Katheleen Ehrhart is a Partner in the Litigation Practice of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP and Head of the Chicago Reinsurance/Insurance Group. She was a Partner at Freeborn & Peters, which combined with SGR in 2023.
First and foremost, Ms. Ehrhart is a litigator and has tried cases and arbitrations in federal and state courts throughout the United States. As one client has described, “Kathy is a superb litigator . . . She is one of the best litigators I have worked with. She is very intuitive and knows how to get the most out of a witness.” Another client has similarly explained, “(Kathy’s) cross-examinations are strict and unfaltering, and she irritates counterparties with her thorough preparation.” In this role, Ms. Ehrhart represents a variety of individuals, corporations, business and professional firms. She is well-versed in and enjoys representing both the Davids and Goliaths of the world.
She has extensive experience working with executives, senior management, and in-house counsel of corporations in managing litigation as well as advising on litigation risks and strategy. Clients also rely on Ms. Ehrhart for her talent in working with experts, in particular with damages modeling and bringing together the necessary links between mathematics and the law.
Her areas of focus include complex commercial litigation with particular emphasis on reinsurance and insurance arbitrations, restrictive covenant cases, class actions, antitrust, accountant liability, employment and breach of contract claims.
Ms. Ehrhart leads SGR’s Reinsurance team and previously co-led the Insurance Brokerage Team. Before joining Freeborn, Ms. Ehrhart was a Partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP focusing on similar matters.
Ms. Ehrhart earned her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, graduating with honors. She earned her B.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she received the Broadcast Journalism 1997 Bronze Tablet (designating Highest Honors – Top 3%).
Member, Trial Network
Author, “Careful What You Wish For: Defending Mass Arbitrations,” Dispute Resolution Journal (September 2024)
Speaker, “Bankruptcies and the Runoff Market”, AIRROC Chicago Regional Education Day (June 6, 2024)
Speaker, “Claims: It’s A Jungle Out There,” IRLA Congress (May 14, 2024)
Speaker, “Careful What You Wish For: Defending Against Mass Arbitrations,” The Trial Network Spring Symposium (April 2024)
Speaker, “Litigating Arbitration Matters: Is Arbitration Really Alternative Dispute Resolution or a Path to More Expensive Litigation?”, The Trial Network Fall Symposium (November 2023)
Speaker, “Droughts and Wildfires, Floods and Hurricanes – California and Florida Property Insurance Markets Run Amok,” AIRROC Legacy Transactions and Networking Forum (October 16, 2023)
Co-Author, “Boland and Ehrhart Share Key Takeaways from First Virtual Bench Hearing in Cook County,” Powerhouse Points – A Quarterly Litigation Update (Fall 2020).
Guest, Legal Rebels Podcast, “Bench trial by video? This lawyer says it went better than expected” ABA Journal (August 19, 2020).
Speaker, “Wading into Flood Insurance,” AIRROC Chicago Regional Education Day (June 12, 2018).
Speaker, Women in Law & Leadership Summit: Chicago (June 6, 2018).
“Policing the Workforce and Litigating Employment cases in the High Tech Era of Social Networking, Blogging and Texting,” Chicago Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Committee.
Co-Author, “To Arbitrate or to not Arbitrate—That is the Question,” Bench & Bar Newsletter, Illinois State Bar Association, Vol. 47, No. 11 (June 2017).
Speaker, “Head Injuries and Sports: Emerging Claims Issues,” AIRROC Membership Meeting (March 2013).
