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 former President (2000-2002), Washington Appellate Lawyers Association
• Editor-in-chief, Washington State Bar Association, Appellate Practice Handbook (2nd Edition Supplement, 1998; 3rd Edition 2005; 3d Edition Supplement (in production))
• Elected Member, American Law Institute
• Member, Washington Ethical Judicial Campaign Committee.
• Chosen for inclusion in "The Best Lawyers of America" and "Washington Superlawyers" (top 100 attorneys; top 50 women lawyers) over past several years
• 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)
• 2001 Lawyer of the Year, Family Law Section, Washington State Bar Association 
• Advisory Committee, Office of Public Defense
• Director, Friends of Cooper Island
• Washington Environmental Council Legal Committee
• Northwest Women's Law Center Legislative Committee, 1998-2001
• Vice-chair, Appellate Practice Section, Federal Bar Association (1995-1996)
• 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)

Selected Speaking Engagements

• Tough Talk with Family Law Clients, Washington State Bar Association, 2/24/10
• Family Law Hot Topics for Hard Times, King County Bar Association, 10/16/09
• Through the Years-Important Washington Cases, Washington Courts Historical Society, 11/20/09
• Hot Topics in Family Law, Clallam Legal II, 11/6/09
• Appellate Practice Institute, King County Bar Association, 12/5/08
• Family Law Hot Topics 2008, King County Bar Association, 11/21/08
• 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