Catherine Hartston

Catherine Hartston

Call: 2018

Catherine maintains a busy practice across Chambers’ core practice areas, with particular expertise in trust law, civil fraud, aviation, commercial disputes, financial services, insolvency and company law.

Catherine appears regularly in the High Court and the County Court as sole counsel and as part of larger counsel teams, and she is frequently instructed in complex and high-value disputes. She has considerable international experience  and has acted in proceedings concerning various Caribbean and other offshore jurisdictions and she has spent time on secondment at a leading offshore law firm in Guernsey.

Catherine was a Judicial Assistant in the Chancery Division of the High Court between January and April 2021.

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.

     

    During pupillage Catherine was involved with:

    • A dispute concerning the alleged mis-selling of a mortgage.
    • An advice in respect of an FCA enforcement action against an individual.
  • 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.

     

    During pupillage Catherine assisted with various matters in the area of fraud and asset recovery. She has been involved in:

    • A week-long trial in the Chancery Division in which there were allegations of document falsification.
    • A dispute concerning multiple allegations of misrepresentation in relation to franchise agreements.
    • A claim for breach of warranty arising out of a share purchase agreement involving allegations of wilful concealment.
  • 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.

     

    Catherine was been involved in a wide range of commercial matters during pupillage, including:

    • An application for summary judgment in which there were allegations of duress, misrepresentation and unfair practice contrary to s.140A Consumer Credit Act 1974.
    • A dispute arising out of a complex arrangement for the provision of goods and services which gave rise to considerations of breach of contract, unlawful interference with goods and unjust enrichment.
    • A dispute concerning a guarantee of a facility agreement.
    • A dispute concerning the purported exercise of a contractual termination right.
    • An application for a gagging order.
  • 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.

     

    Catherine’s experience during pupillage includes:

    • An application for the appointment of a receiver over a company in the context of a multi-jurisdictional dispute.
    • An advice on the effect of a share option contract.
  • 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.

     

    During pupillage Catherine was regularly involved in disputes with an international and offshore dimension, including:

    • An appeal in respect of an application to wind up a BVI company on the just and equitable ground.
    • Applications in the BVI for relief pending appeal.
    • Disputes concerning companies incorporated in Bermuda and the Cayman Isles.
  • 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.

     

    During pupillage Catherine gained experience of matters involving trusts and estates, including:

    • A claim by trustees against professional advisers in relation to a protective life interest in trust assets.
    • An advice for a beneficiary regarding a potential challenge to the substantial validity of a will.
    • The preparation of a claim against a personal representative in respect of allegedly wrongful distributions from an estate.
    • The drafting of a settlement agreement following a challenge to an estate pursuant to the 1975 Act.

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