Founding Partner
De Novo’s founding partner, Katie Ender, is Board Certified in Appellate Practice by the Florida Bar and has almost 20 years of litigation and appellate experience. Katie has handled over 400 appellate matters in Florida’s state and federal courts and other jurisdictions. As an Am Law 200 alumna and former law clerk for the Honorable Vance E. Salter, Katie has substantial experiencing working with and offering strategic support to trial counsel to assist in the presentation and resolution of their case, and minimize potential liability. As part of her practice, Katie handles all legal issues, dispositive motions, jury instructions, pre-trial motions, and post-trial motions in the Florida state courts, as pro hac vice counsel in other states, and in the federal court system. Katie also provides advice and operational guidance to clients on significant legal developments at the state and federal levels.
Katie is active in the Florida legal community as a member of the Florida Bar Appellate Practice Certification Committee, and Co-Chair of the Florida Defense Lawyers’ Association Amicus Committee. In addition, Katie is a frequent presenter on appellate preservation and rules of procedure under Florida and federal law. Katie is also a contributing author for Florida’s Civil Practice Before Trial secondary source (14th & 15th editions),and a faculty member for Pincus Professional Education.
Katie hails from the “Michiana” area of the Midwest. She is the wife of a Miami-Dade County firefighter and paramedic, is the mom to a six-year-old Devon Rex named King George, and is the auntie and tia to her nieces and nephews. In her spare time, you can find Katie cooking up something special or hiking off the calories.
American University Washington College of Law, Washington D.C., Juris Doctor, May 2007
The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, June 2003
Ender, K., Florida Civil Practice Before Trial, ch. 2 (Organization & Development of a Case), ch. 11 (Joinder), and ch. 13 (Motions and Orders) (15th ed. 2026)
Ender, K., Delegating the Nondelegable [Duty], The Barrister, Broward County Bar Association (May 2023)
Ender, K., Florida Civil Practice Before Trial, ch. 11 (Joinder) and ch. 13 (Motions and Orders) (14th ed. 2022)
Ender, K., LBBS Legal Alerts, Florida Supreme Court Bars Nonmonetary Terms in Proposals for Settlement (May 26, 2022)
Ender, K., LBBS Legal Alerts, Florida Supreme Court Adopts Federal Summary Judgment Standard, Substantially Conforming Florida’s Rule 1.510 to Federal Rule 56 (Apr. 29, 2021)
Ender, K., LBBS Appellate Daily Blasts, Florida Supreme Court Resurrects the Daubert Standard (May 24, 2019)
Ender, K., Rodriguez, J., Presenting a Successful Appellate Defense: A Trial Attorney’s Checklist to Preserving Error and Defeating Wavier, American Bar Association, Appellate Group Regional Workshop, April 2017
Ender, K., Damages Calculations in Civil Negligence Cases: A Primer, Quarterly Newsletter, Cole, Scott & Kissane, P.A., submitted for publication, February 2017
Ender, K., Beane, R., Loss of Use Damages in the Wake of Gonzalez v. Barrenechea: The Third District Court of Appeal Blurs the Law on Complete Deprivation of Use, Quarterly Newsletter, Cole, Scott & Kissane, P.A., submitted for publication, January 2017
Ender, K., Proposals for Settlement: The New Breed of Strict Construction, Quarterly Newsletter, Cole, Scott & Kissane, P.A., Winter 2016
Smith, K., Audited Self-regulation: Is the Professional Sports Industry Ready?, Comment, unpublished, Winter 2006
Faculty, Pincus Professional Education, Florida Circuit Court Bootcamp: “Pre-Trial Matters,” May 22, 2025, Zoom and May 14, 2026, Zoom
Panelist, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP, Women’s Initiative Symposium: “Self-Leadership as the Path to Transformation,” April 23, 2025, Cincinnati, OH
Presenter, Florida Defense Lawyers Association: “New Year, New Rules: Navigating Florida’s New Rules of Civil Procedure,” January 9, 2025, Zoom
Presenter, Broward County Civil Division: “New Year, New Rules: A Guide to the 2025 Civil Rule Changes,” November 21, 2024, Zoom
Presenter, The Florida Bar Appellate Practice Section: “Mastering Additur & Remittitur,” May 21, 2024, Zoom
Faculty, Pincus Professional Education, Eleventh Circuit Bootcamp: “Inside the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals,” and “Motions,” September 17, 2023, Zoom, and April 9, 2026, Zoom
Panelist, Broward County Court Insurance CLE: “Pants Are Non-Negotiable; You’re Still in Court! Professionalism in the Age of Technology,” June 1, 2022, Zoom
Presenter, “Proposals for Settlement: Exposing Hazards and Minimizing Risks,” Collier County Bar Association, Nov. 3, 2020, Zoom
Panelist, “Preservation of Issues for Appeal: Post-Trial,” CLE Panel Discussion, ABA Mid-Year Regional Meeting, April 28, 2017, Miami, FL
Panelist, “Mandamus, Habeas, and Certiorari! Oh My! A Guide to Florida’s Extraordinary Writ Petitions,” Third District Court of Appeal Spring Seminar, March 10, 2017, Miami, FL
Presenter, “Proposals for Settlement 2.0: Exposing Hazards and Minimizing Risks,” Cole, Scott & Kissane, P.A. Biannual Claims Management Seminar, March 3, 2017, Orlando, FL
Panelist, “Proposals for Settlement CLE Panel Discussion,” Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Miami-Dade Chapter, Corporate Counsel Summit, February 24, 2017, Miami, FL
Presenter, “Proposals for Settlement,” Cole, Scott & Kissane, P.A. Biannual Claims Management Seminar, April 2015, Orlando, FL
Presenter, “Proposals for Settlement,” In-House Client Seminar, August 2014, Tampa, FL