Katherine Lessing is an associate in the Dallas office of Cooper & Scully, P.C. Katherine gained extensive courtroom experience while serving as an Assistant District Attorney in Dallas County, Texas for four and a half years. During that time, she represented the State in hundreds of misdemeanor and felony matters, often involving family violence. She learned how to effectively question witnesses and present complex issues to juries in the most compelling way.
Prior to attending law school, Katherine obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History from Indiana University in 2013. She sat on the Bloomington, Indiana City Council Housing Quality and Appeals Board, where she heard the appeals of matters related to the enforcement of the local Municipal Code. Upon graduation, she joined Teach for America’s Houston Corps, where she taught Texas History at a Title 1 school.
Katherine earned her Juris Doctorate from Southern Methodist University - Dedman School of Law in 2019. While in law school, Katherine was a member of the International Law Review Association. She published three works, focusing on human rights violations, and participated in the Criminal Justice Clinic. She was on the board of the Association for Public Interest Law and graduated with Pro Bono Honors.
In her free time, Katherine enjoys spending time with her husband and son, traveling, and reading non-fiction.
Admitted
Texas, 2019
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, 2024
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, 2024
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, 2024
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, 2024
Education
J.D., Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law, 2019
B.A., Indiana University, 2013
Affiliations
Dallas Bar Association
Dallas Women Lawyers Association
Teach for America Alumni Association
Publications
"Evading Jurisdiction: How to Hold Burundi Accountable for Human Rights Violations After Withdrawal from the ICC," The Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy, 2019
"Commencement of Cultural Destruction Reparations Orders in Criminal Warfare: The ICC’s Al Faqi Mahdi Judgment," City University of Hong Kong Law Review, 2019
"Starving for Power: The North Korean Regime’s Prioritization of Military Might Over Human Rights," Creighton University International and Comparative Law Journal, 2018