Catherine was admitted to practice in 1985 and commenced working with A R Conolly and Company the same year. She was a barrister from 1987 to 1994 when she joined a major national law firm practising in public liability, statutory insurance, professional indemnity and occupational health and safety. She was a partner in a commercial firm from 2000 to 2004 where she managed a high volume insurance litigation practice as well as drafting and advising on insurance clauses in a range of contracts. During that time she was an Arbitrator of the District Court and of the Workers Compensation Commission. She is a trained mediator.