A “pivotal family conversation” Kathleen Weir Bertolatus had three decades ago with her dad about college applications is etched into her memory.
She was 18 with big dreams. Her dad, who had “a very traditional sense of gender roles,” had other ideas.
“His advice to me was that, since the most important role in my life was going to be as wife and mother, I should go to the least expensive school,” Bertolatus told The Texas Lawbook. “While my mother didn’t work outside the home, I already knew at that young age that I wanted to make a broader impact in the world.”
She would go on to graduate from college, earn a master’s degree and then finish law school and clerk for a federal judge.
Today, Bertolatus is one of the most respected environmental and regulatory lawyers in the energy industry, where she serves as managing counsel for Phillips 66.
“I am a wife and mother and an accomplished lawyer,” she said. “My husband and my kids see and value the hard work that I put in every day to support them and support my clients. I’m proud of 18-year-old me, and all those versions in between, for holding fast to a vision that has made my family and career successful.”
“My daughter, Laura, does have law school on her academic plan, but only as a step to achieving her ultimate goal of becoming president of the United States,” Bertolatus said. “She is amazing, so remember to give her your vote in 2064.”
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Lawbook have selected Bertolatus as one of two finalists for the 2025 Houston Senior Counsel of the Year Award for a large legal department. The awards ceremony is set for May 22 at the Four Seasons downtown.
“Kathleen Bertolatus is the finest of human beings, caring and fierce in her pursuit of individual excellence and growing as a leader of teams,” according to Michael Voutsinas, Phillips 66 chief of staff and managing director of legal operations.
“That excellence shows up for others in her countless pro bono and community service contributions, and that fierce pursuit of excellence shows up in her role as managing counsel,” said Voutsinas, who nominated Bertolatus for the award. “She stepped into the role of key California advisor amidst critical regulatory and political changes in the state. She engaged daily with government affairs, environmental professionals and refining leadership during this critical period. She took on key management responsibilities during an exciting time of evaluation and ideation at Phillips 66, giving her an opportunity to reimagine work streams, ways of working and allocation of resources, while providing invaluable insight into the challenges of management and meeting the demands of multiple stakeholders.”
Premium Subscriber Q&A: Kathleen Bertolatus discusses the traits she seeks in outside counsel, what outside counsel need to know when working with her and more.
Nadira Clarke, a partner with Hogan Lovells in Washington, said, “people trust Kathleen because she is careful, and she cares.”
“Kathleen is disarming. She is one of those unique people who can be both warm and engaging, and at the same time detailed and substantive,” Clarke said. “She joins every call and meeting with a smile and a chirpy hello. But once the meeting proceeds, she is all business. She masterfully applies her knowledge of the environmental laws and technical expertise, absorbs detailed information quickly and thinks strategically. Nobody works harder than Kathleen, and she treats everyone — regardless of their position — with dignity and respect.”
A native of St. Louis, Bertolatus is the middle of five children and has an extended family that includes 52 first cousins. Her mom raised the kids and managed the household, while her dad ran his own electrical contracting business.
The idea of possibly becoming a lawyer initially surfaced in elementary school when she heard that Sandra Day O’Connor had been appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“The fact that [this] breakthrough stuck in my psyche really does highlight the importance of role models and how seeing someone similar to yourself taking on a groundbreaking role is crucial for all of us,” she said. “Representation matters.”
The only lawyer in her life growing up was her aunt, Rita Saliba, who practiced elder law in Maine.
“She is inspiring in so many ways and made the decision to go to law school when her fourth child was still in grade school,” Bertolatus said. “I was still young, but I remember thinking that was so impressive that she took that challenge.”
Bertolatus earned her bachelor’s in English and communications from St. Louis University and a master’s degree in communications from the University of Texas.
In 2006, she graduated from the UT School of Law and then did a one-year clerkship for U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes.
A year later, Bertolatus joined Baker Botts as an associate in litigation.
“After being on the trial team for some intense, big-ticket trial matters, including the Asarco fraudulent transfer trial down in Brownsville, I was approached by the firm’s environmental group to join that team,” she said. “With that group, I also participated in the firm’s Texas Industry Project, which provides health, safety and environmental regulatory updates and advocacy to a host of Texas companies.”
Bertolatus met Phillips 66 Senior Counsel Linda Hester through TIP, who talked with her about an opening as senior counsel for environmental law in the Houston energy company’s legal department.
“I was drawn to Phillips 66 because of Linda’s integrity and passion for her work as an environmental lawyer,” she said. “She was such a great ambassador of a corporate culture where doing the right thing is valued and practiced every day.”
Bertolatus initially advised Phillips 66 officials on state and federal compliance issues related to its Texas refineries and eastern midstream assets.
Phillips 66 has expanded Bertolatus’ docket, and she is the lead lawyer defending the company’s refining business unit in a companywide matter brought by the Environmental Protection Agency. Phillips 66 promoted her to managing counsel in 2022, and she now leads a team of health, safety and environment lawyers who support the entire company.
“As the business has changed to keep pace with market realities, I was able to play a part in reimagining the way work is done in the legal department as a whole,” Bertolatus said. “Today, in addition to working on advising leadership on larger strategic issues in the environmental space, I also have taken on the role of the company’s California environmental lawyer, which has brought on a whole host of new learning opportunities, especially leading up to the announcement of the planned idling of our Los Angeles refinery and supporting our Rodeo Renewable Energy Complex, which is the largest renewable fuels facility in North America.”
She said the current regulatory environment in California is unlike any other she’s dealt with in her career, but existing litigation in the state has enabled her to partner with other Phillips 66 litigators to think through climate change and other issues making their way through the courts.
“My biggest challenges in the last few years include taking on California environmental issues and helping to build and strengthen the environmental and regulatory legal team” at Phillips 66, Bertolatus said. “A lot of the issues [in California] are crosscutting for the company, so the upside is that I’ve been able to work with a wider array of very smart lawyers in the broader legal department than I used to. Renewable fuels are being commercialized, so I’ve been able to work with our talented commercial lawyers on environmental contractual considerations.”
Clarke said Bertolatus played a key role on the corporate steering team, working on the options for the development of the 100-year-old Los Angeles refinery that Phillips 66 plans to cease operating later this year.
“Some in-house counsel have mastered the law, and others have business acumen. Some in-house counsel are natural-born leaders who inspire their team to achieve greatness. Kathleen is all of the above — the full package. She is a skilled lawyer with strong environmental and litigation chops. She is business savvy and never loses sight of the company’s business goals,” Clarke said. “She is a natural-born leader who knows how to effectively communicate with a variety of audiences, ranging from union employees up to the C-suite. Unassuming, but nevertheless commanding, Kathleen manages a significant workload, responding to emails late into the evening and letting nothing slip through the cracks.”
Bertolatus said some of her best days as a lawyer have been working with the talented and dedicated lawyers at the Tahirih Justice Center, helping immigrant women and girls fleeing gender violence and seeking asylum. The Lawbook highlighted this work when Bertolatus received an award for achievement in pro bono and public service in 2022.
She’s also on the board of Night Court, an institution within the Houston legal community that is an annual, original, all-lawyer Broadway-style show that raises money for local pro bono organizations. Bertolatus is also a director of Friends of the Children – Houston, which provides mentors for children.
“Kathleen possesses a magical blend of professional and personal qualities that influences and motivates her colleagues in a way that creates unity of purpose, empowering the team to achieve collective success,” said Joshua Van Eaton, a principal at Beveridge & Diamond. “Kathleen effectively manages an enormous and high-profile portfolio for the company that is governed by complex regulations and fraught with potential risk. She embraces her responsibilities with an infectious enthusiasm and optimism that builds team camaraderie by allowing the hard work to also be fun.”
Fun Facts: Kathleen Bertolatus
- Favorite book: I am a voracious reader of (primarily) fiction and am happiest with a book in my hand or audiobook on play. I don’t know that it’s my absolute favorite, but the one that I’ve reread the most is The Scarlett Pimpernel.I first experienced itsometime in junior high and have read it multiple times since. It was published in 1905 and is a prototype of some of the adventure books with strong heroines that have come into vogue in the fantasy genre in recent years.
- Favorite movie or TV show: Clue. I put it on whenever I need a comfort movie. I love the humor and the pacing, with some wonderful comedic performances by Tim Curry and Madeline Kahn. It’s also a movie I saw in the theaters with all of my siblings one year on Thanksgiving as our mom shooed us all out of the house while she cooked. It has that sentimental connection, too.
- Favorite musician or band: Instead of a favorite musician or band, I tend to put songs on repeat that speak to my psyche, depending on what’s going on in my life. Two or so years ago, it was “East Bound and Down” by Jerry Reeves as I was transitioning into my managing counsel role and juggling changes in my docket. Right now, I’ve put “Birdhouse in Your Soul” by They Might Be Giants on a loop as a reminder to choose joy every day.
- Favorite restaurant: I will never pass by pepperoni pizza. Ever. In Houston, my go-to is Pink’s Pizza. From my days in Austin, I loved Saccone’s and Home Slice.
- Hero in life: My mom, Elaine, and my older brother, Tim, have been my North Stars. My mom, whom we lost in 2020, was the model of quiet strength and unconditional love. My brother Tim is one of the most genuinely kind people on the planet. When I find crank or snark sneaking into my demeanor, I think of them and that helps me recalibrate.