Catherine grew up in The Woodlands and attended elementary through high school here in the community. After graduating from high school, she attended Texas A&M University where she majored in Psychology and Spanish. While at A&M, Catherine earned the Distinguished Student Award. After graduating A&M, and before attending law school, Catherine took a year to teach high school Spanish at Willis High School in Willis, Texas.

Catherine attended law school in Birmingham, Alabama at Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law. While there, Catherine was a member of the Christian Legal Society, a member of Cumberland’s Moot Court Team, and a Cordull Hull Teaching Fellow. Also during her tenure as a law student, Catherine earned a Dean’s Scholarship, the Scholar of Merit Award in Secured Transactions, and was invited to join the Cumberland Law Review. As a member of the Law Review, Catherine was voted Outstanding Junior Member and was ultimately named Articles Editor for the 2001-2002 publication year.

After graduating law school in 2002, Catherine returned to The Woodlands and began working for a local firm, Gauntt & Kruppstadt. At Gauntt & Kruppstadt, Catherine practiced as a civil litigator, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of matters such as personal injury, medical malpractice, wrongful termination, consumer protection, business disputes, breach of contract, and civil appeals. During her time at Gauntt & Kruppstadt, Catherine served as President of the Montgomery County A&M Association, founded The Woodlands Young Lawyers Association, and was a founding member of The Woodlands Bar Association.

In 2008, Catherine joined the Special Prosecution Unit as a Senior Attorney. As a Special Prosecutor, Catherine helped the state civilly commit sexually violent predators who were deemed to present a continued threat to the community upon their release from prison. During her time at the SPU, Catherine took over 30 cases to trial, authored appeals, and argued before the 9th Court of Appeals and the Texas Supreme Court.

Catherine now brings her many years of experience as a civil litigator to Palmore Hatley Law and is excited to return the private practice with her long-time friend, Gardale Hatley. She looks forward to assisting folks from her hometown and surrounding areas with their legal issues.