KATE MARPLES SIMPSON

ABOUT KATE

Prior to joining Stevens and Brand, Kate clerked for the Honorable K. Gary Sebelius in Topeka, Kansas, and the Honorable Carlos Murguia in Kansas City, Kansas.



Kate’s federal clerkship experience included working on civil cases from filing through discovery, dispositive motion practice, pretrial motions, and jury trials. Kate also worked on criminal cases, assisting the judge with motions to suppress, to dismiss counts, indictments, limine and other pretrial motions, and jury trials. She uses her four and a half years of federal clerkship experience to help clients navigate all aspects of federal and state litigation.

Kate lives in Lawrence with her husband, Jon, and their daughter, dogs, and chickens. When not working, Kate enjoys spending time with family, cooking and baking, training for triathlons, teaching exercise classes, and playing the violin and viola with her dad (a local luthier—builder of fine stringed instruments).

AFFILIATIONS, ACTIVITIES AND HONORS

• Super Lawyers, Missouri & Kansas Rising Star (2022)
  
• Selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® Ones to Watch 2021-2024 in Lawrence, Kansas, in the practice areas of Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Bankruptcy, Litigation – Construction, Litigation – Real Estate, and Municipal Law 
• District of Kansas Bench Bar Committee (2023-present)
• Douglas County Bench Bar Committee (2022–present)
• Federal Bar Association Outstanding Leader Award, 2020 – In recognition of exceptional vision, service, and stewardship as President of the Kansas and Western District of Missouri Chapter
  
• Federal Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Section Secretary (2022-2023); Committee on Programming and CLE Co-Chair (2020–present)
• Federal Bar Association Chapter for the Districts of Kansas and Western Missouri: 10th Circuit Vice President, elected in membership election (2021-present); Judiciary Division Federal Law Clerk Committee (2020-present); Chair of Civics and Outreach Subcommittee (2020–present); National Delegate (2020-2023); National “Outstanding Leader Award” (2020); President (2019-2020); President-Elect (2018–2019); Vice President (2017–2018); Treasurer (2014–2017)
• Federal Bar Association Civil Rights Section: Diversity and Inclusion Chair (2021-2022); Treasurer/Secretary (2020–present); Amicus Chair (2019-present)
• Judge Hugh Means American Inn of Court:  Executive Committee Service (2014-present); Programming Chair (2021-2023); President (2019-2021); Vice President (2018–2019); Treasurer (2016–2018)
• Kansas Bar Association: Young Lawyer Division Chair (2020-2021); Chair-Elect (2018-2019); Secretary /Treasurer (2017–2018); Judicial Externship Coordinator (2015–2017); Served on various committees including Executive Committee, Kansas Bar Foundation Executive Committee and Scholarship Committee, CLE Committee, and Board of Publishers
• P.E.O. Chapter JP (a Women’s Philanthropic Education Organization): President (2019-present); Vice President (2018–2019); Recording Secretary (2016–2018)
• Family Promise of Lawrence, Kansas: Coordinator at Plymouth Congregational Church (2015-2022); Chair of Music & Fine Arts Board (2015-2021); Chair of Fellowship Board (2018-2021); Volunteer (2012-2022)
• University of Kansas Crew: Assistant Coach (2011–2014); four-time medalist including two-time gold medal winner at the American Collegiate Rowing Association National Championships
• Samuel Mellinger Scholarship, Leadership, and Service Award
• Kansas Law Review Symposium Editor, “Waters of the U.S.: Adapting Law for Degradation and Drought”
• Semifinalist at the 2014 Pace National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition in White Plains, New York
• Student Director of the Paul E. Wilson Project for Innocence & Post-Conviction Remedies
• CALI Awards (awarded for highest grade in the class) in Lawyering Skills II, Biodiversity Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Advanced Litigation
• KU Campus-Wide Graduate Student Sustainability Leadership Award (2014)
• The Kansas Bar Foundation’s Justice Alex M. Fromme Memorial Scholarship and Lathrop & Gage Scholarship
• Selected Speaker for the 2013 Kansas Natural Resources Conference
• Inaugural President of the Federal Bar Association KU Student Division
• Shook Hardy & Bacon Scholar
• College Honors Program, graduation with distinction and departmental honors
• Goethe Institute Certification for Business German
• Interned in Eutin, Germany, at the Entwicklungsgesellschaft Ost-Holstein
• German Honors Thesis, “Entwicklung mit Hindernissen: Margarete Steffins Gesellschaftskritischer Blick In Ihren Autobiographischen Geschickten2