About Elizabeth Kathleen
Elizabeth Kathleen Latimer studied at CUNY before beginning a career that has alternated between public defense and private practice. Her time at CUNY laid the groundwork for courtroom work and client advocacy. She left school ready to test arguments in court and to handle the pressure of trial calendars.
Early in her career she joined Brooklyn Defender Services and rose to the role of Senior Trial Lawyer in 2006. That position placed her inside a busy public defender office where she tried cases, prepared motions, and represented clients at all stages of criminal proceedings. The environment forged an appetite for courtroom work and an attention to case preparation that shows in later roles.
In 2015 she worked as a lawyer at the Law Offices of Latimer & Kenkel. That move shifted her calendar to the private side of practice while preserving the trial experience she had developed at the defender office. At the firm she managed client intake, argued in state courts, and maintained a trial-ready posture for cases that required litigation rather than settlement.
Latimer is admitted to practice in both New York and California. Holding licenses in two states has allowed her to handle matters that touch different jurisdictions, and to advise clients about state-level procedural differences. She has combined courtroom experience with day-to-day lawyering: client interviews, legal research, drafting pleadings and negotiating resolutions when appropriate.
Colleagues describe her as pragmatic in the courtroom. She tends to choose clear lines of argument and to focus on evidence and procedure rather than on rhetoric. That approach reflects years of trial work where small factual details and timely motions often make the difference between success and setback.
Outside the courtroom she has overseen case teams and worked with investigators and experts to build files that are ready for trial. She has handled heavy caseloads in public defense and then translated that case management experience to a private practice setting. The transition illustrates a career that balances public-service roots with the demands of private client work.
As of 2026 Latimer practices through the Law Offices of Latimer & Kenkel and holds licenses in New York and California. Her current practice centers on courtroom litigation and client representation in matters across those two states.
