Hatton, Don

TRIAL ATTORNEY KATHERINE HARVEY-LEE HAS WORKED ON NUMEROUS CASES resulting in seven-and-eight -figure verdicts and settlements. She represents clients in the areas of product liability, wrongful death, automobile liability, catastrophic injury, legal malpractice, commercial litigation and personal injury.

Kate began her legal career with Appellate Defenders, Inc., a non-profit law firm which administers the appointed counsel system for the California Courts of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District. As a panel attorney, she performed appellate work, including brief writing and oral argument, on behalf of indigent clients in dependency and criminal matters. She also worked as an independent appellate writer in civil and criminal appeals for various law firms in Orange County, California. Throughout her career, Kate has written briefs in numerous appeals which have resulted in published cases in both the California Appellate and Supreme Courts.

Among the legal organizations that Kate belongs to are the American Bar Association and Los Angeles County Bar Association. She is also a member of the American Association for Justice (Formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America), Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, Consumer Attorneys of California and Attorneys Information Exchange Group.

Kate was named as an up-and-coming attorney in the 2005, 2006 and 2008 Law & Politics issues of Southern California Rising Stars Magazine/Los Angeles Magazine, which lists the top 2.5 percent of noteworthy attorneys in Los Angeles and Orange Counties as voted upon by the Super Lawyers named by the magazine.

A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, Kate received her J.D., summa cum laude, from Whittier Law School. During law school, she competed and was selected for the Moot Court Honors Board and the Trial Advocacy Honors Board. She received American Jurisprudence Awards in Torts and Legal Skills, and Cali Excellence Awards in Evidence and Juvenile Law. She earned the Southern California Defense Counsel Scholarship for Excellence in Torts and Civil Procedure.

Prior to practicing law, Kate enjoyed a successful career in theater, film and television in the United States and in Europe and is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and British Equity. Her career change to law was inspired by her volunteer work with youth and homeless organizations, which further motivated her to help the underserved.

Kate and her husband, Kenneth, are the parents of twins, Aine and Ken.