Dr. Catherine Carr

Biography

Catherine Carr is an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and serves as an Access Justice Consultant. With over twenty years of experience, Catherine was the Executive Director of Community Legal Services, Inc. (CLS), a nonprofit law firm that provides free legal services to indigent Philadelphians in civil matters. During her eleven years as a staff attorney at CLS, she specialized in public benefits litigation, focusing on welfare access, Social Security, and Medicaid cases. Under her leadership, CLS gained national recognition for its expertise and high-quality work, earning her the ABA’s Hodson Award in 2007. Catherine has served on the board of directors for several nonprofit organizations in Philadelphia, including the Reinvestment Fund and the Women’s Law Project. She holds leadership roles in numerous bar association projects and is the current Chair of the Public Service Advisory Board at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. Catherine has received various awards, including the National Legal Aid and Defender Association’s Denison Ray Award and Rutgers Law School’s Mary Philbrook Public Interest Award. She graduated magna cum laude with a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, where she was an editor of the Law Review, and cum laude with a B.A. from Yale University. Additionally, she clerked for the Honorable Norma L. Shapiro of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Research Interests