Meet Our Team

In 2002, Dennis founded Settlement Works and began to explore a new approach to legal conflicts. Using traditional mediation as a cornerstone, the new approach offered an efficient resolution of legal disputes while addressing and healing the unresolved emotional issues of divorce.

Fortunately, Dennis met the perfect partner to put his plan into action: Susan Daya Hamwi, a woman who, since childhood has dreamed of building peace on earth. Putting her young heart into action, Susan became a lawyer and, with inspiration from her seven-year-old son, Joey, used her law practice as a service that helps families peacefully heal conflict.

In 1991, Susan started her career as a lawyer in private practice, at which time she also served as the court-appointed attorney for the Kenyon Juvenile Justice Center in South Central Los Angeles. There, she represented minors in court proceedings while also working with families and liaison officers to create the best solution for those children in their family situation. She also handled numerous divorce, custody and dependency cases. She continued this work in 2000, becoming a mentor to incarcerated youth at the California Youth Authority in Ventura, CA.

In 2001, Susan received her Kundalini Yoga teacher's training certification. She serves as a volunteer for Yoga for Youth, a non-profit organization that teaches Yoga and Meditation to pregnant teenage mothers and to minors in youth detention facilities. Susan also teaches children's yoga.

In 2006, the opportunity arose to move Settlement Works to Marina del Rey on board a 57' yacht aptly named Concordance. This name symbolizes the harmony that can exist between people with divergent viewpoints. Here, Settlement Works has evolved as a Center for Dynamic Family Resolution where legal issues are resolved with mutually beneficial outcomes that encourage communication and healing for both parties and their families.

Dennis is a graduate of the UCLA School of Law and holds a B.A. in Psychology from Arizona State University. He received specialty training from the Los Angeles County Bar Association Dispute Resolution Services and the Mosten Mediation Training Center. Dennis is an active sailor and lives near the water in Los Angeles.

Susan holds a Juris Doctorate Degree from Loyola Law School and a Bachelor of Arts, Law and Society from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has been a member of the State Bar of California since 1989 and completed the LA County Bar Association's mediation training program in 2001. Susan lives with her seven year old son, also near the water, in Venice, California.

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