Katherine A. Dornelas

Katherine A. Dornelas focuses her practice on family law and criminal defense. She represents individuals and families through some of life’s most challenging legal matters, providing thoughtful guidance, practical advice, and strong courtroom advocacy from the outset of a case through its resolution.

Katherine has experience representing clients in divorce, child custody, child support, guardianship, juvenile, and criminal matters. She has handled all phases of litigation, including discovery, depositions, contested hearings, mediations, settlement negotiations, and trials. Katherine enjoys working closely with her clients to develop practical strategies while advocating effectively on their behalf both in and out of the courtroom.

Earlier in her career, Katherine represented both children and parents in child protection and juvenile delinquency proceedings and served as a Guardian ad Litem in family court, conducting independent investigations, making recommendations to the court regarding children’s best interests, and appearing regularly in hearings and trials.

Katherine is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association’s Child Welfare and Juvenile Law Section and previously served on the Section’s Executive Committee and as its Legislative Liaison.

Katherine earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law, where she was a University of Connecticut Scholar, a Class of 1978 Scholar, a Neil Jaffee ’74 Public Interest Law Group Fellow, and a Justice in Our Community Fellow. She was also a member of the Connecticut Law Review. She received her Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, in Psychology with a minor in Political Science from Clark University.

Katherine is admitted to practice before the Connecticut state courts and the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut.

Areas Of Practice

• Family
• Criminal
• Litigation

Bar Admissions

• Connecticut
• U.S. District Court District of Connecticut, Connecticut

Education

• University of Connecticut School of Law, Hartford, CT
  • J.D. – 2017
• Clark University, Worcester, MA
  • B.A. – 2014
  • Honors: magna cum laude

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Connecticut Bar Association, Member
• Connecticut Bar Association, Former Executive Committee Member and Legislative Liaison.
• Simsbury Regional Bar