About Catherine
Catherine Turner built her law practice from courtroom benches and public defender dockets. She earned a B.A. in political science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2002 and a J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2005. Those years set the stage for a career spent largely in criminal defense.
She began legal work in 2003 as a law clerk with the Federal Public Defender of Oregon. After law school she joined the Minnesota Board of Public Defense as an assistant public defender in 2006. The public defender years exposed her to a wide range of cases and courtroom duties. They also grounded her approach to defense work in practical trial experience.
In 2011 Turner served as a contract and conflict lawyer for the Federal Public Defender of Minnesota. That post involved handling cases when appointed counsel was unavailable, and it broadened her federal court exposure. Over time she moved into private practice while continuing to handle criminal matters at both state and federal levels.
Turner holds certification as a Criminal Law Specialist from the Minnesota State Bar Association. She has maintained memberships in several professional organizations: the Minnesota State Bar Association since 2008, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers since 2011, and the Federal Bar Association's Minnesota chapter since 2016. She also belongs to the National Criminal Defense College and the Hennepin County Bar Association. Earlier in her career she was a member of the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers from 2010 until 2016.
Her work history and professional affiliations point to sustained involvement in criminal defense practice and continuing legal education. Courtroom work, client representation during pretrial phases, and handling appeals have been recurring elements of her caseload. The certification from the state bar signals recognized specialization in criminal law within Minnesota's legal community.
Turner now practices as a private attorney under the firm name Catherine Turner, Lawyer at Law, PLLC. Her office continues to take criminal cases and handle matters that intersect with federal appointments and state-level defense work. She balances trial preparation, courtroom advocacy, and client counseling in her daily practice.
She practices in Minnesota and continues to handle criminal defense matters at the state and federal levels as part of her current private practice focus.
