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Surma, Katherine M.

Katherine M. Surma

Managing Associate
  • Commercial Litigation and Disputes
  • Securities and Shareholder Litigation

Biography

KATHERINE SURMA advises clients on a broad range of matters, including complex commercial litigation, securities litigation, ERISA class actions, government investigations, and appellate litigation. She has experience in drafting pleadings and briefs, managing discovery, and arguing in federal court. Katherine also has substantial deposition experience, having taken and defended a total of 15 depositions in federal litigation to date.

Katherine clerked for The Honorable Michael B. Brennan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and interned at the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, National Courts Section.

Katherine earned her J.D. from Yale Law School. She served as editor-in-chief of the Yale Journal on Regulation, worked in the Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic on matters involving access to government records, and served as a teaching assistant to The Honorable Stefan R. Underhill for the Complex Civil Litigation course.

She earned her B.A. from The University of Chicago, majoring in political science and law, letters, and society, and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Katherine earned her M.A. in social sciences from The University of Chicago.

Experience

Representative Matters

  • Defended a global money transfer business in multiple purported class action proceedings in federal court.
  • Defended global automotive supplier in litigation challenging 401(k) investment plan options and fees.
  • Drafted an appellate brief on behalf of appellee before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

Community Involvement

Pro Bono

Katherine has argued before the Naval Discharge Review Board on behalf of a Navy veteran seeking a discharge upgrade. She has also successfully represented a local youth soccer organization alleging breach-of-contract claims in settlement negotiations.

Credentials

Admissions & Certifications
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, N.D. of Illinois - General
  • Illinois
Education
  • Yale Law School, J.D., 2021
  • The University of Chicago, M.A., 2018
  • The University of Chicago, B.A., 2018, Phi Beta Kappa
Clerkships
  • Michael Brennan, U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit (2022-2023)