Catherine Hartston

: +44 (0)20 7691 2424
: catherine.hartston@xxiv.co.uk
: Contact Clerks
: Add to portfolio
: Download CV (PDF)
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Catherine Hartston maintains a busy practice across Chambers’ core practice areas, with particular expertise in civil fraud, commercial disputes, trust law, 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. She has spent time on secondment at a leading law firms in London and in Guernsey and is called to the bar of the BVI.

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

Expertise

Banking & Financial Services Disputes

Examples of Catherine’s experience includes:

A complex banking dispute arising out of an alleged investment fraud, said to be worth a nine-figure sum (in an offshore jurisdiction).
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 Recovery

Examples of Catherine’s experience includes:

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.
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:

A dispute arising out of a commercial aviation lease.
Various interlocutory matters in a USD 40m claim in the energy sector, for sums claimed in relation to a facility agreement.
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 & Partnership Law

Catherine’s 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:

Regularly appearing in insolvency applications.
A high-value bankruptcy petition raising issues as to jurisdiction.
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.

: +44 (0)20 7691 2424
: catherine.hartston@xxiv.co.uk
: Contact Clerks
: Add to portfolio
: Download CV (PDF)
: Download vCard

Academic History

LLM Legal Practice (Barristers), Distinction
GDL, City University, Distinction
BA History, First Class

Professional Memberships

COMBAR (The Commercial Bar Association)
ChBA (The Chancery Bar Association)

Scholarships and Awards

Middle Temple South Square Award, 2017
BPP Excellence Award, 2017
BPP Advocacy Award, 2017
City Law School scholarship, 2016

Business Details

VAT number:: 383 9790 38
Registered name:: Catherine Hartston

Call 2018

Lyndon Tiller

George Salvage

Ellie Sedgwick