Katherine Kao
Katherine Kao is a director in our Business Litigation and Real Estate practice groups and is based out of our Oakland office. She is an experienced trial attorney with a focus on partnership and LLC “divorces,” business torts, and title and mortgage disputes. Throughout her career, Katherine has successfully represented individual and entity clients in a wide range of commercial legal matters, helping them navigate complex legal issues and achieve successful outcomes through settlement, trial, or appeal. She approaches every case as an intricate puzzle and takes pride in developing creative solutions to efficiently and effectively advocate for her clients’ best interests. Katherine also serves as Chair of our firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Council.
As a child, Katherine was first inspired to practice law when she, like most of the country, was riveted by Marcia Clark as the lead prosecutor in the 1995 trial of O.J. Simpson. Clark’s tenacity in seeking truth and justice, all while enduring intense public scrutiny, ultimately led Katherine to law school and a rewarding career in the legal profession.
Outside of the office, Katherine can be found outdoors, hiking with her dog and enjoying the wonders of the Pacific Northwest, or under a cozy blanket with a novel or binge-watching TV shows.
Education
- J.D., University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly known as University of California, Hastings College of the Law)
- B.A., University of California, Berkeley
AREAS OF PRACTICE
Experienced, forward-thinking advocates who go beyond the expected for clients in dispute prevention and resolution.
Our real estate practice is one of the largest in the American West, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and Washington with experience in all aspects of the real estate development process, from due diligence, acquisition and finance, through land use permitting and entitlements, to leasing and sale.
OTHER EXPERIENCE
- Title Insurance
AWARDS AND HONORS
- Rising Star, Northern California Super Lawyers®, 2019
ARTICLES AND PRESENTATIONS
- Interview, “A Conversation On Leadership & Life In The Law With Attorney Katherine Kao,” Fennemore Blog, April 27, 2023
- Speaker, “The Devilish Details: Keeping an Eye Out for Mortgage Lien Irregularities That
You May Not Have Bargained For,” Wendel Rosen Client Seminar, February 13, 2018 - Speaker, “What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You!, “Wendel Rosen Client Seminar,
November 8, 2017 - Speaker, “Top 10 Employment Law Changes for 2017,” Wendel Rosen Client Seminar,
January 25, 2017 - Speaker, “Wages and Interest and Penalties, Oh My!” Wendel Rosen Client Seminar,
October 13, 2016 - Speaker, “Discipline Without Fear,” Wendel Rosen Client Seminar, April 6, 2016
PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
- Member, Alameda County Bar Association
- Member, Asian American Bar Association – Bay Area
Admissions
- California
- Oregon
- U.S. District Courts, Northern District of California
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit