Seven weeks ago, a 15-year-old West African who had never been in an airplane before and who speaks very little English walked through the international arrival terminal at Bush International Airport with three bags containing everything he owned. The teen’s mother, her body stricken with cancer and worn from years of being beaten by male relatives in her homeland, raced to hug her son after nearly four years and 6,000 miles of separation.
The reunion was the result of four long years of legal work by Phillips 66 Senior Counsel Kathleen Bertolatus, who represented the mother in a series of immigration proceedings that resulted in the mother obtaining asylum and being reunited with her teenaged daughter after both faced forced female genital mutilation by their family and certain death if they didn’t comply. That was in 2019. On March 30 of this year, the great pro bono legal work of Bertolatus allowed mother, son and daughter to be together and to be safe.
For Mark Curriden’s full profile of Kathleen Bertolatus Click Here.
The Texas Lawbook: Any life or career mentors?
Kathleen Bertolatus: My older brother Tim, who is 12 years older than me, is one of the kindest, most generous people on the planet, and I have always tried my best to model myself after his example.
In my career, I’ve been tremendously blessed with mentors at every phase. Clerking for Lynn Hughes in the Southern District of Texas, I learned that the point of the legal system is to solve problems. At Baker Botts, I had the very good fortune of benefiting from the wisdom of Jennifer Smith, who was then a partner at the firm and has now gone on to become an independent arbitrator. Jennifer was always extremely generous with her time and counsel to young lawyers starting their careers. Here at Phillips 66, I work with a wonderfully talented and collaborative group of HSE lawyers, and I’ve learned so much from all of them. My boss, Paul Hamada, could teach a master class on how to advise our business leaders and decision makers on legal issues and risks. It is probably the most important skillset for an in-house attorney, so I’m always taking notes and learning when Paul and I are briefing matters up.
Lawbook: What is a life-impacting experience you’ve had?
Bertolatus: Marrying my husband and starting our family is my biggest, life-changing experience. My husband Jeb is a Houston firefighter, and we have Laura, 6, and Jebbie, 4. Becoming a mom has brought me more joy than I knew was possible and made me acutely aware of how I make my way in the world. Having two sets of little eyes watching and absorbing my every move and attitude has brought a lot more mindfulness to my every day. And every day is incredibly filled with love and fun – along with the hard work of raising two little humans.
Lawbook: What do you look for in hiring outside counsel?
Bertolatus: We have operations across the country. When I go to outside counsel, it’s to find someone who has good working relationships with local regulators and who has a nuanced understanding of the jurisdiction’s laws and regulations.
Lawbook: Do you have pet peeves regarding outside counsel?
Bertolatus: My biggest pet peeves are not being timely on submitting invoices and not keeping me updated on when spend is creeping up on set budgets.
Lawbook: What does outside counsel need to know about you?
Bertolatus: I roll deep. Before I go to outside counsel, I’ve usually already researched the case law, read the statute, read the regulatory preambles and the response to comments. So I’m looking for someone to collaborate with me on applying all of that to help shape a recommendation on the best way to solve the problem based on their specific past work with the regulatory body at issue.
Lawbook: How important is pro bono and diversity in your hiring of outside counsel?
Bertolatus: Good legal counsel that really helps solve the problem requires an understanding of the diversity of stakeholder experiences at play in getting to a solution. Having legal counsel who is diverse and part of an inclusive organization helps get to really good, quality solutions. Doing pro bono work helps every lawyer to better understand others’ perspectives. I truly believe pro bono work helps make lawyers better.