Kathy joined Flinders in 1996 from the University of Adelaide. Previously, she practised law in California. Interests are courts and judicial officers, dispute resolution, feminist legal theory, legal education, and evidence and criminal procedure. Kathy has been involved with the skills programmes in the LLB/LP, especially in the first year. In 1997 she won a grant to develop methods encouraging students to become more reflective learners, especially in relation to practical skills.

Since 2001, Kathy has been engaged in a national research project examining the changing role of the magistrates court and a national socio-legal study of the Australian judiciary, in collaboration with Professor Sharyn Roach Anleu.