About Allyson Zerba — Seattle Arbitrator and Mediator

Allyson Zerba brings an uncommon combination of credentials to dispute resolution: 26 years of litigation experience across criminal, civil, and family law, and a master's degree in clinical mental health counseling. She practices as an arbitrator and mediator for civil, family, and employment matters throughout Washington State.

During the pandemic, Allyson experienced significant personal loss — a period that clarified for her what she wanted the rest of her professional life to look like. She returned to graduate school not to leave the law behind, but to add something to it: a rigorous, evidence-based understanding of how human beings experience conflict, communicate under pressure, and find their way toward resolution.

She now practices as an arbitrator, mediator, and therapist. Her clinical training sets her apart from other neutrals, giving her the tools to see what is actually happening in a room when negotiation stalls — and to address it directly.

Her formal mediation training spans more than a decade and over 200 hours of documented coursework. She completed the Mediating the Litigated Case program at Pepperdine University's Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution — one of the most rigorous mediation training programs in the country — as well as Family Mediation Training and a Mediation Practicum at the Dispute Resolution Center of King County. Her continuing education reflects the breadth and depth of her commitment to the practice: coursework in advanced mediation skills, decision theory for mediators, trauma-informed engagement, cross-cultural conflict, and the interpersonal dynamics of high-conflict dispute resolution. She is listed on the King County Superior Court Arbitration Panel.

Allyson also maintains a private counseling practice serving individuals, couples, and families — a dual practice that is intentional, ethically maintained, and informs the depth she brings to dispute resolution. More information is available at allysonzerbacounseling.com.

Learn more about Allyson's services and process on the Services page →