Katherine L. Taylor, Attorney and CPA
Katherine founded Taylor Legal after serving for 10 years as Senior Assistant
County Solicitor for Howard County Government, and 7 years as a commercial litigator at Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, a premier law firm in Baltimore, Maryland. She grew up in North Carolina and earned a B.S. in Accounting with honors from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. After graduating college, Katherine took the CPA exam and became a licensed CPA the same year she started law school at the University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore, Maryland, from which she graduated with honors.
Katherine is an adjunct professor in the Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Clinic at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law. She oversees student attorneys who represent business owners and businesses who are "real" clients of the clinic.
Katherine also has a life outside of work -- she has two daughters, a husband, a stepdaughter and stepson, a rescue mutt and a fondness for running, yoga, decorating, gardening and photography.
Responsibilities
Katherine represents business owners who want to protect their ownership in their company by being able see the overall picture and provide sound legal advice to get the client where they want to be. Katherine has a knack for being able to understand her client's needs, and then negotiate and write killer contracts that include what the client wants. Her unique ability to translate legal ease into understandable English has won over many a client. She will take the time to make sure her clients get what's going on and tries never to talk over their heads. Client success is her aim at all times.
Responsible for the overall management of Taylor Legal, Katherine's day-to-day duties range from working with clients to overseeing staff. But, because Taylor Legal's staff is so awesome, that part of the job is a breeze.
For Fun
You may see Katherine shooting (with a camera) images around town as her passion is photography – primarily street and landscape photography.
For exercise, she alternates between running and yoga and would rather be outside than anywhere else. Always one who enjoys a challenge, Katherine learned the American crawl five years ago to compete in her first sprint triathlon and completed her third half marathon - the 2019 Baltimore Running Festival -- before COVID-19 upended life as we knew it. She's looking forward to training for the 2023 Baltimore half marathon which takes place in October 2023.
What you probably do not know
- Learned the 26 code words in the NATO phonetic alphabet on a 7-hour drive to stave off boredom.
- Loved sweet tea before sweet tea was cool. (She is a native Southerner.)
- Was an avid slalom water skier when growing up.
- Is a grammar nerd who cannot tolerate rogue apostrophe use.
- Will not eat Balsamic vinegar, as she believes anything that derives from grapes and ferments in wood barrels should be in a wine glass and not on salad.
- Once had 2 female cats named after pro football players (Charley Taylor and Archie Griffin).
- Her great, great grandfather was the mayor of Littleton, Colorado in the 1850s.
Education
- University of Maryland School of Law, Baltimore, MD
Juris Doctor, with honors, 1986 - University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
Bachelor of Science in Accounting, cum laude, 1981
Admitted to Practice
- All Maryland Courts
- U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
- Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
- United States Supreme Court
Professional and Business Association Memberships
- Super Lawyers, 2023
- American Bar Association
- American Association of Attorney – Certified Public Accountants
- Maryland State Bar Association
- Howard County Bar Association
- Women's Bar Association for Maryland (Former Board Member)
- Howard County Women's Bar Association (Past President, 2009-2010)
- Howard County Chamber of Commerce
- Maryland Chamber of Commerce
Recent Blog Posts
[VIDEO] CTA Part 3 — When Must You File a Report to Comply with the Corporate Transparency Act?
[VIDEO] What Companies Are Exempted from BOI Reporting?
[VIDEO] CTA Part 2 — What is a Reporting Company and Who Must Comply?
[VIDEO] Three Groups Required to Comply with Corporate Transparency Act (CTA)
Community Associations Need a Lawyer. Here's Why.
Recommendations
- “Katherine was excellent to work with during the process of her drafting an Operating Agreement for our newly-formed LLC. She took the time to understand our needs, the nature of our business, and worked with us to ensure that all of our questions were answered. She provided what was agreed to in...
- In all of the above evaluation categories, Katherine Taylor has excelled. Since I have known her, she has represented citizens who have serious concerns involving decisions made by powerful people in Howard County. - Angie, a Appeals client (5 star review)
- Katherine helped me set up several companies as well as prepared different types of business contracts for our company over the years. She understands the challenges of small business owners and made handling legal issues as painless as possible. She is professional, thorough and highly efficient...
- Ms. Taylor is a very responsive, knowledgeable attorney. Our company has used her services for years. - Yvonne M. Rawleigh, a Business client (5 star review)
- Katherine Taylor was very professional, knowledgeable, and expedient in crafting my real estate contract, and indispensable for representing my best intertests in a successful transaction. I would not hesitate in using her services again or recommending her to a colleague. TW - TW, a Real Estate...
- Ms. Taylor ushered a real estate transaction through the labyrinth of Howard County government for me. She was well informed, highly communicative, professional, and prompt. There was no downside to working with her, only positive. - Doug, a Real Estate client (5 star review)
- Katherine provided me with peace of mind by drawing up a couple of legal documents for my business. She is easy to work with, a great listener, and an excellent writer. Her services are invaluable. - A Business Client (5 star review)
- I needed a contract to use with independent contractors in my business. Katherine got the job done quickly. The contract she developed is great. I enjoyed working with her. - Sharon, a Contracts client (5 star review)
- Working with and hiring Katherine has been the best legal decision I have ever made! She not only has a wide range of expertise regarding legal matters, but is willing to go above and beyond expectations to deliver excellent service. I highly recommend Katherine to anybody looking for legal help....
- Katherine did a great job from beginning to end. She is very knowledgeable and helpful. I didnt know the process and she walked me through it and answered any and all questions I had. I would hire her again and recommend her to anyone and feel very confiident. Of all the people I spoke to in this...
- Katherine really gives that feel of a small town lawyer that really cared about our issue. She spent a lot of time assessing our circumstances to determine the steps required to move toward a resolution and we were highly appreciative of her expertise. - Adam, Business Client (5 star review)
- “Katherine Taylor was very professional, knowledgeable, and expedient in crafting my real estate contract, and indispensable for representing my best interests in a successful transaction. I would not hesitate in using her services again or recommending her to a colleague.” Posted on Mar 15, 201...
- “Katherine provided me with peace of mind by drawing up a couple of legal documents for my business. She is easy to work with, a great listener, and an excellent writer. Her services are invaluable.” Posted on Mar 13, 2016- Business Contracts Client (5 star review)
- "Star attorney, patient and thorough. I would work with her again!" Upcounsel Client- Posted on June 26, 2019
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Founder and Former Managing Partner of the law firm of Shapiro, Zwanetz & Lake
I highly recommend the services of Katherine Taylor and her wonderful staff! I have known Katherine for over 30 years, although as attorneys, our paths never professionally crossed because we concentrate our client services in different practice areas. However, I knew that she enjoyed a stellar r...