Kathleen M.K. Owen
Of Counsel
グローバル・オペレーション・センター
Kate leverages her experience as a former litigation attorney to passionately advance the legislative issues most critical to our clients. She works closely with lawmakers, lobbyists, and advocacy groups, and she has testified before state legislative committees in states around the country.
Kate leads Orrick’s national state legislative campaign to criminalize sexual extortion on behalf of our pro bono client, Legal Momentum. She collaborates with Legal Momentum to identify the gaps in state laws that have failed to keep pace with the use of technology by perpetrators to commit sexual extortion and to advocate for updates to those laws in various states across the country, working in coordination with state attorneys general, lawmakers, and advocates. Her leadership on behalf of Legal Momentum has included attending meetings with countless legislators, testifying in multiple state legislative committees in support of bills, and assisting with the drafting of bill language.
Kate is also a key member of the Orrick team working alongside the government affairs teams at DISH Network and DIRECTV. She enthusiastically advocates for DISH and DIRECTV in multiple states around the country, which included helping them pass bills in three states in 2022. She manages multiple state legislative relationships, advises on state legislative issues, monitors legislation, and coordinates and attends legislative meetings and conferences.
Kate’s experience in the Public Policy Group also includes the representation of clients in connection with insurance regulatory matters, including attending meetings with insurance regulators and staff from various states.
Previously, Kate was a Senior Associate at Reed Smith LLP in Pittsburgh. She was a member of the firm’s Insurance Recovery Group and an affiliate member of the Commercial Litigation Group, where she began her practice. At Reed Smith, Kate represented clients in a wide range of complex commercial litigation matters. She also represented policyholders in insurance coverage disputes, including counseling, negotiation, litigation, and dispute resolution related to a variety of insurance policy forms.
After practicing law at Reed Smith and prior to joining Orrick, Kate taught two semesters of an online “Business and Organizational Writing” course for Chatham University as an adjunct instructor.
