Alan D. Bourey JD

Alan is currently an arbitrator and author. Following receiving a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in Political Science, he attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Law School and then practiced law in Central Illinois for thirty-two years. His general practice emphasized trial work including personal injury, family law and probate. After selling his practice to his son who had been an associate with him for six years, Alan and his wife, Donna, relocated to Colorado.

First writing A Common Path: The Future of Religion, Science and Spirituality and acquiring a law license in Colorado, in 2011, he began a mediation and arbitration practice in Colorado. While developing that business, he also coauthored The Case for Truth: Why and How to Discover Truth. In 2021, Alan retired from mediation after settling 90% of the 800 cases he mediated. He still continues to perform arbitrations.

From Peril to Light is a natural progression of Alan’s legal career and writings. Alan wrote A Common Path: The Future of Religion and Science to demonstrate how religion and science could co-exist intellectually, offering a means for those with differing worldviews to discuss and formulate policy. Since it has become increasingly more difficult to agree upon what is factually true, a pre-requisite to productive discussions, Alan co-authored The Case for Truth: Why and How to Find Truth, a comprehensive guide to truth-seeking.

From Peril to Light was written with his identical twin brother Jim to promote a productive dialogue for our future. He believes it has become clear that we need to find a way to reduce the level of division and distrust among various groups in our society. From Peril to Light offers a path toward reconciliation. Alan’s understanding of how to bridge this divide and bring people together is enhanced by forty-six years of his work as an attorney, mediator and arbitrator.

With Donna, his wife of thirty-seven years, Alan lives in Louisville, Colorado (outside Boulder) where they moved after Alan “retired” the first time (from practicing law). They chose the area after hiking and camping in Rocky Mountain National Park for almost twenty years before relocating there. They also enjoy hiking in other places around the world such as Italy, Switzerland, New Zealand and Tasmania.

After re-retiring in 2021 (from the mediation practice he started in Colorado), they spend some winter months in Scottsdale, Arizona. With five children and sixteen grandchildren, a good deal of their time is spent traveling to and visiting with family. While two of their children and seven grandchildren live in Colorado, the others live in Illinois and Nevada. However, they are planning a fourth trip to Australia next year to visit good friends they met on their travels and additional trips to Europe to hike, tour and visit other friends.