Rina M. Goodman | Attorney & Mediator

Principal, Transforming Conflict, LLC

Rina blends compassion and understanding with a balanced perspective and the neutrality required of professional mediators.  As a former trial lawyer, she understands the financial and personal impact litigation often has on individual parties.  Today she is passionately committed to helping her clients achieve mutually satisfying solutions through mediation—even when the conflict appears to be intractable.

As an attorney/family mediator, Rina brings to her practice a background that distinguishes her from many other attorney mediators in Washington state.  Prior to engaging in mediation practice, she immersed herself in mediation study and hands-on experience observing and then co-mediating numerous cases.  She holds certificates of completion by the Northern Virginia Mediation Service in commercial, workplace, and federal workplace mediation.  In 2004, after completing a one-and-a-one-half year practicum, she was certified by the King County Dispute Resolution Center in Seattle, Washington to mediate civil and family mediations. 

In 2004, Rina founded Transforming Conflict and has been engaged in full-time mediation ever since.  Tenacious and compassionate, Rina believes that most parties need little more than skilled guidance and emotional support to help them form their own creative and lasting solutions to their conflict.  While her extensive legal background enables her to steer through the most complex disputes in a knowledgeable and straightforward manner, her mediation style—flexible, empowering and constructive—encourages creative problem solving and conflict resolution.

Rina is 2011-2012 Chair of Washington State Bar Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Section.  She is a member of the ADR Subcommittee of the WSBA Task Force on Eliminating Court Costs in Litigation (ECCL) and has been serving on the planning committee for the Annual Northwest Dispute Resolution Conference since 2008.  Throughout her professional career as a lawyer and mediator, she has been commended by employers, clients, associates, and judges for her professional knowledge and integrity.  In 2007, Rina received recognition by the King County (Washington) Dispute Resolution Center as Mediator of the Year. 

Past and present clients express deep satisfaction with Rina’s compassionate style:

“From the outset, my husband and I knew we wanted a collaborative process in seeking our divorce.  There were a few issues that were particularly sticky when it came to finances, in particular.  But Rina helped us listen to each other and the open environment led to a lot of ‘out-of-the-box’ ideas that eventually created our solutions.  It took time.  But it was time very well spent.  My ex-husband and I are still not only on speaking terms, but have retained a lot more good will toward the other than we could have imagined at the outset.”

S. Sprague

“Above all, Rina is dedicated to balance in the mediation process.  Her exquisite sense of service to the parties (and their children) is moving.  Her delicate touch at challenging the mediating parties to carefully listen and re-state their opinions and positions was equally helpful.”

D. Gluck 


“Words can’t express how grateful we are for the time and care you’ve taken to help us.  We’ve learned so much from you and appreciate it more than we can say.  With warm appreciation,”

Note from client regarding the couple’s mediation to preserve their relationship.

“It has been such a roller coaster ride and through it all you have been a beam of hope. . . I really feel and know you are committed to helping people communicate and heal through very difficult opposition.  I am certain J & I wouldn’t have gotten to where we are now without your help.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Letter from a party to a strongly-contested parentage case.

“Thank you for all of your help and insights.  I think A* and I are in a better place than we were before mediation!”  L*

Note from a client regarding a post-divorce mediation with blended-family issues.

"There is no easy way to go through this ordeal, but because of people like you and Rina-and many others-I believe God is holding us in the palm of His hand."

Letter to former employer, Gerard R. Lear, Esq., from wife of a federal worker who died as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals.