Kate is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution team.
Experienced in assisting commercial and private clients in respect of all litigation matters, including construction and real estate litigation, landlord and tenant litigation, commercial and contractual disputes, intellectual property including copyright, passing off and trade marks, defamation, professional negligence claims, insolvency and misfeasance claims, partnership and company law including shareholder disputes and injunctions. She also manages adjudications, arbitrations, mediations and other forms of alternative dispute resolution.
She supports businesses and individuals all over the country in industries as diverse as sports promotion, property development, landlord and tenant, agricultural holdings disputes and construction and technology including managing disputes relating to the Building Safety Act 2022 and the Defective Premises Act 1972. Kate works regularly in the High Court in London, Birmingham and Manchester and within the county courts and Technology and Construction Courts and the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) and the Agricultural Land and Drainage division.
Recent examples of how Kate has supported clients include:
- Advised on and successfully defended an Agricultural Holdings Act Succession claim and obtained consent to operation of a Case G Notice to quit in the Agricultural Land Tribunal Wales.
- Successfully advised on a high value claim under the Building Safety Act 2022 (including remediation contribution orders and building liability orders) for fire safety and structural defects against the original developer and its multiple linked companies.
- Successfully brought an unfair prejudice petition which went to trial at the high court in London and recovered a six figure sum for the shareholder whose business had been taken away by his co-director/shareholder. The business was in the railway sector. She has also successfully brought 1 other unfair prejudice petition and defended two in the last 3 years.
- Successfully brought breach of copyright proceedings in a technical case in the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court which included preparing a retrospective assignment of the copyright in certain photographs taken of a high nett worth individuals home in Alderley Edge.
- Set up and chaired an action group for people affected by property damage, caused by road widening work. Successfully brought claims in nuisance and negligence against the contractor and obtained pay outs.
- Negotiated a £1.3m settlement in an action against NHBC pursuant to a Buildmark insurance policy for a couple whose home had to be demolished due to serious defects made by a builder that subsequently went into liquidation.
- Advised on the liability of a landlord under a headlease for structural defects, and water ingress and the impact of recovering the remediation costs through service charges and at the same time making a successful Defective Premises Act claim against the developer.
- Instigated a financial ombudsman referral to seek compensation for 2 companies against Lloyds bank who had failed to notice and prevent a banking fraud committed by an employee over a number of years, the employee had made many cheques payable to cash.