I currently practice law in Washtenaw County, Michigan at the law firm of Kitchen Sharkey, PLLC, where I handle complex family law matters (divorce, custody, separate maintenance, paternity, child support). I am also a trained family law mediator and am regularly selected by my peers to mediate family law disputes.  While Washtenaw County is where the majority of my cases are handled, I also have practice experience in Genesee, Ingham, Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland and Wayne counties. 

In 2015, I was elected by my peers to serve on the State Bar of Michigan, Representative Assembly.  From 2009-2012, I also served in an elected position on the Family Law Council for the State Bar of Michigan. In addition to my State Bar work, I am also active on a local level.  I am a past-president elect of the Washtenaw County Bar Association (2015-2016) and a past president of Washtenaw Region of Women Lawyers Association of Michigan (2012-2013). 

For each of the years from 2011 through 2018,  I was selected as a "Rising Star in Family Law" by Super Lawyers Magazine. Additionally, in 2013 I was awarded the State Bar of Michigan Kimberly Cahill Bar Leadership Award for my work in developing the WCBA Modest Means Program.  This program affords lower-income individuals an opportunity for legal representation in family law matters at a reduced hourly rate.  In 2017, I was awarded the Women Lawyers Associsation of Michigan (Washtenaw Region) Mary Foster Award.  The Mary Foster Award is bestowed annually to a member of Women Lawyers whose leadership, talent, and significant contributions to women provide a role model for women in the profession and women in general.   

In my role as co-chair of the Family Law Section of the WCBA (2006-2009), I hosted monthly luncheon meetings as well as annual seminars on a variety of family law topics. The seminar topics included, “Clients in Crisis: Dealing with Difficult Clients” (2007) and “Same Gender Issues in Michigan Law” (2008, featuring keynote speaker Justice Marilyn Kelly of the Michigan Supreme Court).  I have also served as a contributor for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE), presenting on the matter of Managing Clients While the Divorce Case is Pending (Family Law Institute, 2017).

I come by my love of the law naturally. My father, Leonard Kitchen, practiced law in Dexter, MI for over 35 years. In addition to family law litigation and mediation, I also work as a parenting coordinator and a guardiam ad litem.