Mediation

You can mediate your whole divorce (or other legal issue) without stepping foot in a courtroom.

Why Mediate?

  • Have a Guide from Start to Finish

    Divorces and other conflict can be complicated, but they don’t have to be confusing. As your mediator, I’ll be straightforward in my answers to your questions, help to overcome procedural and communication obstacles, and reach a peaceful resolution.

  • Control the Outcome

    You know your situation better than anyone else. Mediation is about having choices and making the best ones for the people you care about. Instead of fighting for your slice of the pie, mediation is the opportunity to bake a bigger pie.

Kate’s Approach

I do my best to meet my clients where they are and help them identify and get through their conflict to where they want to go. I take an eclectic approach to mediation, meaning that I choose from a toolbox of different tried and true mediation techniques. The mediation approaches I use include:

  • Facilitative - this approach focuses on the exploration of needs and interests to the parties in coming to a resolution;

  • Transformative - this approach focuses on helping parties recognize the other’s needs and interests, therefore transforming their relationship to go beyond conflict;

  • Evaluative - this approach focuses on evaluating each party’s position and suggesting settlement options that are within the range of what is likely to happen if the conflict is decided in court.

While I may suggest settlement options, I do not start there. I believe that the best solutions often come from the people who will be living with them. As a trauma-informed practitioner, I recognize that each person has experienced trauma in their lives. I do my best to make everyone feel comfortable and heard, but since I am not inside your head and have not had your experiences, I am interested to hear what you need or what you think will work best!

Key Components of Mediation

Neutral

When I act as your mediator, my role is to understand each person’s perspective and to help you understand each other. Through this process, we explore solutions that might be acceptable to each person. As a neutral, I provide legal and process information, but do not advocate for one position or the other. I might make suggestions, but I do not give legal advice. Mediation is not about who is right and who is wrong, it’s about a future plan that meets the needs of all involved.

Voluntary

Mediation is a voluntary process, meaning that you will never be required to sign a mediated agreement. Mediation works best when there is enough trust between parties that everyone will do what they say they will do. Mediation also requires that everyone be able to understand and make decisions about their case. If there is a history of domestic violence or a power and control dynamic in your case, out of court mediation might be possible with appropriate safeguards, but it is often not the right fit.

*Some court and DHS processes require that mediation be given a good-faith attempt, but you always have the option to go to court or hearing if needed.

Confidential

Each divorce is recorded as public record. Mediation is confidential, meaning you have control over what goes into that public record. Why keep things private? You may not want your kid, your kid’s cyber-bully, your nosy co-workers, or scammers to have the details of your divorce. In litigation, the opposing party, the judge, or other people involved can put just about whatever they want about you into the record. There are a few legally-required exceptions, but in most cases, everyone involved in mediation will have to agree in writing to release any information disclosed in mediation.

 

Previous Client Feedback

I appreciate your kind and authentic demeanor throughout this difficult process. I've grown tremendously and have come to find some peace of mind and a hope for the future, a time in my life that you were an integral part of. I wish you success in everything you do!

-Christine L., Mediation Client

I was really nervous about doing mediation after hearing from several people's experiences but Kate was amazing. She was a perfect neutral third party and was super informative. She treated my case professionally and made sure to cater to safety concerns…

-Sydney M., Mediation Client, via Google

Kate was a wonderful mediator. She was very easy to communicate with, she helped create a comfortable atmosphere and was truly a blessing during a difficult time in my life. I would highly recommend her for any services she offers as I feel confident she would be as knowledgeable and professional any of it!

-Tiffany G., Mediation Client

She's a great mediator! Helped my kid's dad and I work out a great schedule for our kids that was even and fair for everyone! It's a very hard thing to do sometimes and she is extremely helpful. I would highly recommend her!

-Jessica R., Mediation Client, via Google

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