Kathy Pett Ryman, Attorney
Kathy Pett Ryman
Dispute Resolution, Farms, Child Support, Adoption, General Practice
- Law Office: The Law Office Of Kathy Pett Ryman
- Falmouth Law Firms
- Law School: Drake University Law School, J.D.
- Status: In Good Standing
508-548-0922
- Profile LAWPOINTS™25/ 100LAWPOINTS™ measure the overall completeness of a Lawyer's profile. More complete profiles are ranked higher and help visitors select the right lawyer faster.
We help paid Members build more complete and informative profiles.
LAWPOINTS™ do not measure a Lawyer's reputation.
More Info for Lawyers - No Misconduct Found ✓
- Reviews Pro Bono Cases ✓
- Upgrade to a premium listing
- Update your listing
- LAWYERID™ Not AvailableLawyerID™'s identify each individual within Lawyer.com’s directory of 2M global lawyers and help to ensure that the most accurate, up-to-date records are being kept on every lawyer. If you are a practicing lawyer without a LawyerID prominently displayed on your Lawyer.com profile, please call 800-840-0600 to receive one.
Contact Us
introduction
Attorney Kathy Pett Ryman brings education and life experience to her law practice. She earned a Master's Degree in Social Work, and worked as a marriage and family therapist prior to beginning her law career. Attorney Ryman graduated from
All of her professional life, Kathy Pett Ryman has worked with people going through difficult times. After earning a Masters Degree in Social Work in 1979 (where she focused her studies on clinical social work), she bacame the Director of Jewish Family Services in Des Moines, Iowa where she worked as a therapist for individuals, couples and families. After a divorce, Kathy decided to make a career change. "Having experienced a divorce first hand, I realized how important it was to have someone representing me who was not only a good lawyer and advocate, but was able to communicate with me and relate to what I was going through." She enrolled in law school. After graduating and clerking for the Honorable Maynard J. V. Hayden, Judge of the Iowa Court of Appeals, in 1990, Kathy became Executive Director of Story County Legal Aid, an organization providing no cost legal representation to indigent individuals. Most of her work at legal aid was in the area of family law.
After she and her husband Arthur, a retired law professor, moved to
After years of practicing family law, Kathy now offers mediation as an alternative to litigation. "I have come to realize there are often better ways to solve family problems than through litigation, which can be protracted, expensive and adversarial. If two people arc divorcing or have a family law issue and they can't reach an agreement themselves, they leave the decision up to a judge, who is a stranger and may not see things the way the parties do."
"When I represent someone, my role is to be their zealous advocate in an adversarial process. As a mediator, I am not acting as a lawyer for either party or for both of them. They hire me to be a neutral, nonjudgmental third party. It is my job during our mediation sessions to help them identify the issues that need to be resolved, identify the interests each have with regard to those issues and then to help them create a fair solution that satisfies their needs. The parties know better than anyone else what is best for them." Issues can include children's living arrangements, the financial needs of each member of the family and a division of the assets and debts. When couples splitting up have children, they still have to deal with each other, even though they are no longer together. Children do much better post divorce if their parents have been able to reach their own agreement, rather than have the court impose parenting arrangements.
Mediation is entirely voluntarily. Either party can withdraw at any time. The parties are free to consult with a lawyer or other advisor during the process. Once an agreement is reached, Kathy draws up the paperwork necessary to present to the court for its approval. The agreements are legally binding and enforceable. The mediation process encourages the parties to talk and to listen to each other, which can reduce conflict and anger and help the parties forge a new way of relating to each other. "While there are some situations where I would not recommend mediation, in most disputes involving families, the emotional, financial, and practical benefits of mediation far outweigh those achieved through litigation."
QUESTIONNAIRE
Experience
Position | Organization | Location | Duration |
---|
Education
School | Degree | Major | Graduation |
---|---|---|---|
Drake University Law School | J.D. | Law School | N/A |
University of Iowa M.S.W. |
Admission
State / Court | Date |
---|---|
Iowa | 1989 |
Associations
Honors & Awards
Cases
Publications
Office Hours
Sun. | Mon. | Tue. | Wed. | Thu. | Fri. | Sat. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Verified Credentials
Lawyers with longer memberships tend to have more experience so we use the Membership date to help prioritize lawyer listings on search pages.
Verified Credentials | Date Verified |
---|
Above credentials have been verified independently by Lawyer.com.
Learn More
Legal Articles
Peer Endorsements
Additional Info
Service Type: Private
Update Date: 2023-07-25
To recommend or link to this lawyer as a trusted attorney, we have provided a list of sample links. Please choose the one that meet your needs.
Want a Premium Customized Photo Badge?
Call Toll Free: 800-620-0900
Image Link 1
<div id="Lcom"><a href="//www.lawyer.com/kathy-ryman.html"><img alt="Lawyer.com" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal/1661489i.png"></a></div><script type="text/javascript" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal.js"></script>
Image Link 2
<div id="Lcom"><a href="//www.lawyer.com/kathy-ryman.html"><img alt="Lawyer.com" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal/1661489p.png"></a></div><script type="text/javascript" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal.js"></script>
Image Link 3
<div id="Lcom"><a href="//www.lawyer.com/kathy-ryman.html"><img alt="Lawyer.com" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal/1661489f.png"></a></div><script type="text/javascript" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal.js"></script>
Image Link 4
<div id="Lcom"><a href="//www.lawyer.com/kathy-ryman.html"><img alt="Lawyer.com" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal/1661489v.png"></a></div><script type="text/javascript" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal.js"></script>
Text Link 1
<div id="Lcom" style="width:250px;text-align:center;background-color: #fbaa02;padding:3px;"><a href="http://www.lawyer.com/kathy-ryman.html" style="color: #fff;text-decoration:none;size: 12px;">Lawyer.com Listed: Kathy Pett Ryman</a></div> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.lawyer.com/seal.js"></script>
Change History
350 Gifford St
Falmouth, MA 02540