Kimi deMent Dean

Kimi’s Experience

Kimi deMent Dean is an associate attorney at BAM Family Law.

With nearly a decade of experience working on all sides of the legal system, Kimi has advised and assisted hundreds of people with their family law and litigation matters. She excels at assisting clients who are facing difficult situations, particularly those dealing with financial instability and domestic violence. Kimi has a particular passion for helping craft thoughtful and effective parenting plans that are built to last, and she enjoys helping people reach creative solutions that are tailored to their specific family needs.

Prior to joining BAM, Kimi clerked for Judge Lisa Arnolds in the Denver District Court Domestic Division. There she drafted divorce decrees, allocations of parental responsibilities, protective orders, permanent orders, and rulings on various Motions and hearings at every stage of divorce proceedings. Through her service to the Courts, Kimi acquired significant insights into how family law judges may be likely to interpret various family law issues, and what is effective – or ineffective- in Colorado family law litigation.

Kimi began her career in Tennessee, where she practiced as a civil litigation associate in multiple counties gaining jury and bench trial experience. She then worked for a legal non-profit where she specialized in high-conflict divorce and protective order cases, specifically serving vulnerable and underserved populations. There, she represented individuals experiencing domestic violence, elder abuse, and significant language and cultural barriers in complex family law matters where everything was at stake.

Kimi then joined the Tennessee Supreme Court as the Pro Bono Coordinator for the Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission. In this role she worked broadly across the state and nationally, managing and directing access, innovation, and pro bono initiatives. She leveraged technology, data, document automation, and design to improve court processes and help people navigate the court system, particularly working to expand limited scope services for low and middle-income Tennesseans and access to justice for self-represented litigants.

Dovetailing this work, Kimi was also contracted in the legal technology space where she worked on access and innovation projects, including those specifically designed to make the divorce process more cost-effective and painless for individuals navigating it, either on their own or with limited representation.

Kimi is a 2013 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law. She also holds an M.A. in Theology from the University of the South Divinity School and a double major in Political Science and Philosophy from Vanderbilt University.

Kimi prides herself on being hard-working, analytic, creative, collaborative, and sincere. In her spare time she enjoys trail running, backpacking, skiing, volunteering, and spending time with her family, especially her sweet baby girl!

PUBLICATIONS & PRESENTATIONS

Tennessee Supreme Court Annual Pro Bono Report for 2018, 2017 and 2016
Nashville Domestic Abuse Death Review Publication, 2017
“Why I Love Adventure: How Embracing Challenge and Risk in the Great Outdoors Makes Me a Better Lawyer During the Workweek,” Law Women, October 2018
ABA Equal Justice Conference 2019
Self-Represented Litigants Network Conference 2020
TALS Equal Justice University 2019
National Legal Aid & Defender Association Annual Conference 2019
Subtech2020 2020