Katie Clark Honored with the Michelle A. Mendez Award of Excellence
June 15, 2023
Financial Restructuring and Bankruptcy partner Katharine Clark is the 2023 recipient of the prestigious Michelle A. Mendez Award of Excellence from the State Bar of Texas’s Bankruptcy Law Section. The award celebrates individuals dedicated to expanding opportunities for women lawyers in bankruptcy practice.
Previously known as the Outstanding Service Award, the honor was renamed in 2014 and pays tribute to Michelle Mendez, a prominent Texas corporate restructurings, bankruptcy and commercial litigation lawyer – and an early mentor to Clark – who passed away in 2014.
“As a young lawyer, I was so impressed by Michelle’s poise, leadership, warmth, and dedication to advancing women in bankruptcy. It is very special to receive this award named for her and to join such a distinguished group of honorees,” Clark said of the honor.
The list of prior recipients includes Debbie Langehennig (2015), Deborah Williamson (2016), Judith Ross (2017), the Honorable Barbara Houser (2019), and Elizabeth Smith (2021).
At Thompson Coburn, Clark represents clients before bankruptcy courts, federal and state trial courts, arbitration panels and appellate courts nationwide. She routinely handles bankruptcy and insolvency litigation, including the representation of debtors, banks, court-appointed fiduciaries, and creditors in Chapter 11, 7, 15, and 13 bankruptcies.