About Katherine
Katherine Sexton is an attorney who has moved between public-interest litigation, direct client advocacy and legal education. She is admitted to practice in California and New York. Her work mixes courtroom work, policy advocacy and classroom instruction.
Sexton studied history of art at Yale University, graduating in 2006. She then earned her law degree from New York University School of Law in 2011. The combination of a liberal arts background and an NYU legal education shaped her interest in systemic issues and in how law affects everyday lives.
Early in her career she took on roles that blended service and strategy. In 2009 she served on the board of the University Settlement Society of New York, engaging with community-based programs. After law school she joined the Vera Institute of Justice as a legal fellow in 2014, a post that involved research and project work aimed at reforming criminal justice practices.
By 2019 Sexton had moved into positions that required both case-level advocacy and program leadership. She served as a managing lawyer at Equal Rights Advocates, where she handled matters connected to employment and civil rights. That same year she worked as a staff lawyer at East Bay Family Defenders, representing parents and caregivers in proceedings affecting family stability.
The next phase of her career combined practice and teaching. In 2022 she was an adjunct professor of law at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, bringing practical courtroom experience into the classroom. She also worked that year as a staff lawyer at the Youth Law Center, focusing on legal issues affecting young people.
In 2023 Sexton joined the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley as a staff lawyer. There she continued to take on cases and projects that intersect individual representation and systemic reform. Her recent work has involved litigation, client counseling and collaboration with community organizations. She remains based in the Bay Area and practices in both California and New York. Her current practice centers on public-interest litigation, direct representation and policy work on behalf of vulnerable populations.
