Attorney Spotlight: Catherine M. (Kate) Harper, Esq.
When Kate Harper was 10 years old, she already knew that she wanted to follow in the footsteps of her dad and granddad and become a lawyer. She was also inspired by her aunt who started practicing law in 1965 at a time when there weren’t many female lawyers.
After graduating maxima cum laude with a degree in political science from LaSalle University, Harper earned her law degree from the Villanova University School of Law.
Eager to go straight to court after graduation, she initially joined a small Philadelphia law firm that would afford her plenty of courtroom opportunities. At age 31, she earned the distinction of arguing a case before the U.S. Supreme Court. “I learned that judges are people just like everyone else,” she said. “Their life experiences prepare or don’t prepare them for the case you’re presenting. Thinking about their perspective and what would make an impression on them helps you make a better argument. This is true at the U.S. Supreme Court and every other level of the judicial system.”
A partner at Timoney Knox since 1997, Harper was also a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly in the House of Representatives, representing eastern Montgomery County for 18 years.
Specializing in litigation, Harper focuses on civil litigation and land use, particularly municipal, conservation and zoning law, as well as real estate in Southeastern Pennsylvania. She represents local governments, zoning boards and land development applicants. She also represents land trusts, landowners and conservancies in preservation projects and drafting and enforcing conservation easements.
Harper is uniquely qualified for this law specialty. Prior to serving in the Pennsylvania state legislature, she played an active role in county and local government. She was an elected member and chair of the Lower Gwynedd Township Board of Supervisors for 13 years, and served as solicitor for other local governments for many years.
Harper has received numerous awards from environmental organizations for her advocacy work, including the Montgomery County Planning Advocate Award. She was hailed for leading a bipartisan effort and cosponsoring legislation in the Pennsylvania General Assembly in response to a local school district’s intent to seize Stoneleigh, a conserved natural garden, by eminent domain. As a result of her efforts, the Stoneleigh Bill was signed into law, requiring governmental entities seeking to use eminent domain for land under a conservation easement to prove in the county Orphan’s Court that there are no “reasonable and prudent” alternative sites for their proposed facilities.
Harper also led the effort to save Penllyn Woods in Lower Gwynedd, preserved and enhanced Pennsylvania’s Growing Greener Program, and protected over 3,000 acres of land through conservation easements while serving on the Montgomery County Lands Trust board, among other accomplishments.
One of her most rewarding cases involved the Smola Farm in Upper Pottsgrove Township. The township purchased the farm using open space tax revenues after township residents voted to tax themselves in a referendum to buy open space. When the township decided that they were going to build a municipal complex in the middle of the farm, two residents called Harper to see if there was anything they could do to stop this. Her experience with open space legislation in the Pennsylvania legislature paid off.
“The residents hired me to file a lawsuit against the township, and it went to trial,” Harper related. “We proved that Smola Farm was purchased with open space tax revenues and that building a municipal complex would not have open space benefits in accordance with the law. The new township commissioners have voted to drop the case.
“This was a big, important win because it not only saved the Smola Farm, but also proved to citizens that there is something you can do,” Harper continued. “The courts can step in and say, ‘No, you can’t do that.’ So it not only rewarded the township residents, but also sends a message to township solicitors that this isn’t acceptable. Hopefully, this sets a precedent that will save open space elsewhere.”
“I like to solve people’s problems,” noted Harper. “People often come to me with real estate problems. They’ve been sued or someone is encroaching on their property, or they have an opportunity but aren’t sure about the zoning. Because I know zoning and real estate law, I can judge the situation and help them reach a solution either by writing a better contract with contingencies or by filing or defending a lawsuit.
Despite her courtroom success, Harper says that going to court isn’t aways the best way to solve a problem. “As a township supervisor, I learned that problems often are solved when people talk to each other, and I have always encouraged that.”
Harper’s many honors and awards include recognition as a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer since 2019, selected by her peers as among the top 5 percent of lawyers in the Commonwealth.
A resident of Lower Gwynedd, Harper is passionate about land preservation and environmental protection. She serves on the Heritage Conservancy Board, and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council Board and has served on the Wissahickon Trails Board of Directors, and on the Montgomery County Lands Trust as Past Chairman, Board of Directors and a founding member. She was Vice Chair of the Montgomery County Planning Commission and the Schuylkill Greenway Study Commission. She chaired the Montgomery County Open Space Planning Board and helped write the county’s Open Space Plan. She has also been a member of the Delaware River Regional Water Planning Committee and vice chair of the Statewide Water Resources Committee.
