Catherine L. Redlich

Attorney

Cathy Redlich, an attorney, specializes in complex criminal litigation and enforcement matters, and also serves as a NYS town judge in her rural community. Cathy and her husband are co-founders and trustees of the Redlich Horwitz Foundation, which works throughout New York State to accelerate transformation of the foster care system. The Foundation’s grant making focuses on initiatives that seek to end the dismantling of families, stop surveillance and oppression of families of color, amplify impacted voices, reduce congregate care, and help foster youth heal from trauma and grief.

Cathy received a law degree from the Harvard Law School. Prior to becoming a lawyer, she worked in the publishing field as an editor and writer. She has consistently been recognized by Super Lawyers and The New York Area's Best Lawyers as among the top practitioners in her field. At U-M she has served on the English Advisory Board and the board of the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program. She currently serves on the board of the Center for Community Alternatives, which promotes a reduced reliance on incarceration, and chairs the board of the Ancram Center for the Arts, as well as holding various positions in criminal defense organizations.

Cathy credits her U-M English professors as the first to encourage her to consider a legal career, pointing out to her that, despite the vast underrepresentation of women in law schools at that time, her writing ability and analytical skills would put her in good stead. And they were right! She attributes many successes in her life to the fact that, as a U-M English major, she learned to write persuasively, vividly, and correctly, a skill that catapulted her ahead of her peers in virtually every job she has held.