Kate Marples Simpson
Areas of Practice
- Civil Litigation and Appeals
- Employment
- Personal Injury
BAR ADMISSIONS
Kansas Bar, 2014
Missouri Bar, 2015
United States District Court for the District of Kansas, 2014
EDUCATION
University of Kansas School of Law, J.D. 2014, Order of the Coif
University of Kansas, B.A. 2011, Germanic Languages and Literatures, Cum Laude
ABOUT KATE
Prior to joining Stevens and Brand, Kate clerked for the Honorable K. Gary Sebelius in Topeka, Kansas, and the Honorable Carlos Murguia in Kansas City, Kansas.
Kate’s federal clerkship experience included working on civil cases from filing through discovery, dispositive motion practice, pretrial motions, and jury trials. Kate also worked on criminal cases, assisting the judge with motions to suppress, to dismiss counts, indictments, limine and other pretrial motions, and jury trials.
Kate uses her four and a half years of federal clerkship experience to help clients navigate all aspects of federal and state litigation.
Kate lives in Lawrence with her husband, Jon, and her Wheaten Terrier, Scout. When not working, Kate enjoys spending time with family, cooking and baking, training for marathons and triathlons, teaching spin classes, playing the viola, learning fine woodworking from her father (a local luthier—builder of fine stringed instruments), and working with her bee hives.
Recently selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch 2021 in Lawrence, Kansas, in the practice areas of Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Bankruptcy, Litigation – Construction, Litigation – Real Estate, and Municipal Law
Douglas County Bench Bar Committee – At Large Member, 2020–present
Federal Bar Association Outstanding Leader Award, 2020 – In recognition of exceptional vision, service, and stewardship as President of the Kansas and Western District of Missouri Chapter
Federal Bar Association Nominations and Elections Committee Member, 2020–present
Federal Bar Association Labor and Employment Section Committee on Programming and CLE Co-Chair, 2020–present
Federal Bar Association Chapter for the Districts of Kansas and Western Missouri: Chair of Civics and Outreach Subcommittee 2020–present, President 2019-2020, President-Elect 2018–2019, Vice President 2017–2018, Treasurer 2014–2017
Federal Bar Association Civil Rights Section – Treasurer 2020–present, Amicus Chair 2019-present
Judge Hugh Means American Inn of Court: President 2019-present, Vice President 2018–2019, Treasurer 2016–2018
Kansas Bar Association Young Lawyers Section: President 2020-present, Secretary 2018–2019, Judicial Externship Coordinator 2016–2018
P.E.O. Chapter JP (a Women’s Philanthropic Education Organization): President 2019-present, Vice President 2018–2019, Recording secretary 2016–2018
Family Promise of Lawrence, Kansas: Coordinator at Plymouth Congregational Church, Chair of Music & Fine Arts Board, Chair of Fellowship Board
University of Kansas Crew: Assistant Coach 2011–2014, four-time medalist including two-time gold medal winner at the American Collegiate Rowing Association National Championships
Samuel Mellinger Scholarship, Leadership, and Service Award
Kansas Law Review Symposium Editor, “Waters of the U.S.: Adapting Law for Degradation and Drought”
Semifinalist at the 2014 Pace National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition in White Plains, New York
Student Director of the Paul E. Wilson Project for Innocence & Post-Conviction Remedies
CALI Awards (awarded for highest grade in the class) in Lawyering Skills II, Biodiversity Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Advanced Litigation
KU Campus-Wide Graduate Student Sustainability Leadership Award 2014
The Kansas Bar Foundation’s Justice Alex M. Fromme Memorial Scholarship and Lathrop & Gage Scholarship
Selected Speaker for the 2013 Kansas Natural Resources Conference
Inaugural President of the Federal Bar Association KU Student Division
Shook Hardy & Bacon Scholar
College Honors Program, graduation with distinction and departmental honors
Goethe Institute Certification for Business German
Interned in Eutin, Germany, at the Entwicklungsgesellschaft Ost-Holstein
German Honors Thesis, “Entwicklung mit Hindernissen: Margarete Steffins Gesellschaftskritischer Blick In Ihren Autobiographischen Geschickten”
- Co-author, “Mediterranean Agriculture, Ecology, and Law: Creating a New Non-state Actor to Counteract Agro-ecological Collapse in the Mediterranean Basin.” Mediterranean Studies, John W. Head, Kate Marples, and Jon Simpson (2017)
- Co-author, KBA Annual Torts Chapter (2017–present)
- Co-author, “How to Start a FBA Student Division.” Kate Marples and Jon Simpson (2014)