Kathryn Trkla

Kathryn (Katie) M. Trkla is a partner at Foley & Lardner LLP. She works on a variety of matters for futures commission merchants and securities brokerage firms, institutional investors, professional trading firms, commercial hedgers, domestic and foreign exchanges, clearinghouses, and other clients.

Katie has close to 35 years’ experience in the derivatives and securities industries, including 11 years with the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) where she was senior vice president and associate general counsel before joining Foley in 2000.

She is a member of the firm’s Securities, Commodities & Exchange Regulation Practice within the Securities Enforcement & Litigation Practice, and the firm’s Blockchain Task Force, Business Law Department, and Energy Industry Team.

Katie’s experience ranges from representing clients on matters before the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, and self-regulatory organizations; analyzing regulatory proposals; counseling clients on the implications of legislative and rule changes; and providing general regulatory counsel.

Her deep experience and background qualify her to provide a broad and unique perspective on the issues and regulations facing the financial markets and market participants.

In 2007, Katie conducted an international assessment of Armenia’s securities market regulatory framework as part of an initiative of the U.S. Agency for International Development to strengthen the banking, insurance and securities market infrastructure in the country.

Her work involved assessing the degree to which the regulatory framework in Armenia complies with 30 international principles of securities market regulation developed by the International Organization of Securities Commission (IOSCO).

During her tenure at the CBOT, Katie represented the exchange at the annual meetings of the Consultative Committee of IOSCO. From 1997 to 1998, she chaired a special subcommittee of the IOSCO Consultative Committee, which prepared a report on best practices for the design of futures contracts and exchange market surveillance programs.

Education :

Katie is a 1983 cum laude graduate of Northwestern University School of Law, where she was the coordinating executive editor of the Journal of International Law & Business. She graduated with a B.A. in public affairs in 1980 from the University of Chicago, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Admissions :

Katie is a member of the Illinois Bar, American Bar Association, and Chicago Bar Association.