Family Mediation Hawaii

What Family Mediation Hawaii does

Family Mediation Hawaii is a privately held, founder-owned family dispute resolution practice headquartered at 900 Fort Street Mall, Suite 1120, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Founded by Katie Bennett in 2018, the firm provides facilitated negotiation and related dispute resolution services for families navigating divorce, separation, child custody, timesharing, co-parenting, and related transitions. The core offering is child-focused mediation grounded in research on the harmful effects of parental conflict on children, with delivery available both in-person in Honolulu and online statewide across all Hawaiian islands via Zoom.

The service portfolio extends beyond core mediation to include Guardian Ad Litem representation (court-appointed child advocacy), Co-Parenting Meetings, Parenting Coordination (a hybrid legal-mental health role for high-conflict families), Arbitration/Private Judging, Divorce 101 educational sessions, and a Training & Professional Development program that is in build-out. Pricing is structured as hourly billing at $300-$400 per hour depending on the mediator, with a flat-fee 3-hour mediation option and required deposits of $4,000-$6,000 held in client trust accounts; a free 20-minute phone consultation serves as the top-of-funnel conversion mechanism.

The team of approximately 7-8 professionals includes attorneys, former family court judges, and mediators with advanced training from the Pepperdine Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution and the Mediation Center of the Pacific. The firm generates demand through a multi-channel approach combining content marketing (blog, Instagram, monthly email newsletter), community outreach (non-profit board service, presentations at venues such as Rotary Club of Alamoana and Maui Family Court), and earned media in Hawaii Business Magazine, Hawaii Parent Magazine, and MidWeek. There is no disclosed external funding; the firm operates as a self-funded social enterprise with no parent company or institutional investors.

Name

Family Mediation Hawaii

Legal name

Family Mediation Hawaii

Website

https://familymediationhawaii.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Family Mediation Hawaii is a privately held, founder-owned family dispute resolution firm in Honolulu offering child-focused divorce, custody, co-parenting, and parenting coordination mediation, plus Guardian Ad Litem and arbitration services, delivered in-person and statewide via Zoom to families across the Hawaiian islands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Family Mediation Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK)

Keywords

• Family mediation services
• Divorce mediation
• Child custody mediation
• Alternative dispute resolution
• Co-parenting coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Hourly Rate Mediation: Mediation services billed at hourly rates ranging from $300-$400 per hour depending on the professional. Families submit deposits of $4000-$6000 before beginning, held in client trust account and billed as work is completed.
2. Flat Fee Mediation: Flat fee mediation option available for clients wanting to secure 3 hours of mediation to test if the process is right for them. Additional fees apply if parties wish to continue beyond 3 hours.
3. Co-Parenting Meetings: Up to 3 hours with a child-focused mediator to work through specific co-parenting issues such as summer programs or extracurricular activities.
4. Guardian Ad Litem Services: Court-appointed representation of child best interests during legal proceedings.
5. Parenting Coordination: Hybrid legal-mental health role combining assessment, education, case management, conflict management, and dispute resolution for high-conflict parenting situations.
6. Arbitration Services: Private judging services where neutral arbitrator acts as private judge to bring closure to families in conflict, providing decisions faster than formal court proceedings.
7. Professional Training Programs: Training programs for mediation and working with court-involved families, currently in development phase with interest list available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Family Mediation Hawaii provides alternative dispute resolution services for families in Hawaii, including divorce mediation, child custody mediation, co-parenting coordination, parenting coordination, guardian ad litem services, arbitration, and training programs. The firm serves clients across all Hawaiian islands through both in-person sessions at its Honolulu office and virtual mediation via Zoom, helping families resolve disputes outside of court.

Product overview

Family Mediation Hawaii offers a suite of family dispute resolution services centered around their core Family Mediation practice. The primary offering is facilitated negotiation for divorcing/separating couples and co-parents, available online via Zoom or in-person at their Honolulu location. Additional dispute resolution modules include Parenting Coordination, Arbitration/Private Judging, and Collaborative Lawyers referrals for families needing alternative approaches. The service portfolio also includes Guardian Ad Litem representation for court-involved cases, Co-Parenting Meetings for ongoing scheduling decisions, Training & Professional Development programs, and Divorce 101 educational sessions. The company positions itself as a child-focused, culturally aware practice honoring Hawaiian values of aloha and ohana.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Divorce Mediation Mediation service for couples seeking to resolve divorce-related issues outside of court, including asset division, spousal support, and related matters. Priced at $300-$400 per hour with initial deposits of $4,000-$6,000.
• Child Custody Mediation Mediation service to help parents develop custody arrangements and parenting plans focused on children's best interests, delivered through both in-person and virtual Zoom sessions.
• Co-Parenting Meetings Structured meetings to assist separated or divorced parents in coordinating co-parenting responsibilities and resolving parenting-related disputes.
• Parenting Coordination Ongoing service to help high-conflict separated parents implement parenting plans, make child-related decisions, and resolve disputes, often court-referred.
• Guardian ad Litem Service in which the firm acts as a court-appointed guardian ad litem to represent children's best interests in family law proceedings.
• Arbitration Arbitration services for family law disputes, providing binding decisions as an alternative to court litigation.
• Training Programs Training programs in family mediation, parenting coordination, and related family law ADR topics, available to professionals and possibly the public.

Quantifiable outcome

• Mediation is significantly less expensive than litigation with hourly rates of $300-$400 compared to tens of thousands in contested divorce
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mediation Center of the PacificcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary training and professional development partner; team members trained at this center including Basic and Advanced training; volunteer and mentor mediator program involvement; Katie Bennett first trained there in 2007; Jessica volunteers as trainer and mentor mediator; Jeff Smoot trained there including advanced and divorce mediation; Kristin Oketani received mediation training there
• Pepperdine Strauss Institute for Dispute ResolutioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMediation training partner for advanced certification; Katie Bennett trained at Pepperdine Strauss Institute for Conflict Management; Mari Kishimoto Doi trained at Pepperdine Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution; Tom Stirling received advanced mediation training from Pepperdine School of Law; Jeff Smoot received arbitration training through Washington and California state bars
• Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association membership for family and conciliation courts; Katie and Jessica are members; Jessica regularly updates training through AFCC; team presents at AFCC conferences
• Hawaii State Bar AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional bar association membership; Katie co-chairs Child Law Section; Mari serves as secretary of Child Law Section and presents at HSBA conventions; team members participate in Family Law and ADR Sections
• Hawaii State Trial Judges AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association for trial judges; Judge Paul Murakami served with this association during his judicial career
• Kapiolani Health FoundationminorOthersNon-profit board membership; Katie Bennett serves on the board of this health foundation
• Consuelo FoundationminorOthersNon-profit foundation; Katie Bennett serves on the board; company participates in foundation events and initiatives supporting families in Hawaii
• Hale KipaminorOthersNon-profit organization serving youth and families; Katie Bennett serves on the board
• Volunteer Legal Services of HawaiiminorOthersPro bono legal services organization; Mari Kishimoto Doi volunteers with this organization; team provides pro bono mediation services
• Sutter Health Kahili MohalaminorOthersHealthcare facility; Katie Bennett serves on the board
• Family Court of the First CircuitcoreOthersHawaii Family Court; Katie Bennett mediates for the court's Oahu Child Welfare Mediation Program; Mari served as Voluntary Settlement Master; court referrals for mediation services
• Hawaii Access to Justice Room (Kapolei)minorOthersAccess to justice initiative; Mari volunteers at the Kapolei Access to Justice Room; provides pro bono legal assistance
• William S. Richardson School of Law Alumni AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw school alumni association; Mari serves as board member; presents on panel discussions at the law school; participates in mediation and negotiation exercises for students
• Camp Long Advisory CouncilminorOthersAdvisory council for outdoor education and stewardship programs for underserved youth in Seattle area; Jeff Smoot serves on this council
• Child Support Guidelines Task ForceminorOthersHawaii Family Court committee; Katie Bennett serves on this task force working on updated child support guidelines effective April 2024
• Child Custody Evaluation Standards CommitteeminorOthersHawaii Family Court committee; Katie Bennett serves on this committee working on custody evaluation standards
• Hawaii Psychological AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional psychology association; participated in joint conference with NASW-HI Chapter and Hawaiian Islands Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
• National Association of Social Workers - Hawaii ChapterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional social work association; participated in joint conference with Hawaii Psychological Association and Hawaiian Islands Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
• Hawaiian Islands Association for Marriage and Family TherapyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional MFT association; participated in joint conference with Hawaii Psychological Association and NASW-HI Chapter
• Child Law Section of Hawaii State Bar AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional section within HSBA; Katie co-chairs the section; Mari serves as secretary; Jessica is Co-Chair; presents trainings including 'Identifying Coercive Control' with Mindy Mitnick
• Hawaii Association for Conflict ResolutionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional association for conflict resolution; Katie is a member
• Conflict Resolution Alliance of HawaiiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional alliance for conflict resolution; Jeff is an active member
• Washington State Bar AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional bar association in Washington; Jeff served on WSBA Rule 6 Law Clerk Board for several years including two years as chair; arbitration training through WSBA

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• JAMS: Largest private alternative dispute resolution provider in the U.S., offering mediation, arbitration, and private judging across family, civil, and commercial matters. Overlaps with FMH on family mediation, parenting coordination, and arbitration, but operates as a broad, multi-jurisdiction incumbent rather than a child-focused boutique.
• American Arbitration Association (AAA): Long-standing national ADR organization providing arbitration and mediation services across many practice areas including family. Comparable because FMH offers arbitration/private judging, and AAA represents the incumbent institutional alternative.

Regional players

• Kids In The Middle: Missouri-based nonprofit providing child-centered mediation, counseling, and education for separating families. Comparable on child-focused family mediation methodology, though operates regionally rather than in Hawaii.

Emerging players

• Wevorce: Online divorce mediation and document-preparation platform offering facilitated, lower-cost amicable divorce online. Direct overlap on online, child-focused, amicable divorce mediation, though delivered as a software-enabled service rather than a Hawaii boutique.
• Hello Divorce: Tech-enabled divorce service combining online mediation, document preparation, and on-demand attorney access for uncontested divorces. Competes for the same cost-sensitive, amicable-divorce segment that FMH serves with its flat-fee and hourly mediation.
• OurFamilyWizard: Technology platform used by courts and co-parents for high-conflict parenting coordination, communication, and record-keeping. Comparable because FMH offers parenting coordination services addressing the same high-conflict co-parenting use case, often as court-recommended tooling.

Direct peers

• Mediation Center of the Pacific: Hawaii-based nonprofit mediation provider offering family, divorce, and civil mediation across the islands. Direct competitor in the same geography serving overlapping client segments, and also a key training partner of Family Mediation Hawaii.

Others

• Mediate.com: Largest online directory and content resource for mediators across the U.S., including family mediators. Comparable as an ecosystem participant shaping how families find mediation services and as a channel competitor for online mediation marketing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/family_mediation_hawaii
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/family-mediation-hawaii

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Family Mediation Hawaii