About Kathleen M.
Kathleen M. Stotish built her legal foundation at the University of Pittsburgh, where she earned a B.A. in Administration of Justice in 2005. She stayed in the academic pipeline and took her law degree from American University Washington College of Law in 2012. Those years on campus set the stage for early courtroom exposure and work on sentencing policy.
After law school she spent a year clerking at The Law Offices of Jonathan Gelber, PLLC, then joined that firm as an associate in 2013. Before joining the firm she held internships that offered different angles on the justice system. In 2011 she served as a legal intern at the United States Sentencing Commission, where she worked on matters tied to federal sentencing guidelines. The year prior, she was a legal intern for The Honorable J. Michael Ryan of the D.C. Superior Court, gaining firsthand perspective on courtroom procedure and judicial decision-making.
Her time in those roles combined hands-on legal tasks with policy-oriented work. At the Sentencing Commission she encountered the mechanics of federal guideline application. At the D.C. Superior Court she observed trials and motion practice. Those experiences informed the practical side of her practice at Jonathan Gelber’s office, where she handled client matters, drafted pleadings and participated in case preparation.
Stotish holds bar admission in Virginia and is also admitted to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. She carries a certification from the Supreme Court of Virginia that permits her to serve as a guardian ad litem for incapacitated adults. That credential is a distinct part of her professional profile and connects to volunteer work in the community.
She maintains memberships in several local and state bar organizations. She belongs to the Arlington County Bar Association and the Fairfax County Bar Association. She is also a member of the Virginia State Bar. Outside strictly legal groups she participates in the Council of Young Professionals for Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) of Northern Virginia.
Colleagues describe her work as steady and practical. She combines courtroom familiarity from her clerkship and internships with day-to-day litigation experience from private practice. As of 2026 she practices in Virginia and in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, represents clients in state and federal matters, and serves as a guardian ad litem for incapacitated adults.
