Speaking & teaching
Katy teaches the craft of family law to other attorneys: trial skills, strategy, and how to represent people well. The topics come straight from the practice.
Watch Katy Present
Trial Prep Power Hour: Essential Tools for Family Law Attorneys
Recorded live for Justia Webinars, a free CLE resource for attorneys.
Signature Session
Beyond Filing for Divorce: The Bigger Picture of Family Law Representation
Understanding why the most successful attorneys take a pragmatic, holistic approach, not just focusing on legal outcomes but considering financial, emotional, and long-term impact.
Teaching what she practices
Katy's teaching is an extension of her casework, not a departure from it. She is a faculty member of the National Family Law Trial Institute, where she teaches trial skills, and was selected by the presiding judge of Cook County's Domestic Relations Division to demonstrate trial technique for its CLE seminar.
When she speaks, it is about the real work: trial preparation, asset protection, the balance between litigation and mediation, and how to keep a client informed and in control through a hard process.
Engagements have included the National Family Law Trial Institute, a mock-trial demonstration with the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Cook County Domestic Relations CLE seminars, the Lilac Tree Divorce University conference, and panels alongside wealth advisors and estate planners.
Speaking Topics
How to Successfully Retain an Attorney
What to look for in a family law attorney, the questions to ask, and why choosing the right legal representation is crucial for your future.
Women in Law: Breaking Barriers and Building Influence
A candid discussion on leadership, mentorship, and success in the legal industry.
Legal Strategies for Business Owners Facing Divorce
Understanding the complexities of asset protection and financial settlements when a business is involved.
Navigating High-Net-Worth Divorce
A must-know guide for entrepreneurs and executives facing complex financial and legal considerations.
Mediation vs. Litigation: Choosing the Right Path
When mediation works, when it doesn't, and how to know which approach protects your long-term interests.
Prenuptial & Post-Nuptial Agreements
Why these tools are not just for the ultra-wealthy, and how to structure agreements that actually hold up.
The Attorney-Client Relationship
Building trust in high-stakes family matters, and what clients have the right to expect from their legal team.
International Family Law
Navigating cross-border custody, relocation, and complex multi-jurisdictional family matters.
Booking Information
Based In
Chicago, IL, available for travel nationwide
Formats
Keynote, panel, fireside chat, CLE seminar, workshop
Duration
30–90 minutes, customized to your program
A/V Needs
Microphone, presentation screen
Audiences
Attorneys, business professionals, wealth advisors, corporate executives
Social
"Katy has a way of bringing the temperature down, even in the most high-stakes situations. She makes people feel confident and heard, but not in a scripted or therapeutic way, but in a way that empowers. Many of my colleagues have presence or skill. Katy has both. Her ability to balance the two is what sets her apart from anyone I've ever worked with."
• Booking
Have Katy speak at your event
Tell her a little about the event and she will come back to you directly. If you need her bio, topics, or photos first, the speaker kit has everything ready to use.