Community Highlights: Meet Kathryn Price of Price Mediation

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathryn Price. They and their team shared their story with us below:

https://pricemediation.org/our-founder/ 

After working in the family law mediation field for over ten years, Kathryn M. Price, M.S., was compelled to take action to combat the ever-widening justice gap she regularly witnessed. Kathryn feels strongly that everyone should have access to professional family law services, and in 2022 she turned that passion into a reality. Price Mediation is the first and only professional family law nonprofit organization in California. 

After serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in West Africa, Kathryn attended graduate school at Oregon Law with the idea of becoming an attorney. However, she quickly found a path in better alignment with her core values than litigation appeared to be – professional training in Alternatives to Litigation or Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). In an effort to maximize the opportunity, Kathryn earned a fellowship at the ADR Center at Oregon Law, followed by being accepted as the first-ever intern from Oregon Law at the United Nations. During her time at the UN, Kathryn earned a fellowship from the Savage Endowment for International Relations and Peace. Kathryn completed an additional internship at the Oregon State Legislature as a Policy Analyst before graduating with honors while 9 months pregnant with her first son, Thaddeus. 

Like many of the clients Price Mediation works with, Kathryn found herself having to navigate the complexities of the family law system just after the birth of her second son, Alexander. She was fortunate to have had the knowledge and resources to utilize the local family court to protect herself and her children from domestic violence and child abuse. Since then, Kathryn has become an expert in navigating high-conflict cases based on both personal and professional experience. 

Kathryn Price is a Master of Conflict Resolution, professional family law mediator, registered legal document preparer, certificated family law paralegal, and California notary public with over twelve years experience in private mediation and business management. She is a member of the Southern California Mediation Association, California Association of Legal Document Preparers, Orange County Bar Association, Orange County Paralegal Association, and the National Association of Legal Assistants. She has received advanced training in trauma-informed practices, division of marital assets, high-conflict divorce, and child-centered approaches to conflict. Kathryn lives in Huntington Beach, CA, with her two beautiful boys. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I am driven each day by the opportunity to offer a better divorce than I had to others going through it. There remains a great deal of misinformation about the divorce process, and nothing is scarier than thinking you’ll lose your kids because you didn’t file the right form at the right time. Our nonprofit strives to educate the public about family law issues and share legal information such that parties can focus on the legal, financial, and emotional realities of the family law system. We meet each client where they are at in each of these critical areas and help make divorce the best experience it can be. 

Because we are the first nonprofit divorce mediation center in California, we find that simply getting the word out about our services and sliding scale structure is critical to our success, as is maintaining strategic relationships with the judicial officers and self-help centers throughout the state. We partner with numerous law firms and professional mediation firms to broaden our appeal to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business.
https://pricemediation.org/ 

Isn’t It Time Everyone Have Access to Professional Family Law Services? 

WE THINK SO. 

Our nonprofit organization offers professional assistance with family law issues, including divorce, separation, parentage, guardianship, adoption, fee waivers, custody, visitation, parenting plans, child support, spousal support, family support, property division, post-judgment modifications, prenups, postnups, domestic violence restraining orders, and move aways. 

No court appearances. 

Sliding scale service fees. 

Expert legal, financial, and emotional support. 

Complete professional legal document preparation. 

Here’s How Price Mediation Works 

Our unique sliding service fee scale is based on the ability to pay, making us an accessible and affordable option for everyone. 

Like a business, we charge for the professional services we provide. 

Like a nonprofit, we never turn a client away for an inability to pay. 

By relying on clients to pay what they can, we are narrowing the justice gap and creating stronger communities. 

How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
We collaborate with community partners like the courts, legal aid centers, family law offices, and professional mediation firms to ensure nobody falls into the “justice gap.” Our professional mediators are also allied legal professionals who are experts in California family law. We thrive in offering legal information and generating creative solutions for parties. We proudly partner with Irvine Valley College’s paralegal program, running their family law clinic where students have the opportunity for hands-on casework. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://pricemediation.org/