Cate Sumner

A global advocate for legal reform and women’s rights

Cate Sumner is a legal expert and human rights advocate with more than 30 years international experience. She has spent her career improving access to justice for women, people with disability, and vulnerable children.

Cate has worked with international organisations including Baker & McKenzie in Cairo, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East in the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the International Development Law Organisation.

In 2005, she founded Law & Development Partners, bringing legal specialists to address justice issues across the Asia-Pacific.

Cate has contributed to research and policy development for UN Women, the World Bank, the Lowy Institute, and the Centre for Global Development.

In 2019, she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to explore how collaborative funding models combining government, corporate and philanthropic support can fund free legal services for women and children experiencing violence.

Cate’s Churchill Fellowship led to a coalition of organisations establishing Tasmania’s first health, justice and housing partnership called Just Healthy Families, which provides specialist family violence legal services at 19 locations across Tasmania, including the Hobart Women’s Shelter. In its first 30 months, Just Healthy Family lawyers have assisted more than 3500 women and children across Tasmania.

Cate has been instrumental in expanding the Hobart Women’s Shelter’s impact by securing crucial funding, improving data analysis and reporting systems, and advocating for quality housing. Her leadership has helped the Hobart Women’s Shelter expand its services and strengthen its long-term impact.

“Cate Sumner’s dedication to justice has transformed legal access for women and vulnerable communities worldwide, ensuring the law is a tool for empowerment and equality.” Community testament.

 Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women