Catherine E. Bennett

Catherine E. Bennett, senior counsel in the firm’s General Civil and Complex Litigation, Appeals and Writs Department focuses her practice in the areas of Appeals and Writs and Civil Litigation. Catherine is certified as a specialist in appellate law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. She is the former president of the Kern County Bar Association and joined the firm in 1995 after receiving her J.D. from the California Pacific School of Law the same year. She also holds an M.B.A. from California State University, Bakersfield.

Practice Focus
Appeals and Writs, Civil Litigation

Bar Admissions and Licensure
State Bar of California, 1995
U.S Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 2004
U.S. District Courts
-Eastern District of California, 1996
-Central District of California, 2001
-Southern District of California, 2018
Certified Specialist Appellate Law, State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization

Education
Bachelor of Arts, California State University, Bakersfield, 1980
MBA, California State University, Bakersfield, 1991
Juris Doctor, California Pacific School of Law, Class Valedictorian, 1995

Selected Professional Associations and Leadership
Kern County Bar Association, 1995-present
-Board of Directors, 2000-2007
-Secretary/CFO, 2003
-Vice President, 2004
-President-Elect, 2005
-President, 2006
-Past President, 2007
-Women Lawyers Section, 2013-present
-Family Law Section, 2013-present

Kern County Bar Association Charitable Foundation
-Board of Directors, 2008-present
-Treasurer, 2012-present

Fresno County Bar Association, 2009-present
-Appellate Section, 2009-present

State Bar of California Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services, 2007-2012
-Vice-Chair, 2010-2011
-Chair, 2011-2012

Kern County Women Lawyers Association, 1994-2012
-Board of Directors, 1996-2001, 2002-2005
-Secretary, 1997-1998, 2002-2005
-Vice President, 1998-1999
-President, 1999-2000

Kern County Women Lawyers Foundation
-Board of Trustees, 1997-2013
-Treasurer, 2009-2013

Bakersfield North Rotary, 2008-present
Bakersfield North Rotary Foundation, 2009-present
-Treasurer, 2012-present