Katina Thornock always wanted to be a lawyer. At around age 10, she was given a briefcase as a present. She has a picture of herself proudly carrying that briefcase, full of solutions. She was ready to go.
Katina was raised by her grandparents here in the Northwest. Hers was the only Black family in an all-white neighborhood. Her grandfather was a Baptist minister. Her grandmother was the “first lady” of the church. Faith was always a strong component of her family’s life.
Her grandfather passed away from ALS when she was 7 years old. The family then had to rely on public assistance, including food stamps, to survive.
“Without that safety net, I wouldn’t be here talking to you right now. It was a necessary component of our livelihood, and it was a bridge to help us survive and to help me ultimately get to where I am today. It was an investment this country made in me. And I have worked very, very hard to repay that investment.”1
Her heroes were leaders in the civil rights movement, including Thurgood Marshall. As a youth, she saw the law as a way to advocate for something meaningful and to help others.
After graduating from the University of Washington with majors in political science and English, she interned with Senator Patty Murray in Washington, D.C. She then managed the office of Congresswoman Anna Eshoo.
Katina returned to the Pacific Northwest to attend law school at Seattle University. She loved the intellectual pursuit of the study of law.
Forging a Path
She put herself through law school, juggling her studies with full-time work, which included being invited by Starbucks to stay on for a year in its corporate legal office after a summer internship.
Her first job out of law school was as a deputy prosecuting attorney in King and Pierce counties. Of this work, she said, “You’ve got a docket and you go. You have to learn to come up to speed very quickly. It was a great exercise in getting prepared and being ready for the unknown.”
She continued her litigation career in private practice at both Reed McClure and Cozen O’Connor. She had several strong women mentors who were attorney shareholders. Once, when Katina was nervous before a deposition, one of her Reed McClure mentors told her, “Stand up for yourself. It’s OK to be you. Don’t let those old guys walk all over you. You know the material. You know the craft. Now go do it.”2 And Katina did, defending a wide variety of civil claims and managing high-exposure multi-party commercial and coverage disputes.
That experience of the importance of strong mentorship stayed with her, because she understood that “good feedback is a part of servant leadership. It helps you become a better leader.”3 Katina was developing her own approach to servant leadership, grounded in service both to organizations and people.
I asked who her role models were as a young attorney. “I don’t know that I had any,” she replied. “I was just trying to learn as fast as I could to be the best I could be.”
She stayed connected with colleagues from her time in the legal department at Starbucks during law school and returned to an in-house counsel role there in 2009. Her decision was motivated by a goal to be on the inside of an organization, to be a strategic business adviser, and to lead people. “I wanted to be embedded in a mission-driven organization.”
As a member of the Starbucks litigation team, she participated in developing the Starbucks litigation philosophy. “We were hyper-focused on doing the right thing by our customers and partners. And I loved that.” She eventually led the entire litigation team as Managing Director, Corporate Counsel.
She was also developing as a business advisor, identifying and proactively mitigating risk, supporting management, and advising global store operations, communications, supply chain, and marketing groups. One of her key corporate clients was the Starbucks real estate group. In advising that group, she participated in corporate decisions about design, construction, and safety. The work was about making the stores more accessible and improving customer and partner safety. For example, she spearheaded an effort to lower the handoff planes at Starbucks stores nationally to improve accessibility for customers with disabilities.
That led to serving four years on the Board of Directors of Disability Rights Advocates, encouraging other organizations to be more accessible to the public.4
She also assisted in developing a companywide diversity training program at Starbucks following a high-profile race discrimination incident in a Philadelphia outlet.
Responding to Change
In 2019, Katina lost her mother to cancer. She was struck with the excellent care her mother had received at a renowned health care facility in Texas and began to consider a professional future in the health care space.
After 11 years at Starbucks, she transitioned to Providence St. Joseph Health, one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the nation. Its mission of caring for the poor and vulnerable resonated with her. She took on the development of a centralized litigation function, handled corporate governance and regulatory matters, and became a key corporate advisor.5
This was fast-paced work. “Was it stressful?” I asked.
“Stress is part of what occurs in the legal business. If you’re not occasionally stressed out as a lawyer, then you’re not doing it right. I don’t mean every moment has to be stressful. But when you’re in a highly regulated environment, you’ve got elected officials and regulatory authorities making inquiries of you. You may have serious disputes presenting reputational risk, for example, that are necessarily impactful. There are so many issues that are much larger than what the public sees.”
As a member of the legal department’s leadership team, she helped ensure that “what we were doing was aligned with the larger business objectives of the organization. Are we defending the organization with integrity, consistent with our mission and values?” In terms of staff leadership, she looked for opportunities to develop their strengths.
Her efforts did not go unnoticed. In 2024, she received an award from ALM Corporate Counsel’s “Women, Influence & Power in Law” for her legal operations work.6 The nomination was, in part, a recognition of her relational leadership in working with outside counsel.
“One of the things I frequently consider when I hire outside counsel is incorporating them as part of the extended team. They need to understand the business and its mission and values. The more outside counsel understands an organization, the better the quality of representation will be. What you’re fighting for is going to be ingrained in you.”
Building a Philosophy
To say Katina Thornock’s rise in the in-house counsel world has been meteoric, and her achievements monumental, would be an understatement.
Late in 2024, after working continuously since she was age 14, Katina had reached what she calls a “career inflection point. I needed to take some time to think about my life and my career trajectory. We have moments where we need to take a step back or reevaluate — to try to have perspective and remember. And we don’t always take the best care of ourselves. That’s a really hard thing to do in this profession.”
Thus, she left Providence to take time for some reflection.
Ironically, she was shortly thereafter offered a limited assignment, which she accepted, to enhance legal operations, risk management, and compliance programs at Pacific Market International, the umbrella company of the renowned Stanley brand.
What will her next career move be? Katina will be seeking a leadership role in a mission- and values-based organization in which the importance of servant leadership is understood and demonstrated each day. It will be a role in which she honors and lives in fidelity to her truest self — a leader who articulates a vision (even and especially in trying times), creates unity, and values and empowers those around her.
“I’m a relational leader who really thrives on identifying the strengths of the people with whom I work, and places them in paths of opportunity. It is important to me to see my team thrive. I do not have any ego around uplifting others and shining a light on the accomplishments of my team members and colleagues. I want my team members to shine, because if they shine, we all shine. I’ve been so blessed. I love seeing people succeed.
“I want to support an organization where I can employ my legal abilities and acumen, and help ensure the well-being of the people in the organization while employing smart strategies to improve operational and commercial outcomes. That’s not easy to do. But when you’re relational, when you know your people, when you care, when you’ve articulated a vision, when you check in, when you execute in alignment with that vision, and pivot when you need to, the people and the organization will succeed.”
I asked Katina what her proudest moments as an attorney have been. “It’s when I can bring something to a successful resolution, and my client is satisfied. When I have delivered great value.”
In life, Katina says her proudest moments have been in her family, raising her three sons, and “being in a position to provide for and educate them well.”
I asked what her greatest challenges have been.
“It’s an interesting question, because I’m a Black woman. I’m a Black female attorney in America. So, every day is a challenge. We have to prove ourselves in ways that folks in the majority don’t necessarily have to, every single day. We have to navigate doubt and rise to the occasion in spite of it. We’re currently in a situation where the clock is being turned back rapidly, and what few gains we made towards equality are being erased.
“The challenge is, how do you continue to push forward against the cultural headwinds? And make sure you’re taking care of yourself, delivering excellent value, and still finding joy in the profession, despite it all?”
A good question, indeed. I asked how she does that.
“I practice gratitude. Coming from where I come from — my grandfather was the son of a sharecropper. My great-grandparents were enslaved. They were enslaved. So just three generations later, here I am, the manifestation of my ancestors’ wildest dreams.”
To other attorneys, she offers this advice: “Be true to yourself. Know who you are. Don’t try to be anybody else. That’s why I can’t even really think of who my role models are. I’ve just always tried to be the best version of me, and to be the leader I always wished I had.”
To new attorneys, she suggests: “Don’t be afraid to speak up; ask for an assignment, be curious. Advocate for yourself. Find your mentors and your sponsors. A mentor is someone you can go to for advice and counsel. A sponsor is going to speak about you and advocate for you in rooms of opportunity. They have the power to push your career forward.”
Katina considers herself an optimist, tinged with realism. “I have to believe that things are going to get better.”
For fun and relaxation, she loves exploration and learning about different cultures. Even in her travels, she discovers opportunities to shine a light on others. This is who she is and how she goes through life. It’s part of her essential nature.
We concluded our interview talking about Katina’s hopes and dreams: “I love being a lawyer. I feel very blessed to be able to do this for a living. I hope to continue being able to leverage my experience and expertise in innovative ways to help drive organizations forward. I’m excited about the possibilities.
“I want our profession to continue to grow and hold the line in support of the rule of law. I want to be a part of that.”
Helen Boyer counts herself fortunate to have worked at Cozen O’Connor with Katina Thornock. Currently, Ms. Boyer is engaged in advocacy to relieve homelessness.
1 The quotes from my interview with Ms. Thornock have been lightly edited.
2 For the whole story, listen to Jim Delkousis, Katina Thornock – Providence: How to Grab a Seat at the Table, Innovative Legal Leadership Podcast, The Persuit (Episode 57, May 12, 2022), https://podcasts.apple.com/
us/podcast/katina-thornock-providence-how-to-grab-a-seat-at-the-table/id1561049844?i=1000560714354.
3 Id.
4 She has served her community on the Boards of a number of nonprofits, including Seattle Children’s Theatre, Washington Alliance for Better Schools, New Beginnings, and the Seattle Central Community College Foundation.
5 See Joseph Pafundi, Katina Thornock — Providence St. Joseph Health, Empowering Change through Strategic Legal Leadership, Vanguard (April 2, 2025), https://magazine.vanguardlawmag.com/
html5/reader/production/default.aspx?pubname=&edid=98b9dada-
0af7-4b71-aae9-4987352db543.
6 American Lawyer Media, Women, Influence & Power in Law, 2024 Honorees, Awards Program (In-House Awards, Sept. 24, 2024), www.event.law.com/corpcounsel-wipl-awards/2024-honorees.
