Emilie Kirkpatrick was born and raised in New York City. She attended Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, where she triple-majored in psychology, religion, and Spanish. While at Wesleyan, Ms. Kirkpatrick worked at the Connecticut Valley Hospital, one of the last state-run mental hospitals. She assisted and advocated for mentally-impaired patients whose afflictions ranged from bipolar Disorder to Schizophrenia to severe drug and alcohol addictions.

Ms. Kirkpatrick came to Oklahoma in 2003 to be closer to her family. Upon arrival, she enrolled at The University of Oklahoma School of Law. In addition to her legal studies, Ms. Kirkpatrick served as an editor of the American Indian Bar Review.

After graduation, Ms. Kirkpatrick began her legal career at the Oklahoma County Public Defender’s office. During her tenure at the Public Defender’s Office she personally handled thousands of criminal cases ranging from DUI, property crimes, drug possession, trafficking, sex crimes to murder. Ms. Kirkpatrick rose through the ranks of  the Public Defender’s Office to become a supervising attorney, responsible for advising less experienced attorneys and interns, primarily in the areas of case management and trial preparation.

Ms. Kirkpatrick further distinguished herself by obtained coveted dismissals prior to trial in a wide range of cases, including murder. In addition, she had secured numerous acquittals in a wide variety of cases.

Based on her success as a trial attorney, Ms. Kirkpatrick became deeply involved in death penalty litigation. In that capacity, she has worked as defense counsel on numerous capital cases.

When not in the courtroom, Ms. Kirkpatrick enjoys being outdoors with her beloved dog Maya by her side and spending time with her family.