Her entire career in private practice was spent at the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, law firm of Duane Morris, including as general counsel from 1999 to 2004.

[4] On November 15, 2007, she was nominated by President George W. Bush to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit vacated by Judge Franklin Stuart Van Antwerpen, who assumed senior status in 2006.

The group claimed that Pratter had as a district court judge, "exhibited a willingness to prematurely dismiss the claims of civil rights plaintiffs and to inhibit advocacy by their counsel, thus denying these plaintiffs access to a full and fair legal process.

In an act of reconciliation with the Senate Democrats, Bush withdrew her nomination in July 2008 in favor of Paul S.

Over decades, she interacted with students of all ages in explaining the legal system to them, including a longstanding tradition of bringing Baldwin's 5th grade class to the James A. Byrne United States Courthouse in Philadelphia to participate in naturalization ceremonies conducted by Judge Pratter.