Introducing Our In – House Counsel
We are excited to announce and introduce Cathleen Jareczek, who has recently been hired as Dome’s new In-House Counsel.
In this new position, Cathleen will assist Dome’s senior leadership team in navigating all things legal in Dome’s day-to-day activities, anticipating, and identifying legal issues, developing legal strategies and solutions, and providing counsel as needed. Cathleen’s understanding of the laws that govern and impact Dome’s business and her ability to anticipate, plan, and provide creative solutions adds incredible value to our management team.
With her guidance, Dome Senior Leadership will continue to exercise practical and sound business judgment to minimize risk and to foster long-term and mutually beneficial Client and Trade Partner relationships.
My goal in every situation is to help Dome take the next right step. Construction is a human endeavor, and as with all human endeavors, we will make mistakes. Ideally, we will learn from our mistakes and not repeat them in the future.
- Cathleen Jareczek, In-House Counsel, Dome Construction
After attending Law School at the University of Illinois, Chicago, Cathleen started a long career in law that spanned several companies in the greater Chicago area. Cathleen reflects, “right out of law school, I was fortunate to start my practice at a firm that specialized in training trial lawyers. Assigned to the surety and general litigation practice groups, I learned from the best practitioners in the field. I learned the value of preparation, clear communication, and collaboration.”
A master at delivering spectacular curve balls, Cathleen stepped into a new role in 2001, welcoming triplets and having the privilege to step away to be the primary caregiver to their children. Cathleen remarked, “Never in my life had I had such demanding and unreasonable working hours!”
Cathleen is not only well-versed in managing life’s unpredictable challenges, but she is also a master at investigating bond claims and formulating creative approaches to mitigate surety loss thanks to her experience working as a Senior Claims Counsel for CNA Surety, which provides a full range of surety and fidelity bonds in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico, and is one of the largest writers of surety bonds in the United States.
Several years into her role, seeking a new challenge, Cathleen accepted the position of Bond Counsel. Cathleen shares, “Serving as Assistant Vice President and Surety Bond Counsel, I enjoyed collaborating with talented professionals to develop creative, practical, and effective solutions to legal and underwriting challenges.”
As for her move to the construction space, Cathleen states, “One day in 2022, I had a conversation about this great general contractor, Dome Construction… and the rest is history.”
Further reflecting on her transition, Cathleen revealed, “Dome has worked incredibly hard to build a rock-solid foundation from which they are poised for significant growth. Strong risk management is essential to Dome’s success, and that’s why now is the right time to introduce this role. Regulation and litigation impact many aspects of every business.”
We were very fortunate to find Cathleen and I’m thrilled that she is part of our team! We were introduced to her through our outside counsel, Dave McPherson, who had been helping me create the role of In-House Counsel for Dome as well as helping us in our search and screening of candidates. I got a call one day from Dave and he told me he'd found the perfect person for us. By this time, we had been searching for quite a while and had a considerable number of candidates interested in the role. However, when I sat down with Cathleen, it was immediately clear to me that we'd found exactly who we had been searching for.
- Brent Miller, Director of Risk Management, Dome Construction
In her role, Cathleen will work closely with Dome’s Director of Risk Management to identify, communicate, and suggest approaches to mitigate risk.
Cathleen’s drive comes from how she can positively impact those around her. “My desire to help others and be a resource to my Dome colleagues is what drives me daily.”
I can see light through the murky waters of chaos and guide others to see that light as well. To the extent I have that ability, I will leverage that for Dome so that we can continue to do good things with our time, energy, and talents.
- Cathleen Jareczek, In-House Counsel, Dome Construction
Outside of work, Cathleen finds joy in the little things. “I love going on walks or being outside in nature. You can usually find me immersed in a great book if I am not there or working.”
Please join us in celebrating Cathleen and welcoming her to the Dome Family.
Did you know?
More about Cathleen
How do you start your day?
During the workweek I start my day with some exercise with my husband Jim followed up by a cup of coffee.
What are you happiest doing when you're not working?
When I am not working you can either find me going on a long walk in the forest or reading a great book.
What organizations are near and dear to your heart?
Child’s Voice is near and dear to my heart. The mission of Child’s Voice is to empower children with hearing loss to be successful in all educational and social settings by optimizing their listening, speaking and academic skills. It is truly a place of miracles! I’ve been on the Board of Directors since 2018, currently serving as Vice President.
What is the best compliment you've ever received?
Someone once told me, "You are like water, easy to be around but you can be a force."
How would you define yourself in three words?
Devoted, Caring, and Curious
What is your go-to for having a good laugh?
I like a ton of Will Ferrell movies. I especially love Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Other than that I love movies like Airplane and Dumb & Dumber.
What makes you smile the most?
Talking with my children will always make me smile.