Katie Valle has practiced exclusively in the area of family law for more than a decade and focuses on divorce and complex child custody matters, with experience representing victims and survivors of abuse and violence as well as grandparents and relatives seeking to protect minor family members.
Prior to law school, Katie spent 11 years helping families in crisis including work as a victim advocate at an area shelter and in the Family Violence Unit of the District Attorney’s Office. Working closely with families involved in the Court System led her to the realization that she could best help as an attorney.
After law school, Katie worked for the family law firm of Carlock-Gormley-Hight and became active in the Family Law Section of the Dallas Bar Association, serving as the Chair of the Family Law Section’s Pro Bono Committee for several years. She went on to join the family law unit of Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, gaining extensive experience handling contested litigation in high-conflict cases involving family violence and child abuse.
After moving to Austin she joined Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (VLS), a pro bono law firm focusing on representing indigent Central Texans. She served as Director of Family Legal Services, mentoring attorneys handling family law cases and working with local attorneys and the judiciary on continuing legal education representing indigent litigants, victims and survivors in family law matters. Katie is excited to be in private practice representing families in crisis with the Law Office of Jason Wright, PLLC.
Katie experienced multiple parental divorces as a child and adolescent and is intimately familiar with the trauma divorce can create for a child as well as the stress associated with the introduction of new people and new family units. She can empathize with clients in a unique way and deeply respects the need to make any transition as easy on children as possible. While she works to resolve conflicts in the most collaborative way possible, Katie is an advocate in her soul and ready to fight for her clients in the courtroom.
When not with her family or working, Katie spends her free time volunteering with Volunteer Legal Services and with the PTA of her children’s schools. A Longhorn herself, Katie is married to an Aggie. They live in Williamson County with their three young children.
Publications / Speaking Engagements
- Williamson County Judicial Panel on Temporary Orders, Moderator, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (forthcoming February 24, 2023)
- The Nuts and Bolts of a VLS Family Law Case, Presenter and Author, Divorce Basics Seminar, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (December 2022)
- Travis County Judicial Panel on Temporary Orders, Moderator, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (October 2022)
- Basic Discovery in Family Law Cases, Presenter, State Bar of Texas, Family Law Section (June 2022)
- Basics of a Pro Bono Family Law Case, Presenter, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (May 2022)
- Child Support in VLS Cases involving Special Needs Children, co-presented with Keith Maples, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (February 2022)
- Nuts and Bolts of a VLS Family Law Case, Presenter and Author, Divorce Basics Seminar, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (December 2021)
- Drafting on a Shoestring: Pro Bono Representation, Co-Presenter & Co-Author with Hannah Hembree Bell, Advanced Family Law Drafting, State Bar of Texas, Family Law Section (November 2021)
- Civil Litigation in Travis County amidst a Changing Covid-19 Landscape, Moderator, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (August 2021)
- The Power of Pro Bono, Presenter, Women Lawyer’s Section of the Williamson County Bar Association (June 2021)
- How Discovery Changes and In re C.J.C. Impact Travis County Family Law Litigation, Moderator, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (February 2021)
- Nuts and Bolts of a VLS Family Law Case, Presenter and Author, Divorce Basics Seminar, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (December 2020)
- Travis County District Court Procedures during the Covid-19 Pandemic, Moderator, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (May 2020)
- The Power of Pro Bono, Presenter, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (February 2020)
- Nuts and Bolts of a VLS Family Law Case, Presenter and Author, Divorce Basics Seminar, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (December 2019)
- Care for our Children: Immigrant Family Preparedness, Presenter, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (2019)
- The Power of Pro Bono, Presenter, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (2019)
- Common Issues in VLS Family Law Cases, Presenter, Divorce Basics Seminar, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (2018)
- Family Law Roundtable: Uncontested Docket, Presenter, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (2018)
- The Power of Pro Bono, Presenter, Volunteer Legal Services (2018)
- Common Issues in VLS Family Law Cases, Presenter, Divorce Basics Seminar, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (2017)
- Care for our Children: Immigrant Family Preparedness, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (2017)
- The Power of Pro Bono, Presenter, Volunteer Legal Services (2017)
- Common Issues in VLS Family Law Cases, Presenter, Divorce Basics Seminar, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (2016)
- Pro Bono Representation, Presenter, Norton Rose Fulbright (2016)
- Pro Bono Services & Capital Area AIDS Legal Project “CAALP”, Presenter, Aids Services of Austin (2016)
- Legal Advice Clinic, Presenter, Baker Botts (2016)
- The Power of Pro Bono, Presenter, King & Spalding (2016)
- Common Issues in VLS Family Law Cases, Presenter, Divorce Basics Seminar, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (2015)
- Preparing Your Client to Testify, Presenter, Genesis Women’s Shelter (2014)
- Family Violence and Family Law, Presenter, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas (2013)
- Family Violence Awareness, Moderator and Panelist, Texas Wesleyan School of Law (2010)
