Catherine N. Summa

Catherine represents individuals and businesses in a variety of complex litigation matters, including employment disputes, internal investigations, and commercial real estate cases.

A former Captain in the United States Army’s Military Police Corps, Catherine is solutions-oriented and approaches each matter with a strategy tailored to the unique needs of every client.

Catherine is a member of the Boston Bar Association, Massachusetts Black Women Attorneys, and the Women’s Bar Foundation (WBF).  She was honored with the WBF’s Nery J. Arrano Pro Bono Award for her outstanding pro bono service representing survivors of domestic violence at 209A protective order hearings (2025).

Prior to joining Cohen and Wolf, Catherine began her career as an associate attorney at an AM Law 100 firm in downtown Boston, where she worked on a variety of matters related to insurance defense, employment law, cryptocurrency, government investigations, and internal investigations. 

Catherine graduated sixth in her class from the University of Massachusetts School of Law where she served as a Judicial Intern for the Honorable William Meade of the Massachusetts Appeals Court (2021-2022) and as a Judicial Intern for the Honorable Elspeth Cypher of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts (2022-2023).  During law school, Catherine was also a Legal Intern (2021) and Associate Editor (2023) for the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General.

Catherine is resident in the firm’s Bridgeport office and is a member of Cohen and Wolf’s Employment Counseling & Litigation and Litigation & Dispute Resolution Groups.

Education

University of Massachusetts School of Law, J.D., Summa Cum Laude, 2023

• Judicial Intern for the Honorable Elspeth Cypher of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, 2022-2023
• Judicial Intern for the Honorable William Meade of the Massachusetts Appeals Court, 2021-2022
• Associate Editor for the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General, 2023
• Legal Intern for the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General, 2021

CUNY Hunter College, B.A., English, 2015

Admissions

• Connecticut
• District of Massachusetts U.S. District Court
• Massachusetts

Languages

• Spanish (intermediate)

Women’s Bar Foundation Nerry J. Arrano Pro Bono Award, 2025

CATIC Foundation Award, 2023

Publications

Boston Bar Association, 2023-present

Massachusetts Black Women Attorneys, 2023-present

Women’s Bar Foundation, 2023-present

University of Massachusetts School of Law’s Dean Advisory Board, 2024-2026

Women’s Bar Foundation 209A Restraining Order Advocate