Established 1989 Relationships. Education. Policy.
Kate Goodrich is a governmental affairs consultant in the Austin office. She started her career as a federally registered lobbyist in Washington, D.C., and grew to become a senior advisor to legislators at the Texas Capitol. As the former General Counsel and Deputy Committee Director of the Texas Senate Health and Human Services Committee, Kate assisted in the development of numerous complex pieces of legislation and monitored the financial appropriations processes for large state agencies. She has also worked as a policy advisor in the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Natural Resources and Economic Development Committee. Previously, as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C., Kate worked directly with U.S. Senate and House of Representatives staff to draft and amend strategic policies on behalf of her clients.
Kate’s background in state and federal government gives her an in-depth and practical knowledge of the legislative and appropriations processes. She is a respected member of the governmental affairs community and has forged deep relationships at the Capitol and beyond. Kate earned her J.D. at the University of Texas School of Law. While in law school, Kate interned for Hon. Robert Pitman in the Western District of Texas. She also participated in the Legislative Lawyering clinic, while simultaneously serving as an attorney ad litem for children in foster care in the Children’s Rights Clinic. Kate received a M.A. in Global Affairs from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. READ MORE HERE
LaRessa Quintana serves on the Government Relations & Public Policy team in Jackson Walker’s Austin office.
Prior to Jackson Walker, LaRessa worked at an Austin lobbying firm serving businesses, nonprofits, and associations at the municipal and state level. She also gained hands-on experience at the Texas Capitol as a fellow of the 2019 Moreno/Rangel Legislative Leadership Program sponsored by the Mexican American Legislative Leadership Foundation. Through the program, she worked as a legislative assistant to state Rep. Mary Ann Perez (D-Houston) during the 86th Legislative Session.
She also has a rich background in political campaign management. Drawing on her participation in the Blue Leadership Collaborative, a national accelerated program focused on training and building a pipeline of diverse campaign managers, LaRessa has led successful campaigns at the local level, including the Austin Housing for All affordable housing initiative and Councilwoman Vanessa Fuentes’s Austin City Council District 2 campaign. READ MORE HERE