About Kristen M.
Kristen M. Kraus trained at Cleveland State University, earning her J.D. in 2001. Her legal education was followed by bar admissions that include Ohio and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Early in her career she took on roles that bridged courtroom work and dispute resolution, a combination that has threaded through much of her practice.
Kraus has a long association with Lake County’s legal community. She served as chairman of the Lake County Bar Association Settlement Week from 2006 to 2009. She also participates in the Lake County Court’s Common Pleas Mediation Program. Those roles placed her regularly in the mediation room and in settlement negotiations, handling matters that required both procedural know-how and a steady presence at the table.
Her affiliations extend beyond the county. She is a member of the Lake County Bar Association and the Ohio Association for Justice. Since 2015 she has been listed as a Partner in Justice and Legal Aid Ambassador for the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland. That work has involved supporting access to representation and working alongside nonprofit attorneys to assist clients who might otherwise lack counsel. She also serves on the leadership council for University Hospitals Geauga Hospital, showing involvement in local civic and institutional governance.
Peers have recognized Kraus’s professional standing. She holds an AV rating from Martindale Hubbell, a credential that reflects peer review on legal ability and ethical standards. She is also admitted to practice in federal court within the Northern District of Ohio, which allows her to handle matters that move beyond state court.
Much of Kraus’s visible public work has revolved around mediation and settlement efforts. The mediation program in Lake County, her Settlement Week leadership and long-running ties to Legal Aid point to a practice comfortable in negotiated resolutions as well as court proceedings. Colleagues describe her as steady in hearings and purposeful in conferences, and she has maintained an active role in local bar activities for years.
She practices at Dworken & Bernstein Co., L.P.A., where she continues to handle matters tied to dispute resolution and client representation. Her current practice concentrates on mediation and civil dispute resolution.
