Catharine Arrowood, retired of counsel in Parker Poe's Raleigh office, is a female pioneer in North Carolina’s legal community. She began her career being told “girls can’t try cases.” She went on to become a bet-the-company litigator, the first female partner at Parker Poe, and one of the first female chairs of an executive committee at a major law firm in the Southeast. She also served as president of the North Carolina Bar Association and the Wake County Bar Association.
In her legal practice, Catharine Arrowood litigated and arbitrated for both large and small businesses and has considerable experience with regulated companies. She focused on resolving problems that threaten the viability of a business. Her clients have included educational institutions, utilities, insurance companies, accounting and law firms, healthcare and biotech firms, banks, and commercial aerospace companies.
Catharine has lectured and written on various aspects of complex litigation, including managing complex cases, federal civil procedure, arbitration, and mediation.
She was a member of the Panel of Neutrals for the American Arbitration Association and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution, and she served as the co-chair of TerraLex's Dispute Resolution Group. Prior to joining the firm, she served as an associate attorney general, handling antitrust cases for the North Carolina Department of Justice.
Catharine has been recognized by Chambers USA as a Band 1 practitioner in general commercial litigation, the first woman to achieve this ranking in North Carolina.
In addition, Catharine served on numerous boards throughout her career, including the North Carolina Symphony Society, DirectWomen, UNC Rex Healthcare, and the North Carolina Community Foundation.
The awards and recognition she has received for her enduring impact on clients, the legal profession, and the broader community include:
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The Trailblazer Award for Women in Law from the North Carolina Bar Association's Women in the Profession Committee. Catharine, the second person to receive the award, was recognized for "excellence in her area of practice, unwavering professionalism, and a continuous commitment to promoting and protecting other women in the legal profession."
- The Hal J. Pos Award, the highest honor given by TerraLex, a leading international legal network. Catharine was the second person to receive the award, which recognizes a TerraLex member whose leadership, character, and dedication exemplify the values lived by the late Hal J. Pos: respect, honor, and integrity.
- The Amicus Curiae Award from the chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. It recognized her "outstanding service" to the state judicial branch as co-chair of the N.C. Commission on the Administration of Law and Justice, which spent more than a year conducting a comprehensive review of North Carolina’s court system.
- The Advocate’s Award from the Litigation Section of the North Carolina Bar Association, which recognizes "members of the Litigation Section who are the ‘superstars’ of our profession."
- The inaugural class of the North Carolina Lawyers Hall of Fame, sponsored by North Carolina Lawyers Weekly.
- The inaugural recipient of Parker Poe’s Women’s Achievement Award, which has been named after her since and recognizes the achievements of women in the legal profession each year.