Katie’s strong family ties and deeply rooted commitment to her faith and community naturally led her to the field of psychology, which later evolved into an interest in family law. As an alumnus of St Marks and Cardinal Gibbons High School, and a parishioner of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Lauderdale, a dedication to serving the less fortunate in our community has guided her academic, volunteer, and professional pathways.
Katie earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Miami, Coral Gables, where she majored in Psychology. While attending the University of Miami she was awarded a psychology internship, participating in clinical research and working as a behavioral therapist for children with autism. Later, she became a private therapist, utilizing a more holistic approach to therapy.
Following graduation she attended Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Broad Law Center. During law school she was granted a two year internship with the Broward Teen Advocacy Project (BTAP) at Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida, where she conducted community outreach education sessions for at-risk teenagers regarding their legal rights and responsibilities. She also gained valuable legal experience by assisting her Supervising Attorney, Leisa M. Wintz, MS, Esq., in litigation preparation and case management. In her last year of law school she served as a Certified Legal Intern for NSU’s Children & Family Law Clinic, where she gained litigation experience representing clients who were entangled in highly contentious Family Law proceedings.
It was her volunteer work throughout high school, college, and law school, which led her to specialize in the practice of Family Law. What began as fulfilling community service hours in the pediatric transplant unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, led to fundraising activities for the organ transplant community, organizing campaigns to raise community awareness for organ donation, and management of the Transplant House, a residential facility for transplant patients and their families. More importantly, it led to a baby named Casey, who was both a patient and a ward of the State of Florida. As Katie’s family went through the process of fostering and later adopting Casey, Katie not only gained a unique perspective of the inner workings of the Department of Children and Families in Florida, but developed inner strength, perseverance, compassion, and determination, which she brings to the families she now represents. In addition, her background in psychology allows her to better understand both the legal and emotional needs of her clients, as she provides counsel based upon the dynamics of each individual family unit.
Following admittance to the Florida Bar in 2011, Katie joined Family Solaris Law Group, P.A., as an Associate Attorney, where she brings both experience and personal commitment to the representation of the families of Florida. Katie gladly takes on cases, and enjoys her work serving the children of Florida as a court-appointed, volunteer Guardian ad Litem for the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit of Broward County. Katie’s mission statement is a simple one, “Family is the most important aspect of my life, both personally and professionally; and that is why your family matters to me.”
