Cate E. Bell is a Partner in the New York City office of The Cook Group.  Ms. Bell has over eight years of experience in defense litigation, primarily in product liability matters involving exposure to asbestos.  She has acted as national counsel to several valve and pump manufacturers overseeing litigation in multiple jurisdictions.  At the same time, she has actively defended the firm’s clients, including suppliers, heavy equipment manufacturers, and contractors in the New York City Asbestos Litigation (NYCAL) handling all aspects of cases from inception through discovery, motions, and trials. 

Prior to her practice as a defense lawyer, Ms. Bell spent five years at a prestigious plaintiffs’ medical malpractice and personal injury firm while attending law school at night. During that time, Ms. Bell assisted in preparing cases for trial and served as a trial assistant gaining invaluable first-hand courtroom experience. Her involvement complemented her law school program which provided her with legal writing and litigation experience and afforded many insights into the presentation and defense of tort cases.  In addition to her legal work, Ms. Bell has been involved in pro bono work and aiding the underrepresented. She has performed volunteer work nationally and has worked with indigenous communities in Peru. She has also served as a research assistant to Prof. Tanya Hernandez in the fields of Critical Race Theory and Employment Discrimination.