Katerine Lopez is an accomplished trial attorney with more than a decade of experience defending individuals facing criminal charges in South Florida. Before entering private practice, she spent twelve years with the Broward County Public Defender’s Office, where she rose to Chief Assistant Public Defender. Throughout her career, Katerine has represented more than 2,500 clients in matters ranging from misdemeanors and juvenile offenses to serious felonies and homicides.
A Trial Lawyer at Her Core
Katerine has served as lead counsel in thousands of criminal cases and completed dozens of jury trials. Her courtroom success has earned her three separate “Hat Trick Awards” from the Broward Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys in 2015, 2018, and 2026, recognizing three consecutive Not Guilty jury verdicts within a calendar year.
Her approach to criminal defense is grounded in meticulous preparation, command of the evidence, and the willingness to take a case to trial when the circumstances demand it.
Forensic Evidence & Complex Litigation
Katerine has particular experience litigating cases involving complex scientific and forensic evidence. She established and led the Broward Public Defender’s Forensic Unit, where she handled complex forensic cases and trained other attorneys on the analysis and litigation of forensic evidence. She has also lectured at continuing legal education programs on legal forensics, primarily in forensic DNA identification.
Katerine now makes that experience available to law firms and private attorneys handling cases involving complex forensic evidence, providing forensic consultation and litigation support.
Teaching the Next Generation of Trial Lawyers
In addition to her full-time legal career, Katerine is also an Adjunct Professor at St. Thomas University College of Law, where she teaches Trial Advocacy Practice. She also coaches the law school’s nationally recognized Mock Trial Team and has helped lead competition teams to five regional and national championships over a six-year period.
Katerine earned her B.A. in Psychology, with a minor in Biology, from Hofstra University in her hometown of New York, and her J.D., cum laude, from St. Thomas University College of Law, where she served as a staff editor of the St. Thomas Law Review. She is also a graduate of Leadership Broward, Class XLII, where she earned two awards for her community service work with Broward youth.
Proud of her Hispanic heritage, Katerine is fully bilingual in English and Spanish, allowing her to communicate directly with clients and their families in either language and effectively assist in multilingual projects, including those with clients that are facing collateral legal consequences in immigration court, stemming from their criminal cases.