Katherine L. Oaks

Beyond her litigation practice, Katherine represents companies and individuals in enforcement actions and government investigations, involving allegations of fraud, bribery, money laundering, and other crimes under Title 18, the False Claims Act, the Bank Secrecy Act, and criminal violations of federal environmental laws including the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and state equivalents. She has guided clients through grand jury and civil investigations involving the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, state Attorney General Offices, and state administrative agencies. Across these areas, she brings the same command of complex regulatory frameworks and tenacious advocacy that defines her consumer financial services practice.

Before joining Ballard Spahr, Katherine served as a public defender at the Defender Association of Philadelphia, defending clients in criminal trials in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. That courtroom experience—thinking on her feet, cross-examining witnesses, and persuading decision makers in high-pressure proceedings—is a foundation she draws on daily in her consumer class action and enforcement work.