced law in Anchorage for 30 years, and throughout that period, I have worked to develop skills to resolve conflict without litigation. My experience includes commercial, employment, administrative, family law, probate and guardianships, adoptions, child advocacy and juvenile delinquency. I mediate in these and other areas, and offer collaborative legal representation in divorce and separation.

Although I represent litigants in family and other matters, I strongly recommend that separating or divorcing couples consider the collaborative approach as the most dependable way to achieve a fair resolution and a working plan for the future. It is sometimes less expensive, and it is ALWAYS less damaging and more efficient and productive than litigation.

My training relating to collaborative law:

*Date*	*Course*	Instructor	*Hours*
2018	IACP Institute & Educational Forum, Seattle WA	International Faculty	19
2017	Advance Collaborative Team Training	Liz Ferris	12
2016	Your Biases: How it Affects Your Clients & Judicial Decision Making	Jeff Rachlinski	3
2015	Managing & Mediating High Conflict Disputes	Bill Eddy	12
2014	Advanced Collaborative Team Training	Linda Solomon, Melinda Eitzen, Scott Clarke	14
2014	Divorce Skills & Advanced Divorce Skills	Larry Rice	13
2014	IACP Educational Forum, Vancouver BC	International Faculty	19
2013	Advanced Collaborative Team Training	AACP	5
2012	Working with Allied Collaborative Professionals	AACP	7
2011	Advanced Collaborative Training	AACP	5
2010	Advanced Collaborative Law Training	AACP	5
2010	Appellate Mediation in Federal and State Courts	Alaska Bar Assoc.	2.5
2009	Advanced Collaborative Law Training	Mariette Geldenhuys,	7
2008	Basic Collaborative Law Training	Sue Brunsting, Mariette Geldenhuys	14
2008	Divorce Mediation Training	Zena Zumeta	24
2005	CINA Mediation Training	Bernie Mayer	28
2002	Conflict Resolution Training	Bernie Mayer, CDR Assoc.	21
2001	Mediation Training	Mary Margaret Golten, CDR Assoc.	40

www.aklaw.pro

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Ryan Roley

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Collaborate or Litigate? Now a choice in Alaska. Since 1988, and through my having both litigated and settled hundreds of cases, I have witnessed the real life, enduring harm of family law cases processed through litigation. I have too-often watched avoidable waste of money, time and energy. I have also shared in the work of divorce and custody matters that the parties controlled, instead of a judge, through a growing option now available in Alaska: Collaborative Law. I am an Attorney member of the Alaska Association of Collaborative Professionals (AKACP) and the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP). I practice Family Law/Domestic Relations exclusively in Alaska. Is Collaborative Law a fit for everyone? No. However, the Collaborative Law approach might be the right choice for you and your family. To learn more, contact Ryan Roley and read a few of my blogs on to my website, which is dedicated to Collaborative Law (http://ryanroley.com). Also, read profiles of other member-lawyers, mental health professionals (MHPs) and financial professionals (FPs) available on our AKACP site. Collaborative Law: Transforming how people resolve conflict to achieve a more healthy future for clients and families.

Valerie Demming, Ph.D. L.P.C.

Child Specialist

My name is Valerie Anne Demming and I am a Mental Health Professional and Child Specialist with Alaska Association of Collaborative Professionals. I am an experienced therapist who has worked with children, adolescents, individuals, couples, and families for the last 25 years. I was born and raised in Palmer, Alaska and attended college at University of Alaska Fairbanks and graduated with a Bachelors in Education with a minor in Psychology in 1975. In 1984 I graduated with a Masters in Community Counseling with a certification in Elementary School Counseling. I was employed as an elementary teacher for thirteen years and ten years as an Elementary School Counselor in the Fairbanks area. After moving to Anchorage in 2002, I attended Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center graduating with my Doctorate in Psychology in 2009. I have operated my Private Counseling Practice since 1993 in Fairbanks and now in Anchorage. I have extensive knowledge in the area of child development and behavior. I have worked in the counseling setting with numerous children whose parents are in the process of divorcing or have obtained a divorce. I have additional training from The Grief and Loss Center in Ft. Collins Colorado, which has been invaluable with my work with children, and adults who have gone through or are going through the divorce process. My work for my doctorate was focused on Self-Injury of female adolescents. I have counseled many teens, male and female, that have chosen this behavior to cope with life stressors. Another focus of my practice is working with clients that have been physically, emotionally, or sexually abused. I appreciate and am dedicated to working with the other professionals and clients in the Collaborative divorce process as we work together to assist our clients in a dignified and civil manner to come together to make decisions concerning their lives.

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