In 1974, the Chattanooga Bar Association planted a seed when it awarded a Girls Preparatory School student second place in the Law Day Essay Contest. The kernel grew slowly over time, and today, Catherine White’s career as a family law attorney is in full bloom.
Even as a child, the circumstances of White’s life were nourishing the soil in which she would someday grow roots.
“My mom was Channel 9’s first weather girl. I’d watch her on TV, and then she’d come home. I thought that was neat,” she says.
White’s childhood memories of her mother being on television impacted her interests, and she wound up at Baylor University in Waco, Texas studying broadcast journalism. She landed her first job in her chosen field in the Longhorn State as well, but soon migrated back to Chattanooga, where she worked for a time as an assignments editor at WDEF. Later, she secured a position at WOOF Radio in Alabama.
As a journalist, White was drawn to the court beat. The trials she covered fascinated her, and she had a knack for understanding what was taking place, so she decided to attend law school. While many attorneys study history, English, or political science in preparation for their legal education, White says journalism provided her with “a great foundation” for her work as a litigator.
“As a journalist, I learned to analyze the issues, to build my story, to corroborate the facts with interviews, and to keep my statements short and simple – just like in court,” she says.
At Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, White immersed herself in courses and activities aimed at preparing her to become a litigator, including mock trial and appellate argument competitions. When she returned to Chattanooga in 1988, law degree in hand, she was eager to take on the world.
White’s first job as a lawyer was with Eugene Collins & Associates as a special counsel for the City of Chattanooga. The position immediately put her where she wanted to be – in court. She quickly demonstrated her ability to build an airtight case.
“One time, a police officer had failed to properly frisk a juvenile before putting him in the back of his squad car, and the kid had a gun in the back of his pants and was able to get it out. Fortunately, no one got hurt, but the officer was trying to say there was no way the kid could have done that, so I had the kid demonstrate what he did. I sat him in front of the city commission, and he twisted his little finger into the gun and pulled it out,” she says.
Following a year and a half of advocating for the city, White set out to broaden her experience by working for a firm. She wound up at Leitner Warner, where she did insurance defense. Although she was good at her job, it was an uncomfortable fit. “I always secretly rooted for the plaintiff, so I thought, ‘This is not what I want to do with the rest of my life,’” she says.
While at Leitner, White was drawn to family law, and started dabbling in the field. Once she gained her footing, and had the blessing of Leitner, she struck out on her own. She’s been on her own ever since.
White has tackled a broad spectrum of issues in her 20 years as a family law attorney. Her most memorable cases involved children who’d been “horribly abused.”
“Their adopted parents hired me to terminate the parental rights of the abusing parents. Judges generally don’t feel comfortable terminating parental rights because that’s permanent, but if you put on your case properly, they will. Having received pictures and correspondence down the road, I’m happy to report the children are doing wonderfully,” she says.
White expanded her practice in the late ’90s to include mediation. As a Rule 31 Family Mediator, she’s available to help divorcing couples iron out the wrinkles in every legal facet of their separation.
“Mediation allows the parties to sit down in a safe setting, and maybe for the first time in a long time discuss issues without getting mad and leaving. It cuts down on emotional wear-and-tear and legal expenses.
“Judges love it, too, because it moves the matter off their docket, so it provides a service to the justice system as well,” she says.
As a family law attorney, White had to reconcile certain aspects of her practice with her faith as a Christian – specifically, the New Testament laws regarding divorce. Biblical principles are clearly important to White, as evidenced by the plaque of the Ten Commandments hanging in the lobby of her office on Dallas Road, but so is taking care of her clients. Her solution is grounded in careful deliberation.
“People will come to me and say, ‘I’m a Christian, so I don’t believe in divorce, but I can’t live with this person anymore.’ That’s hard for some folks. I tell them the Bible says if the unbelieving spouse leaves the believing spouse, then the believing spouse is free to go on with his or her life. Scripture doesn’t define what ‘leaving’ means, though. To me, if someone is beating you, verbally abusing you, or not providing for you, they’re gone. And that generally provides comfort,” White says.
Also clearly important to White is family, and in particular, her two children. Although her expression was tight while she was discussing divorce, a bright smile crosses over her face as she talks about her 14-year-old daughter, Kassey, and 4-year-old son, Shiloh. She vicariously enjoys equestrian activities through her daughter, and she brags on her son, who has a mild case of Down syndrome. “He’s amazing,” she says.
Although White’s children and practice keep her busy, she is on the program committee at Siskin Children’s Institute and an active member at her church, The Ministry Center.
White is married to Westley Robertson, a registered nurse at Memorial Hospital, and enjoys the company of a large extended family. She’s especially pleased her mother, Marcia Cate, is still with her. Her father, Forrest Cate, the owner of Forrest Cate Ford back in the day, died some time ago.
Since the Bar planted the seed of interest in the law in White almost 40 years ago, the branches of her career have grown tall and wide to provide a restful place to which her clients can come to resolve their problems. Her mediation practice can even provide shade from the heat of discord. Although White lived elsewhere when she worked in broadcast journalism, her roots as an attorney in Chattanooga have grown deep, ensuring she’ll be around for a long time to come.
“Family law gives me a reason to get up in the morning. I imagine that’s why Selma Paty has been an attorney for years and years. It gets in your blood.”