Catherine Hartston

Areas of experience

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• Banking and Financial Services

  Examples of Catherine’s recent work include:

  • A complex banking dispute arising out of an alleged investment fraud, said to be worth a nine-figure sum (in an offshore jurisdiction).
  • A dispute arising in connection with introducer services provided in the financial services industry.
  • Ongoing enforcement proceedings, following an alleged investment scam, in which (among other things) Catherine appeared as sole counsel for the successful applicant in an application for a freezing injunction.
• Civil Fraud, Asset Tracing & Recovery

  Examples of Catherine’s experience include:

  • A complex and high-value banking dispute arising out of an alleged investment fraud, said to be worth a nine-figure sum.
  • A dispute in the construction sector involving allegations of dishonest assistance and conspiracy against a company director.
  • Ongoing enforcement proceedings, following an alleged investment scam, in which (among other things) Catherine appeared as sole counsel for the successful applicant in an application for a freezing injunction.
  • A case involving allegations of dishonesty in the context of a property purchase.
• Commercial Litigation

  Catherine has a wide range of experience in the field of commercial litigation. Examples of her recent work includes:

  • An ongoing dispute arising out of a commercial aviation lease, concerning maintenance reserves (led by Edward Cumming KC).
  • Various interlocutory matters in a USD 40m claim in the energy sector, for sums claimed in relation to a facility agreement (led by Robert Levy KC and Francis Tregear KC).
  • The trial of a contractual dispute in the construction sector, in which Catherine represented the successful claimant (as sole counsel).
  • An application for a freezing injunction, in which Catherine appeared as sole counsel for the successful applicant.
  • Advice relating to a package holiday raising issues arising out of the Covid-19 public health emergency.
• Company

  Catherine’s recent experience includes:

  • A case in the construction sector involving allegations of dishonest assistance and conspiracy against a company director.
  • A claim by a liquidator for alleged wrongdoing by members of a limited liability partnership.
  • A high-value proprietary claim in a Caribbean jurisdiction concerning a disputed share transfer.
  • Interlocutory applications involving questions of the proper extent of disclosure obligations in company group structures.
• Insolvency

  Catherine has been involved in a variety of insolvency work, including:

  • A claim by a liquidator against members of a limited liability partnership for alleged wrongdoing.
  • A winding up petition raising technical jurisdictional issues in the wake of Brexit, in which Catherine appeared as sole counsel for the successful petitioner.
• International & Offshore

  A high proportion of Catherine’s work has an international dimension. She has experience in various offshore jurisdictions, including the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Jersey and Guernsey, where she spent three months on secondment to a leading law firm.

  Her experience includes:

  •  A high-value proprietary claim in a Caribbean jurisdiction concerning a disputed share transfer.
  • A complex and high-value banking dispute in an offshore jurisdiction, which arose out of an alleged investment fraud and was said to be worth a nine-figure sum.
  • A confidential trust application in a Crown dependency.
• Trusts, Probate & Estates

  Catherine has a wide range of experience in this area. Her recent work includes:

  • A high-value proprietary claim in connection with a historic transfer of assets between family trusts (in an offshore jurisdiction).
  • Advice as to whether an instrument established a valid trust, in the context of a claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act.
  • A dispute in which the trustee sought to secure trust properties, where there were concerns of impropriety on the part of the settlor and a risk of dissipation of trust assets.
  • A confidential trust application in a Crown dependency.

Other information

• Academic history
  • LLM Legal Practice (Barristers), Distinction
  • GDL, City University, Distinction
  • BA History, First Class
• Scholarships and Awards
  • Middle Temple South Square Award, 2017
  • BPP Excellence Award, 2017
  • BPP Advocacy Award, 2017
  • City Law School scholarship, 2016
• Memberships

  COMBAR

  Chancery Bar Association