Judge Katie Nichols Harrod Talks Law and Faith
Some could argue that she was born a lawyer. From childhood Katie Nichols Harrod had the skills necessary to be an attorney and later a judge. And she has also run for public office in Buffalo, New York, where she has been practicing law for 3 decades.
Katie has had an innate ability to communicate effectively with people from an early age, with a fearlessness to speak before audiences, and she has always loved to debate and argue. For Katie, to be an attorney and judge, as she put it, “was a calling on my life.” As a child she spent hours perusing encyclopedias and dictionaries, testing herself on the number of words she could learn a day.
A country’s legal system is imperative for upholding its laws for its citizens, but a good legal system starts with its individual lawyers, striving to be honorable interpreters of laws. Katie Harrod, is a woman who feels that she was called to the legal profession, and she takes her responsibility to interpret and give just rulings on U.S. law seriously.
Seele Magazine: What made you go into law, knowing that a legal education is expensive and knowing that the law school curriculum can be quite rigorous?
Katie Nichols Harrod: The person that I was 30 years ago is a person with a Christian worldview mindset. I had just accepted the Lord as my personal Lord and Savior when I was a senior getting my bachelor’s degree, and what that meant is that I wanted to know what God wanted me to do. I had finished high school in 3 years and had gone on to an Ivy League School at the University of Pennsylvania, where I studied Psychology. And that was all done on my human ability to accomplish these things.
But there was a burning question that I kept asking God “What is it that you want me to do?” And immediately after engaging in prayer, I sensed that I was take the LSAT and go to law school. I didn’t go into the mindset of “how am I going to pay for a legal education because there was a lead by the Holy Spirit on what school I was to go to. I did try initially to start the process on my own, but the school I wanted to go to in Washington, DC closed.
So that let me know, as a new Christian to go back in prayer and ask God to lead me. And I sensed once again Him telling me: “I’m going to lead you every step of the way, even to the specific school that I want you to go to. You have to listen to me.” So when I had to decide between two schools, Howard University or the University of Maryland, the latter offered me a scholarship. So God was orchestrating which university I would go to.
I learned right then the difference between my heart and head, and the heart of the Lord. It has been a 30-year journey to learn this.
Infographic statistics are from the American Bar Association and the National Association for Law Placement.
SM: You decided to become a family lawyer. Why?
KNH: Most lawyers become the type of lawyer they’re going to be based on their first job. Out of law school I was hired as a criminal attorney by Maryland’s state’s attorney office. I enjoyed families, children, and child support cases.
I enjoyed seeing families made better because I was a part of the case. Of course in family law there is always going to be some problem, and I was gratified to work on case to help a family work out its issues and be put back together.
SM: Why is family law a needed arm of the legal system? What have you learned about human behavior when dealing with family law cases?
KNH: There are no other areas in law that addresses family law issues in an effective way other than having a special branch of law that covers this issue. Corporate law doesn’t deal with these issues, Torts, Constitutional cases don’t deal specifically with family issues, and neither does surrogate court and probate court.
People need as much help as they can get in family law cases. Usually a family is breaking up because of divorce and the children are left to fend and figure out what’s going on with their parents.
When an attorney has a genuine ability to help families that’s good, and that’s my motivation. When an attorney has a genuine interest to help families get back together, this is an example where family law can have a good effect on families.
SM: Describe a case that touched you or changed you in some way.
KNH: One case I worked on was with a family from Somalia. There were 7 children and 3 of them were assigned to me, ranging in age from a couple of months old to 7 years old. The main issue is that the father had molested one of the older children- not one of the children that I was representing. And because the way the system works here in New York they removed the children from that home. This was a case where I could bring some help to this family, guiding them through the court system where there was a language barrier.
“I LEARNED RIGHT THEN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MY HEART AND HEAD, AND THE HEART OF THE LORD.
IT HAS BEEN A 30-YEAR JOURNEY TO LEARN THIS.”
SM: Why does the world need more minority lawyers?
KNH: The world is made up of a majority of people of color. Therefore it is imperative that the law and the legal profession reflect the fact that people of color make up the vast majority of the world's population. Also, for our children and our grandchildren's sake, it is mandatory for the legal profession to lead by example in encouraging the next generations to pursue careers in the law.
SM: You ran for public office in Buffalo, NY, and on your professional Facebook page you state that you’re a: “Family Law Attorney of 30 years, Wife, Mother and Grandmother who deeply cares about the families of the WNY Community. Experience Wisdom Integrity and Character.” It’s so easy for people to not trust lawyers. What is it that you want people in the WNY Community to understand about you and your love of law, and helping people with all sorts of issues?
KNH: I want my Community here in WNY to understand that I am first of all compelled by my faith to help people with difficult legal issues. It is through my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that I became an attorney and it's definitely a call on my life not merely a job or a career. I want WNY to know that my experience as a Family Court Attorney is only part of what I bring to the legal profession. As a Wife, Mother and Grandmother who has raised three successful children to adulthood, I have provided over 30 years of effective counsel and advice to my community and its families.
SM: A good lawyer is…
KNH: A good lawyer is honest, sensitive to the needs of their clients and respectful to their colleagues in the legal profession.
SM: A bad lawyer is…
KNH: A bad lawyer is arrogant, devoid of moral character and is one who is willing to lie and cheat for their own selfish purposes without any regard for justice.
SM: Now you’re a judge. What have you learned in this role?
KNH: Yes, I was appointed as an Administrative Law Judge in Buffalo in 2004 and I handle "Quality of Life" cases on a part time basis. I have learned that people still have a high regard and respect for the Courts and they believe that their cases will be handled in a fair and impartial manner. I have learned that this high expectation must be honored each time I am seated to preside over my cases. Most of all I have learned that as a Judge I hold a sacred responsibility to uphold the law and to bring justice to every situation placed before me.
SM: For anyone wanting to go into the legal field, whether that be a lawyer or paralegal what’s 3 things that they should ask themselves first?
KNH:
a) Why am I thinking of pursuing a career in the law?
b) What do I hope to accomplish in the law that will utilize my unique abilities?
c) How can I make the necessary sacrifices required to complete law school or paralegal education?
SM: When you hear the name Jesus what comes to mind?
KNH: Not only is He my Savior and the God I worship, but He is my Lord and Head of the Kingdom for which I am now a Citizen and an Ambassador. I take my faith very seriously and I study the Bible diligently in order to make sure I am hearing from the Holy Spirit continuously. His wisdom is what I seek as I rule on cases and advise clients. Jesus is my focus as I walk through this life on earth, I hope His great love touches every aspect of my life, including family, career and community.