The Daily Transcript recently selected Montage Legal Group’s Kate Mayer Mangan as one of San Diego’s best “Young Attorneys” of 2011. See The Daily Transcript for Kate’s full profile, or see below. Congratulations Kate! Kate Mayer Mangan is a litigator who specializes in civil appeals. She recently founded her own firm, which handles all aspects of appellate litigation. She is also a member of Montage Legal Group, a network of experienced freelance attorneys.
Mangan obtained her juris doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center, graduating magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, and in the top 1 percent of her class of almost 700 students.
At Georgetown, she was an executive editor of The Georgetown Law Journal and also taught legal research and writing to other law students. Mangan obtained her bachelor’s, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, in American studies from Pomona College.
After graduating from Georgetown, Mangan clerked for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and then she was a trial attorney for the United States Department of Justice in the Environmental Enforcement Section.
Before starting her own firm, Mangan was a litigator in the San Diego office of Latham & Watkins, where she specialized in appellate, municipal and labor/employment law. She drafted numerous motions and briefs, including three successful demurrers in litigation valued at more than $300 million, and a successful motion for summary adjudication eliminating a multimillion dollar punitive damage claim.
She also argued numerous motions — including one that resulted in obtaining more than $4 million in attorneys’ fees — and she has participated in trials. She briefed and argued a Ninth Circuit appeal that resulted in a published opinion in her client’s favor.
In 2008, Mangan was named one of the best “Young Attorneys” in San Diego by The Daily Transcript.
Mangan is dedicated to giving back to the community. She founded and taught the Appellate Litigation Clinic at the University of San Diego School of Law, which provides law students with the opportunity to litigate pro bono appeals in the Ninth Circuit. Mangan also conducted a free seminar called “How to Win an Appeal,” which she presented to the San Diego City Attorney’s Office.
Of all her accomplishments, Mangan is most proud of one of her pro bono successes: She obtained asylum for a woman who had been tortured and suffered through two incompetent attorneys. For her pro bono work, Mangan has twice received the Wiley W. Manual Certificate for Pro Bono Legal Services.
She is currently working on a project to start a self-help clinic for unrepresented litigants with appeals in state court.
An Academic All American swimmer, Mangan continues to be active and enjoys open water swimming, yoga and backpacking. She is a member of the San Diego County Bar Appellate Court Committee, San Diego Lawyers’ Club and is an alumnus of the Welsh Inn of Court.