Kym Adams, a primary principal of CEDRS, has an energetic story to share. Her journey began in the early 80’s when her first marriage ended in divorce with two young children and a rude awaking into the legal divorce system.

After floundering in the court system for three years, her and her soon to be ex-husband finally got tired of fighting and writing checks to their lawyers. After they both fired their attorneys they were able to sit down and negotiate their own parenting and financial plan. It was painless and cost nothing but time and letting go of the “entitlement fight.” She remembered the relief of being able to act like responsible divorcing adults setting a positive example for their children, and finally have closure in that chapter of their lives. That divorce journey was one that never left her, and she knew that she had to help others make it through the legal system less painfully than she had experienced.

In 1996 she started her legal career as a paralegal in a law office. In 1998 she founded her own business as a licensed legal document assistant in Hemet, California. Her business grew and she became more established and successful by helping hundreds of individuals resolve their legal disputes out of court by way of alternative dispute resolution.
In 2008, looking to expand her business, she attended the Institute of Conflict Management “ICM” – a 40 hour mediation course in Santa Monica, California. Thereafter, she was passionate about becoming a successful mediator. She began mediating for the Riverside Superior Court and then shadowed attorney Mark Ameli, a current CEDRS mediator, in cross cultural mediation.

In 2009, she joined L.A. Mediators and volunteered her time and energy, including driving hundreds of miles traveling from Hemet to Los Angeles and back to promote L.A. Mediators. Her passion and energy paid off and a few months later she was appointed the Executive Director. That appointment opened up a new door for her into the Dispute Resolution Program Act “DRPA” world. As she continued to educate herself about DRPA funds and the non-profit arena, she applied for a position as Executive Director with the Inland Valley Justice Center “IVJC”.

In January 2010 she was hired as the E.D. of IVJC. As E.D. of IVJC she managed two major DRPA contracts in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties and directed over twenty plus mediators in the San Bernardino Superior Court ADR system.

For over two years, her panel of mediators held strong with over a 75% success rate in resolving court disputes. In 2012 she was appointed a member of the California State Bar Alternative Dispute Resolution “ADR” Committee. Her passion and energy didn’t stop there as she continued to pursue her dream of building a formidable ADR organization within the Inland Empire, with the drive to expand throughout Southern California. For years, she was mentored by Robert Tessier Esq. (mediator at Judicate West), and she continued to educate herself by taking several mediation courses and joined several mediation organizations.

In late 2012, her divorce mediation document assistant practice blossomed and she began to mediate with Peter J. Babos Esq., expanding outside of Hemet and into Los Angeles County. In 2013 she partnered up with Peter who also now serves as General Counsel and the Director of Attorney Relations for CEDRS. Kym has also recently founded the first Victim Offender Restorative Justice Mediation Program in San Bernardino County working with the San Bernardino Probation Department on a pro-bono basis.

Kym Adams contact information: KymAdamsLDA@gmail.com