40 Under 40: Katie Daniel

With nearly a decade of experience, Katie Daniel is Smith + Malek’s litigation practice lead, specializing in contract and business litigation.

She demonstrates business excellence not only in the courtroom but as a role model and mentor. Daniel carves out time to mentor young associates one-on-one, especially women and parent attorneys. She focuses on both the legal work and on the attorney as a whole to help them be successful.

Because she fosters these relationships with her team, Daniel has a sixth sense about when to step in to support them and when to give them room to develop professional skills. For this leadership in and out of the courtroom, she was honored as a Leader in Law in 2019 by the Idaho Business Review.

A mom of three, Daniel has shattered the mold for what a working mom can accomplish. She was recently a featured guest on Ladies Who Law, a legal podcast ranked in the top 1% of 3.2 million popular podcasts globally, sharing her perspectives on preventing burnout in the legal profession.

“She strives to push the world to be a better place so her daughters do not have to face the same obstacles as women before them,” Daniel’s nominator said.