PETER A. KERN, MANAGING ATTORNEY
Practice Areas: Divorce, Custody and Support, Criminal Defense, Parentage, Modification
Graduating from Brigham Young University’s Law School in 2013, Peter Kern completed a fellowship with Orem City’s criminal legal department and passed the Utah State Bar Exam.
Mr. Kern opened the doors to his own family and criminal law practice in 2014 and has served clients in all eight of Utah’s judicial districts; from the southern canyons of Utah’s Dixie, all the way north and beyond through the sweeping Wasatch Mountains and populated valley towns.
Centrally located in Lehi, Utah, Mr. Kern has represented defendants in cases ranging from simple infractions to first-degree felonies and a wide range of charges in between. He has also represented numerous clients in their family law needs, helping parents retain custody of their children, and spouses fight for a fair settlement in divorce.
CHAD W. HUTCHINGS, ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY
Practice Areas: Divorce, Custody and Support, Parentage, Modification, Criminal Defense, Estate Planning, Juvenile
Chad W. Hutchings has been practicing law in Utah since 2003. He is also admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the District of Utah, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States of America.
Chad’s practice focuses on Family Law, Estates and Probate (wills, trusts, guardianship, conservatorship), Criminal Defense, Juvenile Court litigation, and organization and representation for Small Businesses and Non-Profit entities. In the past Chad has served as a public defender, guardian ad litem for disabled individuals, and counsel in insurance defense, personal injury, bankruptcy, disability, and debt collection litigation.
Chad earned his Juris Doctor degree at Drake Law School, Drake University, in 2002. In 1999 he earned a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Russian from the University of Utah. In 2001, Chad interned with Judge Ruth B. F. Klotz in Des Moines, Iowa.
Chad is the Chair of the Utah State Bar’s Disaster Legal Response Committee. He serves on the Board of Trustees for DDI Vantage, Inc., a non-profit that serves disabled people in Utah. From 2015 to 2019, he was a member (and Vice-Chair) of the State Library Board. From 2007 to 2014, he was a member (Vice-Chair then Chair) of the Logan Library Board of Trustees. Chad is an Eagle Scout and has served for more than 15 years as an adult leader in Boy Scouts of America.
Chad is an amateur radio operator. He enjoys exploring ghost towns and museums, amateur geology, photography, oil painting, playing his cello, guitar, and double bass, singing, reading, creative writing, hiking, camping, woodworking, building scale models, and model railroading.
STAFF
ERICA DOLLAHITE, OFFICE MANAGER
Erica began working with Peter Kern & Associates in early 2021, assuming the role of office manager. She had spent many previous years working in retail management and was eager to make a shift in her career to have weekends and holidays off! Although she misses some parts of retail (i.e. the discount on clothes), she enjoys having the opportunity to connect with clients in her current role.
Erica grew up in Orem where she attended Mountain View High School and later pursued her education at Utah Valley University. Outside of her professional life, she indulges in various passions, including reading, the occasional bout of online shopping, eating ice cream, and staying inside.
ASHLEY BALL, PARALEGAL
Ashley joined Peter Kern & Associates as a paralegal in the summer of 2022. She graduated from Utah State University (USU) with a B.A. in law and constitutional studies and a minor in English. Prior to her time with the firm, Ashley worked as a USU Writing Fellow and as an intellectual property analyst and report editor.
One of Ashley’s favorite parts of her job is finding ways to distill esoteric, complicated legal processes into materials and explanations that all clients can understand. After work, she enjoys being in the company of her family and friends, or winding down with a good book.
