After spending nearly a decade as an intelligence analyst defending the nation from threats beyond its borders, Kathryn took on a second challenge as an attorney defending the rights of those within them. Kathryn, a former U.S. Supreme Court clerk and current civil litigator and appellate advocate, has handled cases in state and federal courts across the country, within both the public and private sectors. Drawing on her experiences from her first career, Kathryn brings creative, inciteful, and strategic approaches to each case.
A proven appellate advocate and civil litigator, Kathryn has not simply won cases but significantly changed both federal and state law by convincing courts to break new ground for her clients. Prior to joining Stone Hilton, she practiced law at an Am Law 100 firm in both New York and Dallas, representing Fortune 500 companies against shareholder suits, tort claims, class certification, False Claims Act suits, ERISA claims, and regulatory proceedings by state and federal agencies.
She also spent time in the public sector as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and as an Assistant Solicitor General in the Texas Attorney General’s Office, where she established new precedent favoring government agencies before Texas’s highest court. By seeing possibilities where others see only roadblocks, Kathryn has made legal breakthroughs for her private and public clients. In recognition for her expertise and insight, Kathryn was invited to present on the 2023 Supreme Court term at the University of Texas's 34th Annual Conference on State and Federal Appeals.
Before embarking on her legal career, Kathryn served as an intelligence analyst with the U.S. Department of Defense (a job she acquired while in high school). After attending Yale Law School, she clerked for then-Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh on the D.C. Circuit and Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Texas State University v. Tanner, No. 22-0291 (Tex. May 3, 2024):
Successfully briefed, argued, and won a landmark decision before the Texas Supreme Court establishing requirements for suits against government agencies.M.D. v. Abbott (No. 24-40248, 5th Cir. 2024):
Successfully briefed an appeal resulting in the Fifth Circuit's reversal of a $100,000-a-day fine and contempt order issued against a Texas agency and the forced recusal of the trial judge overseeing the case.Van Overdam v. Texas A&M University, No. 21-20185 (5th Cir. 2022):
Successfully argued for Texas A&M University in an appeal before the Fifth Circuit in a highly charged suit concerning student-on-student assaults.Bearchild v. Cobban (No. 17-35616, 9th Cir. 2020):
Successfully briefed, argued, and won a suit representing a pro se incarcerated person, overturning the dismissal of his case and establishing a new legal requirement concerning the standard of proof for assault cases.Alta Power, LLC v. General Electric International, Inc. (N.D. Tex. 3:23-cv-0270):
Won summary judgment in a case involving a laundry list of state tort claims against the defendant.United States of America ex rel. Todd Heath v. Wisconsin Bell, Inc. (E.D. Wisc. 2:08-cv-876):
Won summary judgment in a long-running False Claims Act suit.
- State Bar of Texas
- Austin Black Lawyers Association
- Dallas Women's Bar Association
- Travis County Women Lawyers' Association
- Girls on the Run
