Katherine Denning brings a unique blend of legal experience, psychological insight, and lived understanding to her work with families. After twelve years of practicing family law litigation, during which she focused on high conflict custody matters and contested adoption proceedings, Katherine transitioned to neutral, child-focused work with families in the family court system.

This has allowed her to remain active in the legal system she deeply values while applying learned psychological principles to continue her work with community members experiencing some of the most difficult chapters any of us can face. As a Parenting Time Coordinator and Custody Evaluator, she channels her respect for the legal system and the families within it into roles focused on stability, thoughtful guidance, and the well-being of children.

For those unfamiliar with these services, a Parenting Time Coordinator helps parents implement and follow their parenting plans, resolve day-to-day disputes, and reduce conflict so children can thrive. A Custody Evaluator conducts impartial, in-depth assessments to offer the court informed recommendations regarding parenting time, decision-making, and the best interests of the child. Katherine approaches both roles with clarity, neutrality, and a deep respect for the families she serves.

The name Crimson Clover Family Services is rooted in a practice Katherine finds meaningful in her personal life as a gardener and small-scale farmer: the use of cover crops. Clover is planted between seasons not for harvest, but to fix what has been depleted, stabilize the soil, and prepare the ground for whatever comes next. It is quiet, patient work, done entirely in service of what grows after. Crimson clover is one such plant, commonly seen painting the vast fields of the Willamette Valley in deep red each season, its blooms alive with honeybees. Katherine brings that same philosophy to every family she works with. A custody evaluation is the investigative report: an honest, careful assessment of what the soil looks like now, what has been depleted, and what conditions will allow something healthy to grow. It helps the court and the family understand what to plant next. Parenting time coordination is the cover crop implementation: the hands-on work of tending the soil of co-parenting conflict, so the ground is ready for what their children need to grow.

That perspective is personal. Raised in a small community in a family that experienced divorce and later blended family dynamics, Katherine understands firsthand the challenges and resilience that come with change. She was also shaped by her grandfather, a University of Oregon graduate and dedicated lawyer whose integrity and community service helped set her on this path. Go Ducks!

Outside her professional work, Katherine tends a hobby farm, caring for dogs, chickens, sheep, and beehives. She has found that caring for animals is its own kind of education in observation, patience, and reliability, the same qualities she brings to every family she serves.