Raleigh, NC – The North Carolina Bar Association's Women in the Profession Committee has announced that Catharine Biggs Arrowood is the recipient of the second annual Trailblazer Award for Women in the Law. Catharine 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," according to the NCBA.

Catharine, 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 NCBA and the Wake County Bar Association.

In her legal practice, Catharine litigated and arbitrated for both large and small businesses, with a focus on resolving problems that threatened the viability of a company. Her clients have included educational institutions, utilities, insurance companies, accounting and law firms, healthcare and biotech firms, banks, and commercial aerospace companies. She is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, an honor reserved for less than 1% of attorneys in any given state or province.

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:

• 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.

About Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP
Businesses and local governments turn to Parker Poe to structure transactions, navigate regulations, and resolve disputes. Founded in 1884, the Southeast business law firm today has over 300 attorneys across offices in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Washington, DC.

Parker Poe is a member of two leading international legal networks: TerraLex and the Employment Law Alliance. TerraLex and the ELA have chosen Parker Poe to help guide clients through the challenges of global business.