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“Catherine is a trusted adviser providing strategic risk assessments and counsel.”

Chambers USA 2024

Overview

A former U.S. Attorney and Missouri House Speaker, Catherine defends clients nationwide, helping resolve their toughest and most sensitive legal issues.

Catherine has successfully handled high-profile, bet-the-company, complex matters in federal court and before regulatory agencies. She represents leading global and closely-held companies – as well as their officers and owners – in civil and criminal investigations and in business litigation. Catherine also strategically advises senior management and boards of directors, offering comprehensive solutions to address their legislative and enforcement challenges. Matters Catherine handles include:

  • Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS)
  • Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)
  • False Claims Act (FCA)
  • Fraud
  • Money laundering
  • Trade secrets

Clients value that Catherine is uniquely positioned to identify complex legal issues, along with the pathways and collaborative strategies to resolution. Before leading the firm as the first woman to serve as Chair, she also served as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Eastern District of Missouri, the only woman Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives and for five years on staff for U.S. Senator Kit Bond. As U.S. Attorney, she supervised more than 4,000 criminal, affirmative and defensive civil cases and personally tried cases to jury verdicts. She also supervised and assisted in the development of cutting-edge theories of criminal prosecution.

“Catherine is a trusted adviser providing strategic risk assessments and counsel.”

Chambers USA 2024

Industries

Services

Recognition

  • Benchmark Litigation, Local Litigation Star, 2021-2025
  • The Best Lawyers in America®
    • Commercial Litigation, 2024 and 2025
  • Chambers USA, Litigation: White Collar Crime & Government Investigations, 2022-2024
  • Missouri Lawyers Media, POWER List for White Collar Defense, 2020-2022; Top 100 POWER List for White Collar Defense, 2022
  • St. Louis Business Journal, Most Influential Business Woman, 2018
  • Ingrams’ Magazine, Missourians You Should Know, 2012

Education

  • J.D., The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law
  • B.A., Creighton University

Admissions

  • Missouri
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

Professional Memberships and Certifications

  • American Bar Association (ABA), White Collar section
  • Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL)
  • National Association of Former United States Attorneys (NAFUSA)
  • The Missouri Bar
  • Women's White Collar Defense Association (WWCDA)
Experience

Public Integrity

  • Won total declination of all potential charges against significant donor in public corruption case where elected official pled guilty. Managed significant communications and reputational issues during pendency of investigation.
  • Won total declination of all potential charges against former Missouri Governor in investigations of whether he misappropriated assets of a charity.
  • Obtained motion to dismiss for high-profile 501(c)(4) organization and its board members after political activist plaintiff brought suit. Prior to this unprecedented matter, no case analyzed statute at issue. Court dismissed claims against social welfare organization and board members with prejudice. Decision was affirmed on appeal.

State Attorneys General

  • Successfully recruited a number of State Attorneys General to join amicus curiae in two separate but related cases.

Manufacturing & Rail

  • Obtained total declination of all charges for Fortune 500 engineering corporation in trade secrets claims stemming from federal investigation of employee installer.
  • Negotiated and guided Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation for publicly traded railroad, leading to no enforcement action.
  • Navigated major defense contractor and U.S. leading military shipbuilding company through creating and auditing Federal Acquisition Regulations, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), False Claim Act (FCA), and Anti-Kickback Statute compliance measures following ownership changes.

Food & Agriculture

  • Collaborated with national agriculture associations and nationwide legal team to win preliminary injunction preventing California Attorney General from requiring a Proposition 65 cancer warning on products containing glyphosate.
  • Obtained total declination on behalf of alcohol & beverage client facing public official kickback claims during ordinary product sales.
  • Successfully navigated liquor industry executive through streamlined political advocacy resolutions of complex licensing delay.

Healthcare

  • Assisted opioid manufacturer in Missouri against suits by Missouri Attorney General and a number of counties.
  • Protected and defended multinational pharmaceutical and life sciences company that, while pursuing remedy for theft of trade secrets, faced losing further proprietary information through the discovery process.
  • Achieved favorable results in prosecution of nursing home operators for False Claims based on the theory that the care they were providing was so de minimis as to constitute no care at all.
  • In the wake of a merger of two major medical device manufacturers, assisted the company in analyzing compliance risks associated with the federal food and drug act, False Claims Act and anti-kickback statutes. Wrote policies for conducting investigations and a manual for Foreign Corrupt Practices Act policies and procedures. Also conducted extensive interviews of national sales team and made recommendations to prevent off-label marketing.
  • In conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the FBI and other agencies, the U.S. Attorney's Office, under Catherine's leadership, pursued claims of violations of the False Claims Act, anti-kickback statutes and the Stark Act.

Technology

  • After the Missouri Public Service Commission staff had recommended a criminal referral of the individual officers of a telecommunications company, persuaded the commission that no referral should be made.

Accounting

  • Led team that assisted "Big Four" accounting firm in navigating U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation, Congressional inquiries and a Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into issues related to the collapse of a major investment bank.
  • Counseled a “Big Four” accounting firm during a crisis that began when the receiver for a bankrupt former client questioned the auditor’s statement of certain financial transactions. Advised on potential criminal exposure, regulatory scrutiny and shareholder communications.

Energy & Natural Resources

  • Represented industrial users of power in opposing the first-ever hostile takeover in the public utilities industry before the Missouri Public Service Commission and the Kansas Corporation Commission.
Firm News | February 26, 2024
Husch Blackwell 2023 Annual Report
News Releases | January 31, 2024
Husch Blackwell Names Joe Glynias Chair Elect
News Releases | August 21, 2023
Husch Blackwell to Relocate Office in Omaha
News Releases | January 19, 2023
Husch Blackwell to Open Minneapolis Office
News Releases | November 07, 2022
Husch Blackwell's Ginger Gooch Appointed to Missouri Judgeship

Ginger Gooch, a partner in the Husch Blackwell’s Springfield office, was appointed today to the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District.

News Releases | September 29, 2022
Husch Blackwell Commences Search for Chief Executive
News Releases | April 28, 2022
Husch Blackwell Climbs in 2022 Am Law 100
News Releases | August 02, 2021
Gregg N. Sofer Joins Husch Blackwell's White Collar Team

Gregg N. Sofer becomes the latest high-profile arrival for Husch Blackwell’s White Collar, Internal Investigations & Compliance practice group.

News Releases | July 20, 2021
Husch Blackwell Expands into New England
News Releases | April 22, 2021
Husch Blackwell Ranked in 2021 Am Law 100
News Releases | April 01, 2021
Catherine Hanaway Becomes Husch Blackwell Chair
News Releases | February 22, 2021
Husch Blackwell Achieves Record Revenue in 2020
News Releases | April 14, 2020
Husch Blackwell Names Catherine Hanaway Chair-Elect

Based in St. Louis, Hanaway has led Husch Blackwell litigation teams on some of the most sensitive and commercially significant matters handled by the firm.

News Releases | March 26, 2020
Husch Blackwell's Government Solutions Team Launches New State-by-State COVID-19 Resource Center

The state-by-state Resource Center is part of Husch Blackwell’s larger effort to respond to COVID-19-related legal issues.

Outside the Office

Years of Hope. Years of Courage.

Catherine was recently among 99 others marching behind the “Years of Hope – Years of Courage” float in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, commemorating the 100th anniversary of women's constitutional right to vote. Joining Catherine in period dress were the great-great-great grandniece of Harriet Tubman, the great-great-granddaughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the great-great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass, an ancestor of Susan B. Anthony, and the great-granddaughter of suffragist Ida B. Wells. The year leading up to the project included Catherine, countless volunteers, sponsors and organizers who raised $350,000 without corporate backing.

Community Leadership
  • Regional Business Council, Board of Directors
  • St. Louis Regional Crime Commission Board, Board Member
  • United Way of Greater St. Louis, Executive Committee, Chair’s Council