Attorney Profiles

Born in Baltimore, Md., Katie grew up in Altoona, Pa.   She attended Penn State University and was graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1978 with a BS in Individual and Family Studies.  A Student Marshall at graduation, Katie graduated first in her class at Penn State in the College of Human Development .  She was an Evan Pugh Scholar award winner.  During her undergrad years at Penn State , Katie was an active member of the Circle K Club and served as treasurer for the club during her sophomore year.

Katie attended law school at the Washington College of Law of American University in Washington, DC following her graduation from Penn State .  During law school, she was a member of the Phi Alpha Delta legal fraternity and served as treasurer.  She was a Moot Court semi-finalist her freshman year.  Katie was a Dean's teaching fellow during her second and third years at law school, teaching legal research and writing to first year students.  Selected for the Washington College of Law Honor Society, Katie was graduated from Washington College of Law Magna Cum Laude in 1981.  She graduated eleventh out of a class of 262 students.

As to work experience, in 1979 Katie participated in an internship at Lorton Federal Penitentiary where she represented inmates at administrative hearings at Lorton.  The following summer, Katie was an intern with the Voting Rights Section of the Department of Justice.  During this internship, she helped to monitor elections in Plains, Georgia and had the honor of being introduced to President Jimmy Carter's mother Lillian and brother, Billy.  In 1981, Katie worked as a law clerk and then as an associate with the firm of Macleay, Lynch, Bernhard, Gregg and Attridge in Washington, DC .  The firm specialized in defending corporations in negligence claims and clients Katie helped to represent included Westinghouse and Bechtel.  In 1983, Katie's husband, John, was selected for a pediatric residency at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, HI .  Katie and John moved to Honolulu where Katie was hired as an associate by the firm of Case, Kay and Lynch.  At that time, the Case firm was the oldest and one of the largest in Hawaii with the offices located on all of the major islands.  Katie was assigned to the litigation department at Case, Kay and Lynch and worked on a wide variety of matters including hearings before the utilities commission, construction defects cases, foreclosure and other work for Bank of Hawaii, and insurance coverage disputes.  With the transfer of her husband to the Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, NC in 1986, Katie was hired as a law clerk by the Fayetteville firm, Mcleod, Senter and Winesette.  This firm specialized in the representation of plaintiffs in personal injury cases, particularly cases of medical and other professional negligence.  Katie worked at the Mcleod firm until 1988 when she and her husband returned to Honolulu so that Katie's husband could complete a second residency in Psychiatry and fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.  Katie rejoined the case firm where she became a partner in 1991.  In 1992, the Army transferred Katie's husband back to Fort Bragg and Katie rejoined the Mcleod Law Firm, PA.  From 1992 until Joe Mcleod's retirement in November, 2008, Katie worked with Joe in the representation of plaintiffs in negligence cases.  With the closing of the Mcleod Law Firm, Katie has now become a proud member of the legal team at Shipman & Wright, L.L.P.  Along with other attorneys at Shipman & Wright, Katie will continue to concentrate on first class representation of the firm's clients in all types of litigation.