Cathleen Kelly Rebar, Founder & Managing Partner, Rebar Kelly, A DotCom Magazine Exclusive Interview

Cathleen Kelly Rebar, Founder & Managing Partner, Rebar Kelly, A DotCom Magazine Exclusive Interview.
About Cathleen Kelly Rebar, Founder & Managing Partner, Rebar Kelly.
Cathleen Kelly Rebar, is the founder and managing partner of Rebar Kelly, a regional law firm with offices in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. The firm specializes in representing insurance companies in coverage and liability cases, but in response to the new challenges presented by the pandemic, Cathleen has expanded their representation to include matters related to COVID-19.

As an award-winning attorney and fierce litigator with an impressive record of victories in the courtroom, Cathleen has acted as lead counsel in some of the insurance industry’s most high-profile cases and served as an elected magisterial district judge in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, for the past 10 years. With almost two decades of experience, she leads a team of lawyers, who have tried hundreds of cases to successful verdicts.

​Cathleen believes that expedient and cost-effective resolutions are often the best way to serve clients. Just as each case is unique, so too are her clients’ goals and she works closely with them to determine the best strategy for each of their situations. Cathleen’s passion for her work echoes the words of Ray Kroc and define her perspective perfectly: “If you work just for money, you’ll never make it, but if you love what you’re doing and you always put the customer first, success will be yours.” This enthusiasm, coupled with her legal skills, have resulted in a cache of industry awards, including: Super Lawyer 2014 – 2019, The Legal Intelligencer Litigation Department of the Year, 2018; Lawyer on the Fast Track, The Legal Intelligencer; and Rising Star, Law & Politics, 2006-2008, 2010-2011, 2011-2012.

​Cathleen is also an active public speaker and the author of a host of published works examining a wide variety of issues. Some of her more recent speaking engagements include:

​“Slip, Trip, and Fall – Managing These Cases in a Retail, Restaurant, and Hospitality Environment,” CLM Alliance Workers Compensation and Retail, Restaurant & Hospitality Conference, June 18, 2020 (virtual)

“Winning Strategies for Litigation Management,” CLM 2019 Annual Conference in Orlando, FL on March 14, 2019

Transferring Risk in the Retail, Restaurant & Hospitality Arena, CLM Retail, Restaurant & Hospitality Conference, Dallas, TX, February 7, 2019

Claims College Mock Trial, annually beginning in 2015 through present

Claims College, Third-Party Vendor Management, 2016 through 2019

“E-Strategies, Litigation Management Institute,” Loyola University, Chicago, IL, annual course beginning in 2015 through present

“Claims & Judicial Inconsistencies on the Rise,” CLM Cyber Summit, New York, NY, October 12, 2018

“Looking for Other Pockets: Identifying and Pursuing Other Entities to Offset Liability Including Additional Insureds,” CLM Construction Conference, Chicago, IL, September 2018

“Third-Party Vendor Risk Management and Exposure,” CLM Claims College, Baltimore, Maryland, September 5-8, 2018

“Strategies for Marketing, Mitigating and Offsetting Costs of Data Breach Claims,” CLM Annual Conference, Houston, March 2018

“Combating the Reptile Theory Through Deposition Preparation and Motion Practice,” RRM CLM Conference, Dallas, TX, February 2018

“Reptile Theory Practicum,” New York Athletic Club, January 11, 2018

“User’s Guide to Data Breach Handling,” 2017 CLM Annual Conference, Nashville, TN, March 30, 2017

“Aspects of Working in Litigation Boutiques,” Villanova University Panel on Business, Villanova, PA, January 11, 2017

Cathleen received her law degree from Villanova University School of Law in 1998, and she holds a bachelor’s degree from Long Island University, where she graduated magna cum laude.