Mary Cataldo Joins White and Bright as Partner

White and Bright, LLP is pleased to announce the addition of Mary V.J. Cataldo as the firm's newest partner. Ms. Cataldo brings valuable experience to White and Bright and will add to the firm’s trust and estate and civil litigation practices.

“Mary is a highly-regarded attorney throughout San Diego County, and I am beyond excited to have her join our firm” said Managing Partner David Bright. “She is a true leader in the legal profession and in the community, and she will be an incredible asset to White and Bright and our clients. We are overjoyed to have her continuing her legal career at White and Bright.”

Mary's Prior Experience

Prior to joining White and Bright, Cataldo was Senior Counsel at Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP. For over twenty years, her legal practice has been primarily focused on trust and estate litigation, including contesting wills and trusts, breach of fiduciary duty, and elder abuse. She has represented the full spectrum of private fiduciaries, trustees, beneficiaries, and heirs - both in defending and in challenging the validity of estate planning documents, as well as in various administration disputes, including accounting disputes and cases concerning breach of fiduciary duty.

Cataldo has also litigated business and real estate matters, including partnership disputes, unlawful detainers, and quiet title disputes. She also has extensive experience in mediation; she has acted as a Temporary Judge for the Probate Court in connection with mandatory settlement conferences, and she has served as a private mediator in trust and estate litigation matters.

Education and Memberships

Cataldo earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from University of Arizona and a Juris Doctor degree from Western State College of Law. She is admitted to practice law in California, Colorado, the U.S. District Court in the State of Colorado, and the U.S. District Courts in the Southern and Central Districts of California.

Her memberships include:

• Conference of California Bar Associations (CCBA),
• North County Bar Association, in which she was President in 2010,
• State Bar of California, and
• State Bar of Colorado.

Awards and Recognition

Mary achievements include:

• Super Lawyers, 2015-2019,
• James J. Pfeifer Award, CCBA, and
• North County Bar Attorney of the Year, 2012