Cate Byrne
Cate (they/she) has spent her time at Texas Law focused on all things indigent defense. Cate has interned with the Colorado State Public Defender, The ACLU of Texas, and the Federal Community Defender for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania's Capital Habeas Unit. As a 3L, she is working as an advanced student in the Criminal Defense and Capital Punishment clinics and as a research assistant to Professor Lee Kovarsky. Cate also enjoys engaging with the larger Texas Law community as a Pro Bono Scholar for the Expunction Project and through various student organizations. She currently serves on the executive boards of OUTLaw, GRITS, and the Texas Journal on Civil Liberties & Civil Rights. Cate hopes to spend most of her legal career working as a public defender before transitioning into a clinical teaching role, following in her parents'—two public school teachers—footsteps.
Cate believes strongly in the power of community and is always ready to connect with peers interested in Texas Law's numerous public interest opportunities, the greater Austin public interest community, or anyone with questions on what it means to chart a public interest legal career more broadly. She can be reached at cbyrne@utexas.edu.