The last ten years of Cate Edwards’ life have no doubt been a struggle. Her father, former presidential candidate and Senator John Edwards has fallen from grace due to a sex scandal that tore her family apart just before the death of her mother, Elizabeth Edwards, died from breast cancer. By starting a public interest law firm, she no doubt hopes to turn her adversity into strength that she can use to assist others in the Washington, D.C., area.
After her father lost a campaign for United States Vice President alongside Democratic nominee John Kerry, and a second presidential campaign stalled, he was investigated for using campaign funds to cover up an affair with the mother of his out-of-wedlock child. While her father defended himself, his marriage to Cate’s mother, Elizabeth, ended, and she died shortly after. Since Elizabeth’s death, Cate has headed a charity she founded in her mother’s name.
“We as people can’t get through anything tough alone, and we rely on one another,” Cate Edwards told ABC News. “I’ve relied on my family and my friends, and that support system got me through. “Any obstacles that I maybe ran into along the way they are now in the past. We are all moving forward we all have a strong relationship and yeah, we’re still a family.”
Edwards, 31, has started a public interest law firm in D.C. with her legal partner, Sharon Eubanks, called Edwards and Eubanks LLC. Eubanks is a litigator who spent two decades at the Department of Justice and has since focused on the civil rights litigation. The firm will specialize in employment, consumer rights, environmental justice and civil rights.
The firm’s mission statement is to ensure that high-quality legal representation is not limited to big corporations and wealthy individuals, and Edwards and Eubanks hope to use their resources to help provide a level playing field for working people.
“I’ve always wanted a legal career where I helped people where I was able to give something back and make a difference,” said Edwards.
