Elizabeth Cate joined The Zalkin Law Firm in 2020. Elizabeth is an experienced litigator with more than 12 years of experience advocating for children and adults who have faced life-changing challenges.
Elizabeth has experience litigating civil and criminal cases in state and federal courts, including as first-chair trial counsel. She has represented clients at all stages of proceedings from investigation through appeals.
Elizabeth began her career defending children in juvenile delinquency proceedings at the Juvenile Rights Practice of the Legal Aid Society in Brooklyn, New York, where she had a high rate of success securing acquittals after trial or securing favorable resolutions for her clients, many of whom were in foster care or otherwise abused and neglected at home. She has worked for two prominent international law firms in New York City, representing multinational corporations and high-net-worth individuals in a variety of cases, including in antitrust, consumer protection, and criminal proceedings.
Elizabeth has always maintained an active pro bono practice, representing indigent individuals in criminal and high-stakes civil proceedings. In 2017, she won a new trial before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit for her client who was facing a death sentence in Tennessee. At her client’s retrial before a Tennessee state court, she helped secure a favorable plea agreement for her client that will permit him to be released from state custody in the next year. She received the Empire State Counsel award from the New York State Bar Association and the Legal Aid Society’s Pro Bono Publico award for her dedication to pro bono work.
Elizabeth received her Juris Doctor from the New York University School of Law in 2008. She graduated from Barnard College of Columbia University with honors in 2004. Elizabeth is admitted to practice law in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, District Courts for the Southern and Eastern District of New York, Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Tennessee, and the New York State bar. She is a member of the New York City Bar Association’s Criminal Advocacy Committee.
