Catherine A. Ryan - Little Rock, AR
Attorney at Dodds, Kidd & Ryan
Appeals Lawyers in Little Rock, AR
313 West Second Street Little Rock, AR 72201
- Free Consultation
- 1 Super Lawyers®
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24
Years
Experience
Little Rock Appeals Lawyer
Updated: 04/21/2026
Areas of Practice
- Appeals
- Personal Injury
- Litigation
Attorney Information
Overview
Little Rock native Catherine Ryan joined Dodds, Kidd & Ryan in 2016 after fourteen years representing injured parties as a trial lawyer in Boston, Massachusetts. Catherine practices in all areas of civil litigation, with an emphasis in tort and product liability and professional negligence claims. She has successfully brought appeals of both civil and criminal matters to the Arkansas Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. Catherine was elected to become a Member of the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation, an organization of legal professionals that is limited to the top one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction. She has successfully represented clients in state and Federal court on a wide-variety of cases ranging from simple auto accidents to contract disputes, multi-district litigation and qui-tam claims.
Catherine has obtained and successfully defended against summary judgment dismissal of a variety of claims including legal malpractice, breach of contract, negligent design and negligent entrustment in both state and Federal court. Catherine successfully defended appeals of lower court victories, including a judgment after a jury’s verdict in her client’s favor for $973,000. Catherine served on the Board of Governors of the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys, lectures on various topics and is a co-author of the Emotional Distress chapter of the Massachusetts Tort Law Manual. She was recognized as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers publication in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013.
Catherine is licensed to practice in the State of Arkansas, as well as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts and the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals. She is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and a member of the Arkansas Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys and the Massachusetts Bar Association.
Awards and Honors
Honors
- “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers publication in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013
Other Sources of Feedback About Catherine A. Ryan
Included on the 2026 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
Past Lists
- 2025 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2024 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2023 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2022 Mid-South Super Lawyers list
- 2013 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list
- 2012 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list
- 2011 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list
- 2010 Massachusetts Super Lawyers list
Education
Legal Education
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University of Georgia School of Law,
Athens,
Georgia, 2002
J.D.
Non Legal Education
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University of New Hampshire
B.A.
Representative Cases
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McKim v. Sullivan, 2019 Ark. App. 485 (2019); Reversed and Remanded.
- Citation: Arkansas Court of Appeals
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Nauman v. Nauman, 2018 Ark. App. 114 (2018); Affirmed.
- Citation: Arkansas Court of Appeals
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Treloggen v. Treloggen, 2018 Ark. App. 596 (2018); Affirmed.
- Citation: Arkansas Court of Appeals
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Moody v. Moody, 2017 Ark. App. 582 (2017); Affirmed in part.
- Citation: Arkansas Court of Appeals
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McKim v. Sullivan, 2020 Ark. LEXIS 30 (2020); Review Denied.
- Citation: Arkansas Supreme Court
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Treat v. State, 2019 Ark. 326 (2019); Reversed and Remanded.
- Citation: Arkansas Supreme Court
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Smith v. Mass. Bay Transp. Auth; 462 Mass. 370 (2012); Upholding award of prejudgment and postjudgment interest on a jury’s verdict.
- Citation: Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts
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Thomas v. Southern Bancorp Bank, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 140773 (2019); Motion for Summary Judgment Denied.
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Delta Sprayers v. Pratt & Whitney Can., 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 222435 (2018); Motion for Summary Judgment Denied.
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United States ex rel. Banigan, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 199861 (2016); Motion for Summary Judgment Denied.
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Max-Planck-Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Wissenchaften E.V. v. Wolf Greenfield & Sacks, PC, 736 F.Supp. 2d 353 (2010); Granting Plaintiff’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment with respect to the existence of an attorney-client relationship and as to the question of whether a fiduciary duty was owed.
Published Works
Articles
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Co-Author, Emotional Distress chapter of the Massachusetts Tort Law Manual
Bar Admissions
- Massachusetts, 2002
- U.S. District Court District of Massachusetts, 2004
- Arkansas, 2016
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Arkansas, 2016
- U.S. Court of Appeals 1st Circuit, 2007
Other Affiliations
- Fellows of the American Bar Foundation (Member)
- Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys (Board of Governors)
- Arkansas Bar Association (Member)
- American Bar Association (Member)
- American Association for Justice (Member)
- Massachusetts Bar Association (Member)
Reviews
Customer Reviews for Catherine A. Ryan
Highlights
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0.5 Value
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0.5 Quality of Service
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0.5 Professional Competence
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Hired Attorney 2023-2026WARNING: UNACCEPTABLE PROCEDURAL FAILURES AND CASE DISMISSAL. I hired Catherine Ryan for a serious invasion of privacy case. The matter was handled on a contingency basis at the circuit court level, where it was dismissed, and I subsequently paid an additional $10,000 flat fee for the appeal. The Arkansas Court of Appeals affirmed the complete dismissal of my case (Case No. CV-24-749) due to basic filing negligence.According to the arguments cited in the appellate ruling, 'Alexander failed to attach to his complaint the documentary evidence showing that the appellee had publicly disclosed private facts.' Furthermore, in the Appellant’s Petition for Rehearing filed by my own counsel, it is admitted word-for-word that 'the exhibit of medical records that was submitted as part of the divorce proceedings was not attached to Alexander’s Complaint.' Missing the absolute core evidence entirely defeated my lawsuit before it even started. When I demanded my complete client files, email correspondence, and mandatory financial ledgers after this final dismissal, the firm became aggressively defensive, combative, and actively delayed the electronic file transfer. Word-for-word response from Catherine Ryan: 'Hi Alexander, First, the $10,000 you paid is a flat fee for the appeal. The rule you are citing refers to refundable retainer payments, or other payments that are “client funds,” which a flat fee payment is not. A copy of your contract is attached. When a case is billed hourly, which yours was not, we send out invoices. I do not believe that we keep copies of invoices that are sent out, but of course we keep financial records. In your case, those records show payment of the flat fee and then expenses relating to filing fees along with the payments you made for those fees pursuant to the contract, which I am happy to provide. Additionally, you are not correct in stating that you are entitled to attorney work product or internal notes. Please refer to Arkansas Rule of Professional Conduct 1.19, and the Amendment to that Rule Delivered on November 21, 2019. As I stated previously, your electronic file will be available next week. -Catherine Charging $10,000 to appeal a case that was already doomed by your own failure to attach the primary evidence is unconscionable. DO NOT HIRE THIS FIRM if you require diligent procedural filing, basic competence, or transparent client communication. Protect your money and your legal rights elsewhere.
Photo
Contact
313 West Second Street
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone Number: 877-885-8839
Email: Send a message
Website: https://www.dkrfirm.com/
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