06/26/2026
You’d never know from looking at her, from her personality, or from her energy, but Kathy Gillespie started at Dewar & Graham before some of our current staff were born, which is a strange thing to say about someone who is only 35 years old.
She arrived when our office merged with Dewar & Graham and stayed for close to thirty years. Lawyers Don Dewar, Jack Graham, my father Fred Levitt, Murray Lightman, and eventually me and Abby Murrell were all incredibly lucky to work alongside her. All of us learned the same lesson at some point, usually the hard way: Kathy was right.
If you’ve ever lost someone and had to sort out an estate, you know it’s not only a legal problem, but also a human one. Kathy spent her career sitting with people on the worst days of their lives and being the no-nonsense voice who somehow made the impossible feel manageable. She’s a clear thinking writer, a sharper communicator, and the person you want in your corner when the chips are down. She stands up for what she believes in and she fights for what’s right, and she does not lose those fights.
I’ve learned so much from Kathy not just about the law, but about everything else. If LLDG still feels like a place that treats people with empathy and backbone, it’s because of a culture that Kathy helped create. I’m going to do my best to keep it that way.
Our clients are already asking where she went, and I understand the angst. The good news is that the firm she helped build is still here, still staffed by people she trained, and very much in good hands. The better news is that this isn’t goodbye. Kathy will be staying on to consult with us, which means I get to keep calling her when I have no idea what I’m doing. Happy retirement, Kathy! We will miss you. Thankfully, we won’t have to miss you that much.
