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Kathy J. Owen

Kathy Owen Brown

Of Counsel
About

Kathy Brown is an experienced litigator who focuses her practice on complex litigation matters. Kathy's practice includes pharmaceutical, medical device and product liability mass tort litigation.

Kathy spends significant amount of her practice helping national and international clients navigate all phases of electronic discovery, foreign data privacy regulations and information management. Kathy also works with clients on integrating legal and eDiscovery processes during mergers and acquisitions.

Kathy's pharmaceutical and medical device experience includes cases involving pharmaceutical products, consumer health products and medical devices. Her mass tort and product liability experience also includes cases involving chemical exposure and crop science products. Kathy has served as national discovery counsel in several matters, including MDL proceedings.

Bar admissionsColoradoDistrict of ColumbiaTexas
CourtsUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fifth CircuitUnited States District Court for the District of ColoradoUnited States District Court for the Western District of TexasUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of TexasUnited States District Court for the Southern District of TexasUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Texas

EXPERIENCE

  • Evaluated information technology structure and developed legal hold procedures and training for national and international companies
  • Prepared company 30(b)(6) witnesses on information technology and electronic discovery issues
  • Analysis of proprietary databases and prepare strategy for production of data to regulators and litigants
  • Managed the international and domestic preservation, collection, and processing of electronic and paper documents for pharmaceutical clients as national coordinating counsel
  • Managed the collection, review, and production of company databases for various pharmaceutical companies as national coordinating counsel
  • Analyze data locations, legal hold procedures and preservation of companies involved in mergers and acquisitions to determine and document the best merging of systems while insuring no loss of data required to be preserved
  • Obtained a dismissal with prejudice, based upon no causation evidence, in a case involving allegations of damages from ingestion of a pharmaceutical product
Education
  • J.D., Baylor University School of Law
  • B.B.A., Baylor University

Awards

  • Supreme Court of Texas, Board of Disciplinary Appeals (2000-2006, 2008-2014) (Vice Chairman 2005-2006)
  • State Bar of Texas, District 6A Grievance Committee (1996-2000)
  • Texas Diversity Council's Dallas Top 50 Women Lawyers (2018)

Pro Bono

Kathy is a member of the North American Pro Bono committee. She has been fortunate to have worked on a wide range of pro bono matters including staffing pro bono clinics, assisting the North Texas Food Bank, and helping a minor child and young adult get name changes.

Kathy has been part of the team working with the IAWJ, an independent organization made up of judges from around the world, and the Afghan Support Committee to help the organization's more than 250 Afghan members, who faced grave danger following the Taliban's takeover of the country. Kathy assisted this team who worked to help these judges safely resettle.

Kathy also served through New Perimeter, DLA Piper's nonprofit affiliate dedicated to global pro bono projects, to help the Attorney Bar Association of Kosovo reestablish a disciplinary system. After Kosovo's declaration of independence from Yugoslavia, its legal system was decimated. Kathy was able to draw from her twelve years of experience of serving on the Texas Board of Disciplinary Appeals to help write ethical rules and disciplinary procedures for the Kosovo Bar. She also led “train the trainer” sessions to teach the local attorneys how to conduct CLE seminars for the attorneys in Kosovo.

Insight Overview

Kathy is a frequent speaker and instructor on issues relating to legal ethics, eDiscovery, social media and data privacy.

Publications

  • Co-author of "Privilege Waiver, Federal Rule of Evidence 502, and Clawback/Sneak Peek Agreements," Chapter 12 and author of "Ethical Issues in E-Discovery," Chapter 19 of Essentials of E-Discovery, published by the State Bar of Texas, 2021 (2nd Edition), 2014 (1st Edition) (Chapters 10 and 17)
  • "Mergers and Acquisitions: Integrating Processes While Minimizing Disruptions," ILTAnet.org Blog, July 17, 2020 
  • "The Cloud: Not Cirrus but Quite Serious," Texas Lawyer, January 28, 2013
  • "Designing, Implementing, Maintaining and Releasing Legal Holds," DLA Piper E-Discovery Alert, November 5, 2012 (co-author)
  • "US Discovery Reaching across Borders," For the Defense, July 2012 (co-author)

Seminars

  • The Preservation Challenge – Complex Issues in eDiscovery, Paralegal Division of the State Bar of Texas (Frisco, TX, September 27, 2023)
  • Lead Moderator, Today’s General Counsel Institute's - e-Discovery for the Corporate Market Conference, "The Exchange" (London, April 8-9, 2014; Houston, TX, September 9-10, 2014; Seattle, WA, October 7-8, 2014; Houston, TX, September 10-11, 2015; Chicago, IL, June 13-14, 2016; Houston, TX, September 12-13, 2016; Seattle, WA, October 5-6, 2016; Chicago, IL, June 6-7, 2017; Houston, TX, November 29-30, 2017; Chicago, IL, June 13-14, 2018; New York, NY, July 17-18, 2018; Houston, TX, September 25-26, 2018; Seattle, WA, November 8, 2018)
  • Panelist, Hot Topics in E-Discovery, Sandpiper Panthers (Dallas, TX, September 14, 2018)
  • Ethical Considerations in Cloud Computing, Association of Corporate Counsel (Dallas, September 12, 2017)
  • Panelist, Innovation in E-Discovery Conference, Sandpiper Partners (Houston, TX, June 16, 2015)
Webinars
  • Speaker, Baylor Law Roundtable: Managing Discovery & Digital Evidence in 2021: Views from the Bench & Bar, Baylor Law Executive LL.M. in Litigation Management (November 17, 2021)
  • Speaker, The Preservation Challenge – Complex and Ethical Legal Hold Issues , DLA Piper Webinar (May 7, 2021)
  • Speaker, Ethics and eDiscovery Webinar, DLA Piper Webinar (November 10, 2020)
  • Speaker, "E-Discovery Implications of Social Networking Sites," DLA Piper Webinar, (June 8, 2010)
  • Speaker, "Social Media and Your Data - To Whom Does It Belong?," DLA Piper Webinar (January 2010)

Civic and Charitable

  • Attorneys Serving the Community
  • First Baptist Church of Dallas, Adult Sunday School Teacher, 2nd Monday Professional Women's Luncheon Coordinator, By-Laws Committee, Legal Resource Committee, and Board Ministry Team
  • First Dallas Media, Inc./KCBI 90.9 Radio Station – Board of Directors, Finance Committee Chair
  • Homeward Bound, Inc., Co-coordinator for Clothes Drives and Volunteer Projects

Memberships And Affiliations

  • American Bar Association
  • Texas Bar Foundation
  • Dallas Bar Association
  • State Bar of Texas
  • State Bar of Colorado
  • District of Columbia Bar

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