EDWARDS, SIEH, SMITH & GOODFRIEND, P.S.

Catherine Wright Smith

Edwards, Sieh, Smith & Goodfriend, P.S.
500 Watermark Tower
1109 First Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101

(206) 624-0974
(206) 624-0809 (fax)
cate@washingtonappeals.com

• Of Catherine's appearance before the U.S. Supreme Court in Troxel v. Granville, Slate magazine's correspondent reported, "She is one of the finest oral advocates I have ever seen."

  Dahlia Lithwick
  Supreme Court Dispatches, January 12, 2000 Slate Magazine

• " The lawyer for the parents, Catherine Smith, gave exceptional argument. She was relaxed, self-assured, and very effective. Smith handled the intense give-and-take with the justices as casually as though she were sitting down to a boisterous family dinner. It was clear that the key to Smith's persuasiveness was the conviction with which she spoke. She stuck to her guns like Annie Oakley."

  ABA Litigation Magazine, Volume 27, No. 4 (Summer 2001)

• " The attorney for the mother was articulate and well-prepared."

  AAML Report on Troxel Argument

Work Experience

• Edwards, Sieh, Smith & Goodfriend, P.S. (1981-Present)
  • Shareholder in the firm since September 1984.
  • Extensive appellate litigation practice, providing representation in over 350 cases in all three divisions of the Court of Appeals, the Washington State Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
  • Trial practice limited to appeal-related matters.
• Judicial Clerk, Hon. Charles Horowitz, Washington State Supreme Court. (1979-1980)
  • Responsible for drafting prehearing memoranda and preliminary drafts of opinions in cases assigned to Justice Horowitz.
• Clerk, Professor Robert H. Aronson, University of Washington School of Law (1977-1979)
  • Roberts, Shefelman, Lawrence, Gay & Moch; Attorney General's Division, University of Washington
• Copy Editor, Sunday Oklahoman and Oklahoma City Times (1975-1976)

Education

• University of Washington (June 1979) J.D., with honors
  • Managing Editor, Washington Law Review
• Oklahoma State University (December 1974) B.S., magna cum laude
  • Completed social science degree with emphasis in journalism and political science in 2-1/2 years.

Appellate Activities

• Fellow, Director, President (2007-08), American Academy of Appellate Lawyers
• Founder and President, Washington Appellate Lawyers Association
• Editor-in-chief, Washington State Bar Association, Appellate Practice Handbook (2nd Edition 
• Supplement, 1998; 3rd Edition, January 2005)
• Elected Member, American Law Institute
• Chosen for inclusion in "The Best Lawyers of America" and "Washington Superlawyers" (top 100 attorneys; top 50 women lawyers)
• Author, Civil Appellate Practice chapter, Washington Lawyers Practice Manual
• Author and Editor, Washington Health Care Professional Liability Handbook
• Editor, Appellate Practice Chapter, WSBA Family Law Deskbook
• Adjunct Professor, UW School of Law, Family Law (2002), Appellate Advocacy (1994-95)
• Lawyer of the Year, Family Law Section, Washington State Bar Association (2001)
• Organizer and syllabus author, "New Tools for Appealing Lawyers," "Appellate Advocacy in the '90s and "Tips From The Top: The Appellate Forum."
• Appellate Indigent Defense Advisory Committee, Office of Public Defense
• Director, Friends of Cooper Island
• Washington Environmental Council Legal Committee
• Northwest Women's Law Center Legislative Committee
• Vice-chair, Appellate Practice Section, Federal Bar Association (1994-96)
• Board of Directors, Washington Appellate Defender Association (1989-1995)
• WSBA Rules Committee (Appellate Rules Revision Cycle) (1992-1995, 1997)
• Chair, KCBA Judiciary & Courts Committee (1989-1990)
• Supreme Court Model Local Rules Coordinating Committee (1990-1993)
• Co-chair, WACDL Amicus Committee (1988-1992)

Speaking Engagements

• Appellate Practice Institute, King County Bar Association, 10/19/07
• Family Law "Hot" Topics 2007, King County Bar Association, 10/5/07
• Family Law "Hot" Topics, co-chair, King County Bar Association, 10/6/06
• Should You Appeal? Snohomish County Bar Association, 5/15/06
• The Essentials of Appellate Practice, Washington State Bar Association, 5/11/06
• Anatomy of an Appeal, King County Bar Association, 12/15/05
• The Master Class on Appeals in Washington, co-chair, Washington State Bar Association, 2/10/05
• Domestic Relations on Appeal, Skagit County Community Action Agency, 12/2/04
• Third Party Visitation and Custody After Troxel, National Association of Counsel for Children, Las Vegas, Nevada, 9/9/04
• Intermediate to Advanced Family Law Conference, Washington State Bar Association, 4/28/04
• Legally Bound 2: Relocation Under the New Act, King County Bar Association, (co-chair) 9/26/03
• The View From the Podium, Appellate Judges Conference, Leavenworth, (co-chair) 4/6/03
• Washington Appellate Practice, California Academy of Appellate Lawyers, San Francisco, 2/8/03
• Appellate Trends & Issues, King County Bar Association, 12/4/02
• Use & Abuse of Psychological Experts, King County Bar Association, 10/18/02
• Civil Appeals, Clark County Bar Association, 10/11/02
• Appellate Issues, Washington State Bar Association, 9/20/02, 9/27/02
• Appellate Trends in Domestic Relations on Appeal, Spring State Judicial Conference, 4/24/02
• Third Party Visitation Post-Troxel, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Kona, Hawaii, 6/6/02
• Preparing for Oral Argument, King County Bar Association, 12/14/01
• Deal With False Allegations of Domestic Violence, King County Bar Association, 10/25/01
• Family Law Appeals: Issues that Fly, Family Law Section, WSBA, 6/30/01
• Panel on Appellate Decision-Making, 21st Annual Chief Judges Seminar, American Bar Association, 11/16/00
• Third Party Visitation After Troxel, UW Law School, 10/19/00
• Family Law on Appeal, KCBA, 7/22/00
• Defining the 21st Century Family, AFCC, New Orleans, Louisiana, 6/2/00
• Appellate Practice, Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, 4/28/00
• Handling the Media in High Profile Cases, AAAL, Washington, D.C., 4/17/00
• Troxel and Beyond: Third Party Access to Children in Domestic Relations Cases, 3/10/00
• Understanding and Improving Appellate Practice in an Historical Context, Washington State Historical Society, Olympia, 12/3/99
• Winning Appeals, 11/17/99
• Effective Appellate Advocacy in Federal Court, 9/10/99
• Domestic Relations on Appeal, 8/14/98
• New Tools for Appealing Lawyers, 4/23/98
• Community Property Law & Developments, 10/22/97
• Effective Oral Advocacy in State and Federal Court, Appellate Institute, 6/21/97
• Appellate Perspective on Goodwill Issues, 4/30/97
• Appellate Perspective on Valuation Issues, 11/8/96
• Panel on Unpublished Decisions, Fall State Judicial Conference, 9/5/96
• Ethical Considerations on Appeal, Ninth Circuit Appellate Institute, 6/15/96
• Preserving Error at Trial, 9/9/95
• Medical Malpractice Appellate Update, 5/20/95
• Nuts and Bolts of Appellate Briefs, 5/9/95
• Washington State Appellate Practice, 11/4/94
• Appellate Practice Seminar, 1/7/94
• The Essentials of a Winning Brief and Persuasive Oral Argument, 5/6/93
• Trial Tactics for Successful Appeals, 4/30/93
• 4th Annual Family Law Seminar, 10/29/92
• Appellate Forum: Tips from the Top, 5/22/92
• A Day at the Court of Appeals, 3/4/92
• Preservation of Error, Supersedeas Bonds on Appeal, 2/17/91
• Advocacy in the Appellate Courts under the New Rules, 10/17/90
• Medical Malpractice Appellate Update, 9/9/90
• Appellate Advocacy in the Nineties, 4/27/90
• State Appellate Practice, 10/9/87
• Best of CLE - 1986, 12/30/86
• Winning on Appeal: Trial Court Strategies, 1/24/86
• Red Flag Seminar: Civil Appeals, 8/85