The Zeytoonian Center Dispute Resolution Team

The Zeytoonian Center team consists of:

• of counsel attorneys
• affiliated mediators
• consultants & coaches

All of our attorneys and mediators are trained in collaborative law.

Michael A. Zeytoonian is the Founding Member of the Zeytoonian Center for Dispute Resolution, and is a lawyer, mediator and ombudsman. He is a partner at Hutchings, Barsamian, Mandelcorn & Zeytoonian, LLP, in Wellesley Hills, MA and specializes in employment law, business law, negligence, special education law and consumer protection (Ch. 93A) law. He is admitted to practice in the state and federal district courts of Massachusetts and New York (Southern District) and the state of Connecticut.

He is currently the chairman of Massachusetts Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Committee. He is a past President of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council and co-chairman of the Civil Practice Committee, member of the Massachusetts Bar Association, the New England Association for Conflict Resolution, the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and the Special Needs Advocacy Network. He writes frequently on collaborative law and ADR and has trained lawyers in collaborative law around the U.S., Canada and Europe. He has lectured on ADR at Northeastern University School of Law, New England Law Boston, Suffolk University School of Law and Roger Williams University School of Law. He has presented on collaborative law in Maryland, Washington, D.C., New Hampshire, California, Minnesota, Texas, Atlanta, New Orleans, Toronto, Canada and Cork, Ireland.

He served as Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Attorney General of the State of New York, as a deputy overseeing litigation in the State Counsel Bureau in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam Counties and working on consumer advocacy cases. Prior to his work at the Attorney General’s Office, he was an Assistant County Attorney in the Westchester County (NY) Law Department, in the litigation and family court bureaus. His litigation work included cases in employment, labor, environmental, construction, administrative and tort law, and the prosecution of child abuse and neglect cases. His undergraduate education was at Boston College and Iona College, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree is history and education. He earned his J. D. from Pace University School of Law with a Certificate in Environmental Law in 1990.

Karen Argetsinger is one of our attorneys Of Counsel, and practices at Hutchings, Barsamian, Mandelcorn & Zeytoonian, LLP as Of Counsel. She is a mediator and collaborative attorney concentrating her practice in Family, Probate, Health, Employment and Elder Law.

Karen has had over sixteen years of legal background which included law firm experience at Hale and Dorr, LLP (currently Wilmer Hale) and Warner & Stackpole, LLP (currently Kirpatrick & Lockhart, LLP) along with experience as a law clerk and independent consultant. She was a judicial intern for over a year with the United States District Court Magistrate Honorable Judith Dein.

Karen received her Bachelor of Science at Tulane University in 1988 and her JD from Massachusetts School of Law in 2007. She is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. She is a member of the Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council. She has a special interest in child advocacy and health policy and has worked to establish the John E. Lewy Foundation for Children’s Health (subsidiary of American Society of Pediatric Nephrology) and assists the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Virginia Children’s Hospital with health/legal issues and creating guidelines.

Frederick T Baird, one of our affiliated experts/consultants, is a Principal with Aurora Financial Advisors, LLC in Wellesley, MA, an independent financial, investment and economic advisory firm. He provides economic and financial advice to commercial enterprises, ranging from large closely-held businesses to corporations, and has been a management consultant and expert witness for more than 25 years.

He specializes in areas such as contract negotiation, business advisory (including restructuring, reorganization, investment, and business improvement), dispute resolution including assessment of damages, and the provision of advice in the areas of management, business economics and business regulation.

A former professor of economics and operations research, Fred holds a BEng, BS and MS from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. He was, until recently, an Executive Vice President of CRA International Inc, a US public company headquartered in MA that specializes in economic and financial advisory services, including the provision of expert testimony. Prior to this, he was the Head of Europe and the Middle East for CRA. He is trained in collaborative law practice and has acted as an international arbitrator.

Dr. Cathy Heenan, one of our affiliated expert/consultants, is a licensed psychologist and educator who brings together the worlds of communication and psychology, both in her private practice and as an organizational consultant. For over twenty-five years she has successfully guided organizations and couples in methods that improve dialogue, helping them to emphasize behaviors that create pathways to understanding, respect for differences and resolution of conflicts.

As a trainer, Dr. Heenan has made presentations on a variety of communication topics including “The Art of Listening”, “Moving Through Impasse” and “Effective Communication Skills” at interdisciplinary venues such as the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP) Forum in Boston and San Diego and at the Second European Conference in Cork, Ireland, 2008. She has presented to Collaborative Practice Groups in New England, New York, Baltimore, Cincinnati and at other Inter-Disciplinary Conferences in Boston, Maine, and Washington, D.C. She has also given workshops for couples in the US and Europe, including the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) Conferences in Budapest and Boston. Her presentations were “Navigating the Course of An Intimate Relationship” and “Fight, Flight, Make It Right: Managing Conflict.” Dr. Heenan is co-author of Preparing, Designing and Leading Workshops: A Humanistic Approach and Bringing Yourself to Work: A Guide to Successful Staff Development in After-School Programs.

As a communications specialist she has worked with organizations facilitating team-building sessions and the resolution of disputes. In collaborative divorce cases, Dr. Heenan works with clients and attorneys as part of the collaborative team. As the team neutral, her participation helps to reduce misunderstandings, clarify interests and goals, and increase effectiveness in achieving a collaborative settlement. She also coaches clients in the management of intense feelings to reduce conflict, and provides specific tools and practical strategies to move through obstacles when they occur. For those clients who have children she facilitates creating a healthy environment for co-parenting. In addition, she assists clients in creating a vision for life after divorce.

Formerly an Assistant Professor of Communications at Northeastern University, her consulting practice includes clients from both the private and public sector. Cathy has worked with both the Massachusetts and Connecticut Departments of Human Services, facilitating statewide efforts to build bridges between licensing regulators, Head Start directors and day care providers.

Susan Miller, one of our affiliated experts/consultants, is a Principal with Aurora Financial Advisors, LLC in Wellesley, MA, an independent financial, investment and economic advisory firm. She provides financial planning, tax, and investment advice to individuals, small business owners and non-profit organizations, and has been doing so for over 25 years. Susan works extensively with lawyers, mediators and clients in addressing financial issues arising from business and marital disputes and serving as a financial expert in collaborative law cases. Susan is also a trained mediator and frequently provides financial mediation services in these situations.

In addition to her financial planning practice, Susan trains financial professionals in the area of collaborative law throughout the U.S. and internationally. Susan has also presented seminars on Financial Issues in Divorce, Financial Planning for Women, Charitable and Planned Giving Strategies, and Stock Option Strategies for Individuals. Susan has been quoted in a number of financial publications, including The Journal of Financial Planning and The Financial Planning Association’s Solutions Magazine.

Susan holds a BA from Wells College in economics and an MA from Pennsylvania State University in economics. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a Certified Financial Planner (CPF) and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA). She is Treasurer and Board member of the Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council (MCLC), a member of the Board of Directors of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (IACP) and its Public Education and Civil Committees and member of the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation. Professional associations of which she is a member include the National Association of Personal Financial Planners (NAPFA), Financial Planning Association, Institute of Certified Divorce Financial Analysts and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Douglas C. Reynolds, one of our affiliated expert/consultants in diversity, is a principal of The New Law Center, LLC in Cambridge, MA. Doug has 35 years of experience as a lawyer in business and personal law. He represents clients as settlement counsel and has served as a neutral in mediation and arbitration. Before establishing The New Law Center, he was senior partner and Business Law Department Chair in the Boston firm of Peabody & Arnold, LLP.

As a management consultant, Doug helps clients with diversity issues, conflict management and organizational development. His community service includes work in diversity, restorative justice, parenting education, legal services and community land use. In the area of collaborative law, Doug has developed training materials, served on the faculty for many training programs and has written articles on this emerging practice area, particularly on the application of collaborative law in resolving business disputes.

He is a member of the Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council (MCLC) and serves on its Advisory Council, is a former member of the Board of Directors and past chair of the MCLC Business Section. He is also a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professional (IACP) and has trained at IACP conferences in the U. S. Canada and Ireland. Doug is a graduate of Dartmouth College (BA, 1969) and Boston University School of Law (JD, 1973).

The Center’s Core Staff:

Kathy Pecci is our office administrator and marketing assistant.  She has extensive experience in organizational and management skills.  She has worked in large corporate settings including GTE/General Dynamics and more recently as office manager of Hutchings, Barsamian, Mandelcorn & Zeytoonian, LLP in Wellesley Hills.  Kathy believes in providing excellent client services as well as developing an office environment and structure that allows its professionals to focus on serving their clients well and expand their practices.  While raising her children, she ran a home-based office services business providing a variety of office services to small businesses on an as-needed basis; served on the Board of Directors of the Hopkinton Cultural Arts Alliance for five years; and, provided countless hours of volunteer and fundraising activities for many community organizations.