Katie is a co-chair of Shook’s Product Liability Litigation Practice Group and a trial attorney who tries cases on behalf of corporations in individual and complex tort, product liability and consumer protection matters. Katie has litigated cases in state and federal courts throughout the country, including those involving asbestos products, pharmaceuticals and tobacco. She has played an active role in discovery, motion practice and arbitration for complex class actions, and has handled all stages of litigation ranging from fact investigation, deposition and expert witness preparation through pre-trial, trial and post-trial motions.
In addition to her active litigation practice, Katie counsels tobacco, food, beverage, dietary supplement and pet food companies on matters governed by the Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture, among other regulatory agencies. As part of her regulatory practice, Katie advises clients regarding FDA, USDA and FTC compliance. This includes counseling companies regarding FDA and USDA label reviews, policy issues, emerging legal developments and other risk-management considerations.
Katie serves in a number of additional leadership/influential roles both within and outside of the firm. She is a co-chair of Shook’s Food and Beverage Practice Group, and is a member of Shook’s Executive Committee.
Presentations
Navigating the Cannabis Conundrum, Update of the Law CLE, Kansas City, Missouri, June 13, 2019 (with Michael Barnett, Lindsey Heinz and Paul Williams).
Product Testing Program Implementation: Balancing Transparency and Risks, Grocery Manufacturers Association 2019 Legal Conference, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, March 5, 2019 (with Jim Muehlberger and Phil Goldberg).
Food + Beverage Litigation and Consumer Marketing Trends, Update of the Law, Kansas City, Missouri, June 14, 2018 (with Bridget Halbur and Jordan Carter).
#No Filter: Legal Trends and Tips for Consumer Marketing, ACC Colorado CPL Practice Group, Englewood, Colorado, December 12, 2017 (with Bridget Halbur).
Panelist, "Naming of Plant-Based Food Products and Standards of Identity," FDLI Food Advertising, Labeling and Litigation Conference, Washington, D.C., September 13-14, 2017.
Food Regulations: What's Today's Special?, Update of the Law CLE, Kansas City, Missouri, June 22, 2017 (with Lindsey Heinz).
Panelist, Privacy and Data Security Roundtable CLE, Kansas City, Missouri, October 27, 2015.
Publications
Katie Gates Calderon, Kristin Kaplan and Emily Sellers, Trapped in a Regulatory Web: FDA Says Again that Hemp Extracts Containing CBD Cannot be Marketed as a Dietary Supplement, October 2021.
Katie Gates Calderon and Zac Parker, State Overview: Missouri, Marijuana Venture, August 24, 2020.
Katie Gates Calderon and Elizabeth Fessler, Best Practices For Food And Beverage Pricing Right Now, Law360, April 24, 2020.
Katie Gates Calderon, The Center for Veterinary Medicine at FDLI's Annual Conference, Update Magazine, June/July 2018.
Katie Gates Calderon, Lindsey Heinz and Hillary Nicholas, Can You Stop Photography During An FDA Inspection?, Law360, September 1, 2017.
M. Katie Gates Calderon and Alyse M. Zadalis, Health Canada Proposes to Ban Partially Hydrogenated Oils by Summer 2018, ABA Products Liability Litigation, August 31, 2017.
Katie Gates Calderon, Elizabeth Fessler and Lindsey Heinz, Dairy Vs. Plant-Based 'Milks': A Regulatory Standoff, Law360, August 24, 2017.
M. Katie Gates Calderon and Rebecca J. Schwartz, "Ethical Issues," Chapter 17 in Class Actions and Mass Torts Answer Book, Sean Wajert, ed., Practising Law Institute, February 2015.
Media Coverage
Cannabis-Infused Products: Labelling, Regulation and Liability, Mini-Roundtable, Corporate Disputes, July-September 2020.
Ethics Guidance on Cannabis Legal Practice Still Ambiguous, Missouri Lawyers Weekly, September 5, 2019.