A partner in the Litigation Department, co-chair of the Digital Technology Group and a member of the Antitrust Practice Group, Katherine previously served as a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York and as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. A veteran trial attorney, Katherine regularly handles sensitive high technology investigations, litigation and advisory (in the areas of artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency and blockchain), complex commercial and antitrust litigation and intellectual property matters.
A remarkable litigator and trial talent with more than 30 years of experience, Katherine has led sensitive, high-profile investigations involving the DOJ, FTC and other U.S. and foreign regulators, and complex, high-stakes litigation spanning numerous substantive areas such as antitrust, copyright, patent, media, sports & entertainment and high technology including artificial intelligence, Web3 and digital assets. She has also worked extensively in the pharmaceutical, financial services, toxic tort and employment sectors. Sources quoted in Chambers USA note that Katherine “is one of the best if you have a significant litigation or internal investigation,” while Legal 500 US sources call her “a force in court.” Katherine is also widely regarded as a leader in legal issues relating to technology, including artificial intelligence, the digital environment, high-speed trading and content distribution, and big data.
Katherine was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2011 as a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York. In her seven years on the bench, she presided over several thousand criminal and civil cases, including over 100 trials; authored more than 1,000 opinions; and sat by designation on the Second Circuit for dozens of appeals. The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated over 30 lawsuits filed nationwide concerning aluminum price-fixing allegations before Katherine. As a member of the Judicial Patent Task Force for the Southern District of New York, she presided over several dozen patent cases and conducted numerous Markman hearings. Before stepping down from the bench, Katherine also served on the Grievance Committee for the Southern District, including as chair from 2016—2018. Earlier, in 2010, Katherine served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, where she oversaw operations for criminal and civil enforcement and worked on merger review and numerous civil and criminal (cartel and price-fixing) antitrust investigations.
Prior to her eight years in government service, Katherine advised on and litigated antitrust, intellectual property, employment and contract issues for a wide range of clients in the media, airline, banking, healthcare, pharmaceutical and manufacturing industries. Over the years, her clients have included Time Warner and a number of its divisions, including Home Box Office, Warner Brothers Studios, Turner Broadcasting Systems and Time Warner Cable, as well as Warner Music Group, WarnerMedia, Schneider Electric, Fenway Sports Group, Eli Lilly and United Airlines.
Katherine earned her A.B. from Wesleyan University, with honors, and her J.D. from New York University School of Law, where she has been an adjunct professor of law for eight years where she co-teaches a course on Quantitative Methods and the Law.
Katherine has been recognized as a leading lawyer by numerous industry publications, including The American Lawyer, Benchmark Litigation, Chambers USA, Global Competition Review, IP Law & Business, Lawdragon and The Legal 500 US. She has received Benchmark Litigation’s Hall of Fame Award and has been named to the publication’s “Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America” list, and she was named the 2022 New York City “Lawyer of the Year” by The Best Lawyers in America for Antitrust Law. In 2019, she was included in Crain’s New York Business’s list of “Notable Women in Law.” The American Lawyer recognized Katherine as one of 10 district court judges to watch and Law360 named her one of the 10 most influential recently appointed judges. Most recently, Katherine was recognized by Benchmark Litigation on its “Top 250 Women in Litigation.”
Katherine also maintains an active pro bono practice, where she was recently recognized with the Jewish Children’s Museum’s Ari Halberstam Memorial Award. Katherine was part of the team that brought the first lawsuit against the gun manufacturers that made the gun used in the 1994 attack on Brooklyn Bridge that killed 16-year old Ari Halberstam, to whom the museum is dedicated.
Katherine is active in numerous charitable and professional organizations. Among others, she currently serves on the board of trustees of Choate Rosemary Hall, a boarding school.
Updated July 2023
