Katie T. Pham is an Associate in the firm’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice group. Before joining Damon Key, Katie served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable R. Mark Browning, Chief Judge of the First Circuit, where she assisted the Court on probate, trust, conservatorship, and guardianship matters. Proficient in Vietnamese and French, Katie contributes to our firm’s ability to offer client services in a growing number of languages.
Katie earned her law degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, William S. Richardson School of Law, where she served as Senior Editor of the Asian-Pacific Law & Policy Journal. She was also an Oralist on the Jessup International Moot Court Team, a Teaching Assistant for Civil Procedure for Professor Linda H. Krieger, and a Scholar Advocate for Professor Eric K. Yamamoto.
While in law school, Katie was a Summer Associate at Hawaii Gas. In this position, she assisted general counsel with various matters involving property law, administrative law, and environmental law. Katie also served as a Judicial Extern to the Honorable Mark E. Recktenwald, Chief Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court, where she assisted the Court in reviewing applications for certiorari. As an Extern for Project Expedite Justice, she assisted human rights attorneys in building cases and drafting a request to the International Criminal Court to open an investigation.
Before law school, Katie completed a Security Studies Internship at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS), where she was also the recipient of the Daniel K. Inouye Fellowship. While there, she assisted faculty members with planning lessons and facilitating class discussions, as well as provided support to visiting fellows. It was during her time at APCSS that she first considered a career in law, having seen how the law touches every aspect of our lives and the importance of rule of law.
Katie earned an M.A. degree in French Literature, with high honors, and a B.A. degree in French Literature, magna cum laude, from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. During this time, she served as a Graduate Assistant, independently planning and teaching beginner and intermediate French classes.
Katie was born and raised in Vietnam, moving to Hawaii as a teenager and attending James Campbell High School on Oahu. Katie appreciates that she can learn new things every day as a natural part of her job and believes that being a lawyer is a true privilege. A mentor once said that law is a healing profession. While it first sounded counterintuitive, given the adversarial nature of the legal system, Katie came to understand and agree that helping clients navigate challenging problems, resolve conflicts, and manage crises can bring healing.
When out of the office, Katie enjoys watching movies, reading, hiking, film photography, traveling, and learning languages. She resides in Honolulu with her husband and dog.
Professional and Community Affiliation
- American Bar Association
- Business Law Section
- Litigation Section
- Real Property, Trust & Estate Law Section
- Hawaii State Bar Association
- Litigation Section
- Probate & Estate Planning Section
- Access to Justice Room (Honolulu District Court), Volunteer
Bar Admissions
- State of Hawaii
- U.S. District Court (District of Hawaii)