Federal and State Trial and Appellate Litigator

Kathleen B. Havener, Attorney

(202) 298-4775
kathleen@cullenlaw.com
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Experience

For more than three decades, Kathleen has focused her law practice on complex commercial litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts, alternative dispute resolution (including international arbitration), and administrative proceedings across the country. As a counselor, Kathleen considers herself to be her clients’ partner, working closely with them in reaching decisions that are legally sound and best for their business needs.

Areas of Concentration

    • Kathleen prosecuted state and federal trials and appeals resulting in verdicts for her clients of collectively more than $80 million and achieved similarly favorable outcomes in settlements of litigation matters. The subject matters of Kathleen’s cases include employee raiding, fraud, misrepresentation, professional misconduct, commercial real estate, insurance coverage, estates, intellectual property, partnership disputes, breach of contract, and many other areas.

    • Kathleen is well-versed in the Rules of Civil and Appellate Procedure. In particular, she enjoys the discovery process, including electronic discovery of documents, as well as deposition and motion practice.

    • Kathleen successfully defended former company officers accused of theft of trade secrets, and exonerated a commercial bank accused of securities fraud in connection with a commercial loan made in tandem with a note offering.

    • Kathleen has participated in significant appellate briefing involving the Hague Convention on the International Abduction of Children.

    • Kathleen participates with her colleagues at CullenLaw in raising constitutional challenges to federal regulations as well as state and local statutes.

    • Kathleen coordinated a trial team that included three large law firms that successfully challenged a $4 billion tax assessment against her client by the State of Alaska for oil and gas severence, reducing the assessment to $257 million.

    • Kathleen represented a major sporting goods manufacturer in design disputes as well as advising the client with respect to whether individual designs are acceptable for use by sponsored athletes.

    • Kathleen was Venue Legal Counsel to the World Cup USA 1994, Inc. in the Washington DC venue; a role that involved the coordination of security in the DC Metro area, arrange for practice venues for participating teams, instructing FIFA representatives on First Amendment issues applicable to signage within the venue, and preparing thousands of volunteers on potential legal issues that could arise.

  • Kathleen served as judicial law clerk to the Honorable John M. Ferren on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. She was with Latham & Watkins and Miller & Chevalier in Washington, DC before relocating to Ohio in 1997, where she was a partner at Hahn Loeser & Parks before founding a small firm. In 2018, she returned to DC and joined CullenLaw.

Awards & Publications

Credentials

Admissions

  • Virginia, 1991

  • District of Columbia, 1992

  • Maryland, 1992

  • Ohio, 1998

  • U.S. Supreme Court

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit

  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit

  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit

  • U.S District Court for the District of Columbia

  • U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland

  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio

  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio

Education

  • Harvard Law School, cum laude, 1991, Harvard International Law Journal, Harvard Defenders

  • Spring Hill College, summa cum laude, 1976, President’s Scholar in History