In conversation with Katie Jahnke Dale

Enhancing the Skills of Women<br> Lawyers in Nepal
In conversion with Katie Jahnke Dale

Katie Jahnke Dale is an associate in DLA Piper Chicago’s real estate practice, focusing her practice in the areas of land use and zoning, public-private financing and community and economic development. Katie was part of the inaugural class of Krantz fellows working exclusively on pro bono matters during her first year and has participated in New Perimeter projects relating to Nepal, Colombia and North Korea.

Katie was part of a team of women lawyers from DLA Piper that travelled to Nepal to provide continuing legal education to a group of 30 female lawyers in Kathmandu. The team facilitated a two-day workshop on ethics and professional responsibility and a four-day workshop on business ethics and corporate and commercial law. The team co-taught with local lawyers and professors from the Nepal Bar Association and included a one-day workshop on challenges unique to women lawyers. The partnership was part of a broader initiative to support female lawyers in Nepal by providing mentorship, ongoing training and financial support to increase their skills, confidence and opportunities for advancement within the predominately male legal and justice sectors in Nepal.

Katie also helped teach two courses on pro bono to law students and the legal community at universities in Bogotá, Colombia six months apart through a partnership with Fundación Pro Bono Colombia, the only pro bono organization and clearinghouse in the country, and the Universidad del Rosario. In Colombia, Katie saw law students’ enthusiasm and passion for helping others in their country and the implementation of pro bono programs.

As one of two inaugural Krantz Fellows, Katie divided her time between the firm's national signature project, Advancing Education’s Promise, which seeks to improve educational outcomes for children, and New Perimeter. Katie contributed to the North Korea Access to Justice Project and teamed with international human rights firm Perseus Strategies to prepare and submit a petition to the special procedures of the United Nations Human Rights Council calling for the United Nations to investigate North Korea’s vast gulag system.

In Chicago, Katie continues her pro bono work by making an impact locally. She worked with the Civic Consulting Alliance to publish a report, “Data-Sharing to Reduce Violence” which led Chicago Public Schools and partner organizations to launch the first student data-sharing effort with nonprofit youth-serving organizations with the goal of improving outcomes for Chicago’s schoolchildren.

“Katie has been an enormous asset to New Perimeter and to the firm as a whole,” said Sara Andrews, Assistant Director of New Perimeter. “The training teams in Colombia and Nepal benefited greatly from her energy, experience and enthusiasm.”

"Katie’s experience is the perfect choice for projects like this,” said Lisa Dewey, Director of New Perimeter. “The impact of Katie’s work on New Perimeter projects is seen also in her role as a role model for our younger associates.”

About Katie Jahnke Dale

Katie is a partner in DLA Piper's Chicago office.

Full bio

"While I feel very lucky to work at a firm with such a robust and established pro bono program, teaching about pro bono in a legal community where the idea is relatively new and developing has allowed me to take a step back and realize how extraordinary and important pro bono work is."