Katharine is developing a broad practice encompassing all aspects of commercial, company and insolvency litigation and advisory work. She is currently instructed on cases concerning civil fraud, partnership disputes and complex contractual disputes. Much of Katharine’s caseload has an international element giving rise to jurisdiction challenges, cross-border recognition, and enforcement considerations. In addition, Katharine is instructed on cases involving complex accountancy and other expert evidence.
Katharine has a busy commercial litigation practice. She is currently instructed (led by Peter Knox KC) in a financial services/banking dispute involving novation and contractual construction arguments; most recently, Peter and Katharine succeeded in this on-going litigation in the Court of Appeal ([2023] EWCA Civ 128; [2023] 2 WLUK 191): see report here. Katharine is also currently instructed (led by Thomas Roe KC, Deputy Head of Chambers) in a high-value breach of contract claim proceeding in the Technology & Construction Court and involving patent value and pharmacology expert evidence.
Katharine also regularly deals with company and insolvency matters. She is instructed to appear in winding up and bankruptcy petitions on a regular basis, and she has recent experience advising office-holders in connection with potential claims against company officers involving breach of fiduciary/statutory duty, misfeasance, and antecedent transactions. Katharine is currently instructed (led by Daniel Feetham KC (Gibraltar), and alongside co-juniors Rowan Pennington-Benton and Thomas Horton) as junior counsel in a UK-based legal team, working closely with Gibraltar-based lawyers and other professionals in investigatory and advisory work concerning the collapse of GR123 (formerly MCE Insurance Ltd), a UK/Gibraltar motor insurance underwriter. This case involves complex forensic accountancy and actuarial expert evidence.
Katharine is also well placed to advise on the intersection of employment and commercial law. For example, Katharine worked for Richard Samuel in an unfair prejudice petition concerning the scope of directors’ duties under the Companies Act 2006 in the context of historic allegations of racism and discrimination (Re Prospect Place (Wimbledon) Management Co Ltd [2022] EWHC 76 (Ch)).
During pupillage, Katharine worked on a variety of commercial, company and insolvency disputes, including:
- Assisting Tom Poole KC and Emily Moore in connection with a breach of contract and unlawful means conspiracy claim.
- Assisting Tom Poole KC in drafting a claim for misuse of confidential information, unlawful means conspiracy and dishonest assistance.
- Assisting Tom Poole KC in an unfair prejudice petition involving allegations of conflict of interest, breaches of statutory duty, fiduciary, and common law director’s duties.
- Assisting Rupert Butler in the 10-week directors’ disqualification trial arising out of the collapse of the high-profile children’s charity, Kids Company. Katharine co-wrote an article for the New Law Journal, Third Sector Protector, on the implications of Mrs Justice Falk’s judgment for the charity sector more broadly.
