Kathryn Nester Biography – Kathryn Nester Wiki

Kathryn “Kathy” Nester is a seasoned criminal defense attorney and partner at Nester Lewis PLLC, located in Salt Lake City, Utah. With over three decades of experience trying cases in both federal and state courts, Kathy has gained significant attention for several high-profile cases featured by major outlets like CourtTV, the New York Times, and various national as well as local TV programs.

Kathy led the Federal Defender offices in Salt Lake City and San Diego for more than a decade and was selected by the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court to join the Advisory Committee on the Federal Rules of Evidence, as detailed in her law firm’s biography.

During the Obama Administration, she contributed to the National Steering Committee for the Clemency Project, which coordinated over 4,000 lawyers to help more than 36,000 applicants with their presidential clemency requests.

Prior to her roles as a federal defender in Utah and San Diego, Nester made her mark practicing law in Mississippi. She served as an assistant federal public defender in Jackson from July 2005 to July 2011, and from June 2002 to July 2005, she was a partner at Christopher & Nester, PLLC in Ridgeland.

Early in her legal career, she was an associate at Kitchens & Ellis, a Jackson-based firm, from March 1994 to July 1997. She then launched her own practice in Jackson, running it from July 1997 to June 2002.

Kathy is a member of several prestigious trial-lawyer organizations, including the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Board of Criminal Lawyers, and the International Society of Barristers. Her peers have recognized her with numerous awards such as the Mississippi Trial Lawyer of the Year and the Federal Bar Distinguished Service Award from Utah’s District.

Education

Kathryn graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in International Business from The University of Texas at Austin in 1989. She received her J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law in 1992.

Kathryn Nester Age

Criminal defense attorney Kathryn N. Nester was born in 1967.

Kathryn Nester Husband

Veteran trial lawyer Kathryn Nester is married to Steven. She has been married to her junior high school sweetheart for more than three decades.

Kathryn Nester Family

Kathryn Nester and her husband, Steven, have two daughters, Katie and Caroline. The two adult daughters are also in the legal field.

Attorney Kathryn Nester Tyler Robinson

On September 24, 2025, the Utah County Commission unanimously approved a contract to appoint attorney Kathryn Nester as counsel for Tyler James Robinson, who is charged with shooting and killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a university appearance in Utah on September 10, 2025.

The defense team and prosecutors met with Fourth District Court Judge Tony Graf in Provo for a waiver hearing on Monday, September 28, 2025. Due to security issues, Robinson listened in to the waiver hearing from the Utah County Jail. The hearing lasted just over 10 minutes.

The lead defense attorney, Kathryn Nester, was officially appointed by the court for Tyler Robinson at the hearing and officially accepted the appointment.

“The court enters findings that the combined experience of counsel meets and exceeds the requirements,” Fourth District Court Judge Tony Graf said. Judge Graf reminded attorneys that Robinson is presumed innocent and that he won’t put his “finger on the scale of justice.”

“As this case moves forward, Mr. Robinson’s constitutional rights will be protected at every stage,” Judge Graf said. “He sits before this court presumed innocent and that presumption remains unless and until each element of every offense charged against him is proved beyond a reasonable doubt.”