Katherine A. Skeele

Kate Skeele is a litigation attorney in Holland & Knight's New York office, where she represents clients in state and federal litigation, mediation and arbitration matters. Ms. Skeele is experienced in offering guidance from litigation avoidance/risk management and pre-dispute stages through resolution of disputes.

Ms. Skeele's practice includes litigations and arbitrations related to the energy sector, product liability and general commercial litigation. In her energy work, Ms. Skeele's experience includes representing a public power utility with respect to rate cases and related litigation. Her many years of product liability experience include her representation of manufacturers, distributors and their insurers in the defense of various toxic torts, including those involving allegations of inhalant exposure to diketones and to contaminants including asbestos. Ms. Skeele's general commercial and business litigation experience encompasses defense and prosecution of Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) and non-UCC contract claims; class-action lawsuits; and business torts, including fraud, defamation and breach of fiduciary duty claims.

Serving a wide range of industries, Ms. Skeele counsels energy, real estate, technology, media, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, distribution, healthcare and finance clients, among others. She has particular interest and experience in advising partnerships, entrepreneurs, startups and emerging growth companies in litigation and litigation avoidance/risk management.

Ms. Skeele's experience spans all phases of litigation, including federal and state appellate experience. She has seen disputes through ultimate resolution in jury trials and arbitral hearings, including proceedings before the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the American Arbitration Association (AAA). Ms. Skeele was recently named co-chair of the firm’s LGBTQ Affinity Group.

While at Fordham University School of Law, Ms. Skeele served on the Moot Court Board, was a board member for the school's Legal Education and Advocacy Project (LEAP) for Youth, interned for Justice John Leventhal of the New York State Supreme Court – Criminal Branch, and participated in Fordham's Criminal Defense Clinic. She was a Stein Scholar in Public Interest Law and Ethics.