Katherine Smith Dedrick is an experienced commercial litigator, arbitrator and the co-founder of a domestic and international disaster and insurance consulting company based in the US and Asia Pacific (Sold in 2016). She has handled hundreds of complex commercial matters in the US and other countries (both common and civil law). Her experience includes commercial contracts, business disputes, insurance coverage (all lines), reinsurance, construction, and bad faith.
Katherine has significant arbitration experience both as a party representative and neutral. As a party representative, she was lead counsel on complex insurance, reinsurance, environmental, and other contract matters. As a neutral she has been a panel member in complex commercial financial disputes, and a sole arbitrator in property insurance, commercial business, and consumer matters. Katherine is an arbitrator with the AAA and FINRA, and a Fellow and immediate past Chair of the North American Branch (NAB) of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Ciarb). As Chair of NAB, Katherine oversaw the education and training of the NAB’s members in international arbitration and she is an instructor of international arbitration for NAB’s Accelerated Route to Fellowship course.
In addition to her law degree, Katherine earned an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business studying in the U.S., Spain, and Singapore. Currently the Managing Member of KSD Law LLC, Katherine was an equity partner at a large US law firm where she served on its management committee and as chair of numerous other committees. She is also an independent trustee for an asset management company. Katherine spent considerable time living and working in the Asia Pacific with Australian joint venture partners, prior to the sale of the consulting company.