Kate Trudell

Kate was two when her mother knew she’d be an attorney and Kate’s father asked why she was arguing with a two-year-old over what to wear that day. Her mother responded: “because she’s making good points.” Conversely, two-year-old Kate thought she’d be a waitress because that was her favorite game, she was great at culinary creations, and she loved serving others. Luckily, as it turns out, she gets to be both, and she gets to choose her own outfits.

As Kate’s ambitions matured and she started to ask herself what she really wanted to be when she grew up, the answer was clear: a connector. She focuses on building connections with both employers and employees that instill trust and psychological safety, making solutions more attainable. As a young girl, she was chastised for being “nosey.” In adulthood, that’s her super-power. In her words, “Authenticity and curiosity are key to problem-solving. If we can’t be real and ask tough questions, we cannot find solutions.”

Kate worked her way through undergrad as a single mother insistent on pursuing her dream of becoming an attorney. She entered law school in 2010 as a part-time evening student and, over the following six years, proceeded to get married and have two more children while maintaining her status in the top 15% of her graduating class. She frequently heard that she wasn’t likely to make it, given her statistical odds of success and, in retrospect, openly admits the drive and audacity she had during those early years seems tiring. However, when asked, Kate will say that nothing motivates her more than someone saying, “You probably can’t” or “You probably won’t.”

That same “Won’t I do it” mentality makes Kate a great advocate in tough cases. After graduation, she began working for the business firm DeMark, Kolbe, & Brodek as an employment attorney. Her favorite cases were the ones that seemed like long shots, where the evidence was slim or the narrative was uncertain. In her words “Integrity is key in all employment law work. The trust we build with our clients and their employees follows us out one door and precedes us as we enter each room. That trust is what allows us to uncover the thread of truth and certainty in every situation. I’m always looking for that thread because it holds the key to success, whatever that may mean in each situation.”

When not conducting research, making connections, or drafting legal arguments, Kate likes to spend her time with her husband and three children, not arguing with them about what to wear because, like her, they are worthy advocates. Her interests are varied, but follow a basic balance between fanciful frolic and regulated relaxation. You are just as likely to find Kate running around the waterpark with her kids, enjoying the wave pool or body slides, as you are to find her floating on a lazy river reading a book. Likewise, her individual hobbies include learning to roller-skate backward and hula hoop at the age of (almost) 40, as well as crocheting and listening to an audiobook about medieval Europe.