Hi, I'm Cat. I'm an AI lawyer, researcher, nonprofit leader, and writer.

Latest reflections

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

by Catarina Conran

27 Apr 2025 · Policy & AI

My mission

I believe that technology should amplify human insight and expand access to knowledge, not constrain it. As a lawyer trained in copyright law, contracts, and artificial intelligence, my mission is to help ensure that emerging technologies—especially those involving large-scale data and decision-making—are built on legal frameworks that are ethical, adaptable, and deeply human-centered. I’m especially passionate about shaping the legal foundations of high-impact tools (such as Palantir’s AIP) where law and compute meet at the frontier of real-world problem-solving.

Biography

Hi, I’m Catarina M. Conran, a lawyer working at the intersection of AI, intellectual property, and public-impact law. I currently serve as Copyright & AI Legal Counsel for a stealth tabletop-gaming company using generative models for creative content. I earned a J.D./M.A. dual degree from the University of Virginia—becoming the first graduate of its Law & Environmental Science program—and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania.Throughout my career, I’ve worked on litigation, regulatory compliance, AI policy, and licensing frameworks. My work has ranged from federal administrative law to advising product teams on model-generated content. I’ve also published on copyright and AI governance, served as an editor for two leading law journals, and presented award-winning research at the Ivy League Undergraduate Research Symposium.What ties my work together is a desire to build legal systems that empower responsible innovation—frameworks that not only reduce friction and clarify risk, but also ensure that AI is used to expand our shared knowledge commons and unlock new possibilities for human progress.

Key areas of interest

  • AI Strategy – Crafting legal frameworks for model outputs, integrating LLMs into operational tools

  • Legal Research & Writing – Publishing and presenting on cutting‑edge questions at the intersection of intellectual property law and technology.

  • Law + Compute Collaboration – Supporting cross-functional efforts to ensure AI systems behave in accordance with human rules, norms, and public interest

  • Public-Impact Technology – Building legal systems that enable socially responsible AI deployment in sectors like defense, healthcare, infrastructure, and justice

My experience

  • Copyright & AI Legal Counsel, Stealth Game Company – AI image creation and licensing, trademark and copyright law research and counseling

  • Legal Counsel and Corporate Secretary, GCMA Foundation, 501(c)(3) — Legal advice and guidance on the foundation's charitable giving efforts

  • Law Associate, Keller & Heckman LLP – Highest new‑associate performance score in firm history

  • Executive Editor, Virginia Environmental Law Journal; Editorial Board Member, Virginia Law Review – Editorial supervision of cutting-edge legal scholarship

  • Law Clerk, Environmental Integrity Project – Legal research and writing for litigation

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
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Catarina Conran, 2023, University of Virginia