About Katie Yingling
Katie Yingling Schellenger trained as a lawyer at Villanova University School of Law, earning her J.D. in 2007 after completing undergraduate studies at Bucknell University in 2001. At Bucknell she studied German, international relations and art history, a mix that signaled broad intellectual interests and an early appetite for cross-disciplinary thinking. The law degree followed a period of study during which she prepared for practice in federal and state courts.
Her first position out of law school was a clerkship for the Honorable Bohdan A. Futey at the United States Court of Federal Claims in 2007. That experience placed her at the intersection of litigation and federal procedure. She moved into private practice soon after, joining Cozen O'Connor as an associate in 2009 and then Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft in 2011. Those roles exposed her to the rhythms of large-firm litigation and transactional practice.
In 2013 Schellenger shifted toward legal education and advising, taking a post at Franklin & Marshall College as Director of Legal Professions Advising and as an adjunct associate professor of Business, Organizations & Society. There she taught and mentored students exploring law as a career and worked on curriculum and advising programs for those preparing for legal practice. The mix of teaching and administration broadened her view of legal careers beyond firm life.
She spent time as Of Counsel at the Law Office of Bernard S. Grimm in 2015 and moved into freelance work the following year, operating under the name Schellenger Advocacy. That freelance practice has allowed her to take on matters across jurisdictions where she holds membership and admission. Her professional memberships include the Pennsylvania State Bar, the Virginia State Bar, the District of Columbia Bar, the Chester County Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Legal Writing Institute and Scribes: The American Society of Legal Writers.
Throughout her varied career she has combined courtroom-facing work from her clerkship and firm years with roles that emphasize writing and teaching. Colleagues describe her as someone who moves easily between research-intensive projects and direct client work. She is admitted to practice in Virginia, the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania and continues to serve clients and institutions in those jurisdictions. She currently practices as a freelance lawyer through Schellenger Advocacy, admitted in Virginia, the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania.
