Hi, I’m Cat. I’m a lawyer, conservation advocate, legal researcher, and writer

Latest reflections

Hidden in Coal Country: The Unique Biodiversity of the Clinch River

by Catarina Conran
Deep Dive | 10/25

Tucked away in the heart of Appalachia, the Clinch River looks unassuming at first glance. However, this 135 mile stretch of river is home to one of the most biologically rich ecosystems in the United States. Unfortunately, this remarkable biodiversity is under threat from declining water quality (the legacy of local coal mining operations) and unsustainable agricultural practices...

The Patchwork of U.S. AI Laws: What Companies Need to Know in 2025

by Catarina Conran
Deep Dive | 8/25

AI law is no longer theoretical. The EU AI Act has already started to bite, with general-purpose AI duties taking effect this summer. In the U.S., federal action has accelerated as well. However, the most immediate source of binding obligations for AI systems and vendors comes not from Congress, but from the states...

The Cost of Intelligence: AI Data Centers and the Environment

by Catarina Conran
Deep Dive | 8/25

Artificial intelligence may be digital, but it has a very real footprint. The rapid proliferation of massive data centers is reshaping landscapes, draining water supplies, and straining power grids. If our legal frameworks fail to adapt, the race to expand AI infrastructure could erode protections for land, water, and biodiversity just when we need them most...

Vanishing Islands and the Future of the Chesapeake Bay

by Catarina Conran
Deep Dive | 6/25

In the Chesapeake Bay, shorelines have always shifted. But over the last century, the pace of change has accelerated. Entire islands that once supported vibrant communities have slipped beneath the waves. Without intervention, USGS warns that many more of the Bay’s islands and marshlands could disappear within just a few decades...

Training the Commons: Copyright, Large Language Models, and the Road to Reciprocity

by Catarina Conran
Deep Dive | 4/25

Large‑scale generative AI has become possible in recent years only because billions of works (books, news articles, photographs, code, cultural heritage materials, and more) are freely available online. Yet the copyright rules that govern these works were never written with machine‑learning in mind...

Nature's Genetic Fingerprints (eDNA & eRNA)

by Catarina Conran
Quick Take | 2/25

By collecting samples of water, soil, and even air scientists are able to identify what species are present in a particular environment. In practice, this means a single water sample can reveal fish, amphibians, invertebrates, and even microscopic organisms that traditional surveys might miss...

The Death of Deference: Conservation in the Post-Chevron Era

by Catarina Conran
Deep Dive | 10/24

With the end of Chevron deference, judges are now deciding statutory meaning for themselves with no obligation to defer to the technical or scientific judgments of agencies. This seismic shift raises immediate challenges for environmental advocates. Statutes that were once interpreted flexibly in favor of agency expertise are now vulnerable to restrictive readings in court...

Wetlands After Sackett

by Catarina Conran
Quick Take | 9/24

By narrowing the definition of protected wetlands, Sackett risks accelerating both biodiversity loss and climate instability...

My mission

I am excited to explore how the law can adapt to the rapidly changing intersections of technology, creativity, and the environment. My work is guided by a belief that legal frameworks should not only protect innovation and expression but also preserve the commons—natural and digital alike—for future generations.In addition to my background in environmental law and conservation, I am interested in how intellectual property (especially copyright and trademark) laws shape access to knowledge and creative expression. I also follow emerging questions around artificial intelligence and its implications for authorship, ownership, and the ethical use of data. Across all of these areas, I aim to contribute to a legal landscape that supports both innovation and sustainability.

My experience

I’m an attorney with a J.D. from UVA Law, an M.A. in Environmental Science from UVA, and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, where I graduated summa cum laude. I was the first student to complete UVA’s dual-degree program in law and environmental science and served on both the Virginia Law Review and the Virginia Environmental Law Journal (as Executive Editor).My professional background spans law firm, nonprofit, and academic environments. I’ve represented community members in environmental justice matters, supported trademark registrations for small organizations, drafted public comments on agency rulemakings, proposed revisions to federal regulations, and advised nonprofit organizations on governance and compliance. My legal practice and scholarship cover environmental regulation, copyright and trademark, and emerging questions of AI governance, and I have been recognized for exceptional research, writing, and clarity of communication.I am passionate about protecting both creative expression and the environment, and about using law to support innovation with integrity and purpose.

Key areas of interest

  • Environmental & Conservation Law – Federal and state environmental statutes; protected areas, biodiversity, and land conservation; cultural heritage law

  • Copyright and Trademark Law – The evolution of creative rights and ownership in a digital and generative age

  • Technology and AI Governance – Ethical, regulatory, and legal frameworks for emerging technologies

  • Privacy and Information Law – Data stewardship and the balance between innovation and accountability

  • Legal Research & Writing – Drafting briefs, motions, memoranda, regulatory comments, and publications with clarity and precision

  • Interdisciplinary Collaboration – Working with researchers, technical experts, and community stakeholders to align legal advocacy with evidence-based outcomes

Legal publications

Monumental Change? Rethinking the Role of the Courts in the Antiquities Act → Catarina Conran, 2022, Virginia Environmental Law Journal

Levees Against the Rising Tide: Protecting Underwater Cultural Heritage From Climate Change Threats
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Catarina Conran, 2023, University of Virginia