Lauren Cates, Esq.

Lauren received her J.D. from Villanova University School of Law, where she graduated summa cum laude and became a member of the Order of the Coif. Lauren served as executive editor of the Villanova Law Review and was a member of the Black Law Students Association.  She earned her undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, in Political Science from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia. She is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.  Lauren is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Philadelphia Bar Association and the Barristers' Association of Philadelphia.  She also instructs first-year law students in the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group's Annual Legal Writing Seminar. The PDLG is committed to increasing the number of attorneys of diverse backgrounds in the Greater Philadelphia area.

Before joining Haines & Associates, Lauren spent over three years at Dechert LLP, a large general practice law firm in Philadelphia where she represented large pharmaceutical companies in mass tort, product liability and white-collar crime cases.  She has conducted complex discovery, prepared for medical witness and expert depositions, and prepped witnesses for grand jury testimony. She began her career as a law clerk to the Honorable Eduardo C. Robreno in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Lauren was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. She gained a strong interest in political and civil rights issues as an intern for the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia. Lauren is an avid music fan and enjoys cooking, exploring Philadelphia's restaurants, traveling and reading.