Katelyn Dornburg Edwards

Partner

Katelyn Dornburg Edwards (Kate) realized the career path she wanted to follow early in life. While in high school, Kate assisted the women in her family as they worked to care for her grandmother. She saw firsthand the emotional and physical toll this experience can have on a family. Through this experience, she learned of the importance of having an advocate, which strengthened her desire to become one herself. She knew she wanted to focus on law and nursing home abuse cases. Her goal is to take the burden of substandard care and legal claims off the family’s plate so they can focus on caring for their loved one.

Kate attended Allegheny College for her undergraduate degree before receiving her Juris Doctor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. After serving as a law clerk during her second and third years of law school, she accepted a position as an attorney with Robert Peirce & Associates in 2014. In addition to nursing home abuse cases, Kate handles civil rights, medical malpractice, sexual assault, and personal injury claims. In addition, she takes on institutional sex assault cases involving sexual abuses that occur in facilities like nursing homes, hospitals, and schools. Along with her license in Pennsylvania, Kate is also licensed to practice in West Virginia.

Kate is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. In 2021, Kate was named Top 40 Under 40 Civil Trial Attorney. She is a member of the American Association for Justice (AAJ), Pennsylvania Association for Justice (PAJ), Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association (WPTLA), and the Allegheny County Bar Association. She is currently a board member of the Pittsburgh Pro-Bono Partnership. Kate is a volunteer attorney with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, working on exonerations of wrongfully accused Pennsylvania inmates serving life sentences or facing execution. She also handles volunteer protection from abuse (PFA) issues for domestic violence victims in Allegheny County through Neighborhood Legal Services.

Kate grew up in Pittsburgh’s North Hills, where she now lives with her husband, Adam, and their children, Hunter and Charlotte. She and Adam enjoy running, now with a jogging stroller in tow. Kate also enjoys spending time outside with her kids.
 

Education

• University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • J.D., 2014
  • Law Review: Pittsburgh Tax Review, Research Editor, 2012-2014
• Allegheny College, Meadville, Pennsylvania
  • B.A., History, 2011

Bar Admissions

• Pennsylvania, 2014
• West Virginia, 2015
• U.S. District Court Western District of Pennsylvania, 2015
• U.S. District Court Southern District of West Virginia, 2015
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 3^rd Circuit, 2019

Honors and Awards

• Top 40 Under 40 Civil Trial Attorneys, 2021
• University of Pittsburgh School of Law Women's Association, Vice President, 2012

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Pittsburgh Pro-Bono Partnership, Board Member, 2024 - Present
• American Association for Justice (AAJ), Member, 2014 - Present
• Pennsylvania Association for Justice (PAJ), Member, 2014 - Present
• Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association (WPTLA), Member, 2014 - Present
• Allegheny County Bar Association, Member, 2014 – Present
• Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Member, 2019
• Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Member, 2019