Catherine M. "Kate" Reese

Catherine “Kate” Reese focuses her practice on the full spectrum of family law matters in the Northern Virginia and Montgomery County, Maryland regions. She has extensive trial experience in contested divorces, child custody and visitation matters, equitable distribution of assets, child and spousal support, and the negotiation and preparation of prenuptial and marital agreements. Ms. Reese is known to be an aggressive and resourceful litigator when representing clients’ best interests. When Ms. Reese identifies matters that can be resolved more amicably and without the costs of litigation, she highly recommends alternate dispute resolution options such as mediation, arbitration and collaborative law. Ms. Reese is a Virginia Supreme Court Certified Family Law mediator and an experienced collaborative law attorney. She makes it her duty to protect her clients, convey their stories to influential persons in the case, and to negotiate the best outcomes possible for our clients given their circumstances.

Affiliations

As a past president of the Virginia Women Attorneys Association, Judicial Nominations Committee member, current Bar Council, Lawyer Discipline Committee Member, Chair of the Rules Subcommittee of the Standing Committee on Lawyers Discipline, and a member of the Fairfax Bar Association serving on the Circuit Court Committee, involved in family law sections and sub-committees, Ms. Reese has had the opportunity to develop relationships with many members of the bench and bar. These relationships allow her to better serve her clients by being able to evaluate her arguments and case presentation to best suit her audience. In doing so, she makes every effort to maximize the possibility for a winning outcome for her clients.

Ms. Reese's dedication to providing quality service to her clients is further demonstrated by her induction into the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers as an Academy fellow in the Virginia Chapter. This prestigious honor reflects how AAML members are recognized as leading professionals in the family law field that promote integrity and competency, while protecting the welfare of clients and their families.

Service

In addition to projects she is involved in related to her affiliations, Ms. Reese has served a three-year term as a Board of Directors member of the Legal Services of Northern Virginia (LSNV) as the VWAA representative where she served as the 25th Anniversary Gala Chair, and she has provided pro bono services through LSNV and the Fairfax Bar Association. Ms. Reese also serves as a Neutral Case Evaluator by appointment of the 19th Judicial Circuit and a Virginia State Bar Certified Family Mediator.

Background

Ms. Reese began her career in law at the Catholic University Columbus School of Law. While a student, she interned with the Children's Rights Council, a child and parent advocacy group; the Nineteenth Circuit Court in Fairfax County, Virginia; and with a small general practice firm in Fairfax, Virginia. At the firm, she worked first as a law clerk, and then practiced under the third year practice rule prior to passing the Virginia State Bar. The opportunity to practice in the areas of employment law, corporate law, contract law, bankruptcy, and estate planning, in addition to family law, while at this firm, aided her overall development as an attorney.

After passing the Maryland bar, Ms. Reese joined a firm devoted to the practice of family law in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. While at the firm, she was personally mentored by a well respected and long-standing member of the family law community. Ms. Reese worked on many cases involving complex custody and property issues calling for the use of innovative strategies, and a host of resources to obtain winning results in a wide range of family law cases in Virginia, Maryland, and the District.

Because of her extensive work in the courts of Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun, Fauquier, Arlington, and Alexandria, Virginia, the bulk of her work has been, and will continue to be, in the Circuit and Juvenile and Domestic Relations Courts in the Northern Virginia area and Montgomery County, Maryland.