RestoreMEmediation offers Restorative Family Solutions in Maine
Our mission is to offer a financially sustainable means to reduce conflicts through difficult and complex transitions, while protecting children, and supporting collaborative family structures.
The practice offers:
Divorce and Parental Rights family-planning facilitation and mediation
Structured resolution processes (dialogues, circles, conferences)
Guided restorative mediations for each involved party
Customized family-functioning plans
Limited purpose legal representation for filing when appropriate
Financially affordable services, pay per group session (initial consultation is free)
Sarah Vigneault Dyer, Ph.d.
-
Sarah Vigneault Dyer, Ph.d. and Kendra L. Potz, Esq. met in 2024 at the Mid-Coast Treatment and Recovery Court where Kendra was serving as Defense Counsel. Sarah joined the team as Director of Treatment Court Relations and Education. They soon found that they shared an interest in implementing restorative practices into family disputes. They both saw a need for helping families avoid the emotional and financial toll that the adversarial legal processes can create. They agreed that what families need is guidance and support, not zealous advocacy and uncertainty. RestoreMEMediation combines Kendra’s 24 years of legal experience with Sarah’s 19 years of expertise restoring trust and communication between people in conflict. They offer more than conflict resolution; they offer the opportunity for their clients to repair what has been broken and replace it with a new family structure of their own voluntary design. RestoreMEmediation has seen many an Order imposed by a Judge from an elevated bench in a courtroom or negotiated by attorneys who bill by the tenth of an hour. RestoreMEmediation aims to help you to achieve your goals to be: the family who sits together at after school activities, the family who can take one family photo with both parents at important life events, the family who can navigate transitions, medical issues and holidays…together.
-
Kendra graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2001 and has been practicing law in Maine since 2002. She was the first Assistant District Attorney in District 6 to focus solely on juvenile matters. She left the DA’s office to focus on juvenile defense and became a certified high conflict divorce mediator and Guardian ad litem in 2008. As a Guardian ad litem, she has worked with children in the Family Court, the Protective Custody Court and the Probate Court. In recent years she has represented child victims and witnesses who have been thrust into the criminal court system, and she has served as defense counsel for the Mid-Coast Treatment and Recovery Court. The focus of her career has been to assist children and youth to overcome the impact that court systems have had on their lives so that they can become productive members of our community. RestoreMEmediation is another step towards that goal.
-
Sarah began her career working with children as a K–12 teacher and at a psychiatric hospital, where she regularly assisted children and adolescents in crisis. She earned her PhD from the University of Maine in higher education and peace and reconciliation studies. The focus of her career has been to understand where systems intersect with harm and find repair. Sarah earned her certificate in restorative practices in 2022. Since then, Sarah has used her knowledge and experience to advise on policy development, program implementation, and communication within courts, educational institutions, and families. She also draws from her own lived experience navigating divorce, which highlighted the gap between what she and her former partner wanted, and the limited options provided by the Court. She found herself caught between the confusion of navigating the process on her own and the adversarial posture that can accompany retaining legal counsel. This experience deepened Sarah’s commitment to creating restorative, humane alternatives to traditional legal pathways—approaches that better support individuals, families, and communities.
Kendra L. Potz, Esq
Schedule your appointment
The first individual sessions are free
We believe that trust can be rebuilt and family plans can be sustainable when everyone has time and space to listen and share
No judge or attorney loves your child or understands your life like you do. We believe that with guidance and through active listening, each family member’s needs can find support, even when the family structure has been reconfigured.
Testimonials
“The process of working with Kendra and Sarah was easy, supportive, and informative. A video conference was scheduled very quickly, and my questions and concerns were addressed within one meeting.
With proper education, I had the knowledge I needed to proceed with an equitable case that was viewed favorably by the judge.
(They) not only saved me a significant amount of money, but also allowed my ex-spouse and I to maintain a respectful and supportive relationship that best benefited our child. This was our primary goal, and it was able to be achieved without having two opposing attorneys.
I felt empowered to advocate for what was fair and equitable, without the process dissolving into an unproductive and possibly harmful legal battle. I believe our child benefitted by not having the case go to hearing, which would likely have been upsetting and counterproductive for our goals. Thank you Sarah and Kendra!”
Have Questions? Let's Talk
Send us a quick note and we’ll get back within one business day.