Katherine Turner is Co-Chair of Williams & Connolly’s Accountant Liability practice group, Co-Chair of the Firm’s Congressional Investigations practice group, and a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee.
She has extensive experience in defending accounting firms and their auditors in professional liability litigation and regulatory matters, including work for three of the Big Four firms, several Big Four international member firms, and a prominent national accounting firm. She has led internal investigations concerning audit and accounting issues, including a recent internal investigation for the Audit Committee of a public technology company. She has defended firm and individual clients in professional discipline matters before state boards of accountancy.
Katherine also has significant experience in representing clients in congressional investigations, including representation of Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton before the House Select Committee on Benghazi and a representation of a government official in a matter before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. She has recently represented a U.S. Senator in a government investigation.
Her practice also encompasses complex litigation in several other substantive areas, including securities litigation and commercial contract disputes, in federal and state cases and in arbitration before AAA, CPR, JAMS, and FINRA. Katherine has represented individuals in a variety of matters, ranging from Title IX disciplinary proceedings to private business disputes. Benchmark Litigation has recognized Katherine as a “Litigation Star” in the areas of commercial litigation and white-collar criminal defense, 2017 – 2024, and among the “Top 250 Women in Litigation” for the last nine years.
Katherine was born and raised near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and graduated from Georgetown University, summa cum laude, in 2001. She received her J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where she was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. She joined Williams & Connolly in 2005, after serving as a law clerk to the Honorable Bruce Marshall Selya of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
In 2015, Katherine co-founded the firm’s Women’s Initiative and previously served as its Co-Chair. She has also served as Chair of the firm’s Intake Committee and a member of its Hiring Committee.
Representative Experience
Though all cases vary and none is predictive, Katherine's experience includes:
- Current representation of national accounting firm in a set of putative class actions concerning audits of investment funds.
- Current representation of several foreign Big Four firms in PCAOB investigations involving issues such as revenue recognition and firms’ systems of quality control over audits.
- Current representation of foreign Big Four firm in an SEC investigation.
- Current representation of two Big Four firms in PCAOB inquiries concerning independence and systems of quality control.
- Current representation of Big Four firm concerning services provided to a major bank in FDIC receivership.
- Current representation of an Ivy League university in a House Judiciary Committee investigation.
- Representation of Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton in litigation matters, including obtaining dismissal with prejudice of the complaint in Trump v. Clinton and an award of sanctions against Plaintiff Trump and his counsel; current defense of those orders on appeal.
- Current defense of major accounting firm and individual partner in separate matters before two state boards of accountancy.
- Successful representation of national accounting firm and an engagement partner in a three-year PCAOB investigation related to audits of a media company, resulting in no action taken against the firm or the partner.
- Representation of Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton before the House Select Committee on Benghazi and in connection with matters concerning her e-mail use.
- Led internal investigation on behalf of Audit Committee of a public technology company.
- Led internal investigations for two national non-profit organizations concerning personal conduct of board members.
- Successful defense of a faculty member in Title IX hearing, resulting in a finding of not responsible.
- Ongoing representation of Fortune 50 technology company in pre-litigation analyses of commercial contract and employee disputes.
- Successful representation of Big Four accounting firm in SEC investigation related to audits of an energy company, resulting in no action taken against the firm or its auditors.
- Successful representation of Big Four accounting firm in a two-year PCAOB investigation related to audits of a lending company, resulting in no action taken against the firm or its auditors.
- Representation of national accounting firm in successful resolution of professional liability cases involving audits of a health insurance company and an employee benefit plan.
- Representation of Big Four accounting firm in successful resolution of professional liability cases involving audits of funds invested in healthcare receivables.
- Successful representation of national accounting firm in defense of professional liability claims arising from audits of funds invested in the Petters Ponzi scheme, including prevailing at summary judgment against ~$1 billion claim brought by funds’ bankruptcy trustee and defeating two investor suits at the motion-to-dismiss stage.
- Representation of Fortune 50 healthcare company in successful resolution of securities class action litigation involving ~$900M in alleged damages.
- Successful defense of several interdealer brokers in disputes with their former employer in series of FINRA arbitrations.
- Successful defense of technology company in JAMS arbitration involving alleged violations of trademark agreement, resulting in judgment in favor of client on all claims and an award of attorney’s fees, following full merits trial.
- Successful representation of Big Four accounting firm in appeal of trial verdict in which the jury had found liability to a non-client arising from an audit.