Catherine Short | Chief Legal Officer

Catherine Short graduated from Thomas Aquinas College in 1980 with a B.A. in Liberal Arts. She received her law degree from Boalt Hall, U.C. Berkeley, in 1983.  She is admitted in California, five federal Circuits, and the U.S. Supreme Court

In 1985, Mrs. Short began sidewalk counseling outside an abortion clinic. Over the next few years, her efforts turned to using her legal training to protect the rights of other pro-life activists, including rescuers, sidewalk counselors, and pregnancy resource centers. In 1989, she participated in establishing Life Legal Defense Foundation, for which she now serves as Chief Legal Officer.

In addition to trial litigation, Mrs. Short has authored numerous appellate briefs, including petitions for certiorari, party briefs, and amicus briefs in the United States Supreme Court and in state and federal appellate courts. Though Mrs. Short’s work with Life Legal has involved a variety of areas in the law (e.g., zoning, personal injury, qui tam, election law), her primary focus continues to be defense of the free speech rights of pro-life activists.

She is married to fellow Thomas Aquinas College graduate William Short, also an attorney, and has nine children.