Catherine Moss: Personal Injury Attorney
Personal injury trial attorney Catherine Moss didn’t grow up expecting to follow in her father’s footsteps but that’s exactly the direction she took after working for an LA-based law firm where she found herself deeply drawn to his specialty. Born in Stockton and raised in Linden, Catherine excelled in school, graduating from Linden High School where she was valedictorian and student body president. She went on to graduate from UCLA and then Southwestern Law School.
Now a partner at Knapp Moss Law, she reflects back on how her father, Larry Knapp, always set the bar high throughout his nearly three decade career. “Working at that law firm in LA really opened my eyes to how much my dad fought for the underdog,” Catherine recalled. Witnessing the profound need people had to be well represented in some of life’s most difficult circumstances, she chose to make personal injury law her specialty as well. Since then Catherine has tried cases before juries in San Joaquin and San Bernardino counties and won record-setting awards for her clients.
Part of her success is that Knapp Moss is a boutique law firm, meaning it’s smaller and more specialized — although no less powerful — than bigger firms in the services they provide throughout San Joaquin County and the state of California. Catherine’s brother, Howard, was so inspired that he decided to quit his job and go to law school too. “I never imagined working with my family, but in hindsight, I think I always would have ended up exactly where I am. Once I got into the legal field, joining forces with them just made the most sense,” she observed.
“We are the office you call when you need us,” Catherine elaborated. “With almost 30 years of experience, our boutique service is more fully attuned to the client, personalized, and well-rounded in our approach and services. Every client speaks directly with us, the actual attorneys, rather than being assigned to a case manager as happens at bigger and national firms. We are very sensitive to taking care of our clients’ medical and legal needs while making sure they are never left in the dark during the process.”
This approach is crucial when that legal process can sometimes take 2 or more years to complete. Catherine advised, “In life, it takes time to do things right. Too often people are tempted to rush, but doing so can shortchange them. So we work to meet their needs but we take the time to perform our due diligence to ensure the best medical and financial outcome for them.”
The partners at Knapp Moss agree that getting justice for their clients is the goal and usually comes in the form of financial compensation. But they also define success as fixing a dangerous situation by making changes which protect others from injury. For example, restructuring a dangerous parking lot to prevent people from suffering future accidents or injuries was one of many such successes. Catherine noted, “I like to achieve policy changes and improved safety protocols. Anything we can do to make the world safer is our goal. It aids in getting justice for our clients.”
For anyone who thinks they might have cause to file a personal injury lawsuit, Catherine urges, “If you’ve been injured through no fault of your own, just ask. Consult an attorney. We review every call to our office and provide free consultations. And if we aren’t the correct office to meet someone’s needs we will refer them to the right attorney or office. We just want to see people get the help they need.”
Practicing personal injury law is a serious business but also a gratifying one. Catherine credits her career with enhancing her empathy toward other individuals. “It’s absolutely changed me,” she emphasized. “I am more empathetic across the board. The current lifestyle and culture of rushing everything causes a lot of problems. We need to watch out for one another. I am so grateful for our country’s civil litigation system; the jury of our peers is a beautiful thing. It’s a privilege to be part the civil justice system.”
Knapp Moss Law | California Personal Injury Attorneys
Stockton, Los Angeles & Bay Area Offices | (209) 279-5002 | knappmoss.com
