Katharine is 18 years qualified and is a specialist in both professional negligence and contentious trust and probate disputes.
In professional negligence disputes Katharine has acted for solicitors, accountants, surveyors, construction professionals (including surveyors and engineers) as well as providing policy advice on a range of issues. In particular she specialises in claims against solicitors and accountants with a trust or probate background.
Katharine also advises individuals, professional executors/trustees and charities in relation to disputes regarding wills, trusts and estates including challenges to wills, disputes between trustees/executors, claims for proprietary estoppel and claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.
Katharine's significant cases include:
Professional Negligence:
- A dispute involving a £4m multi-party architect's negligence case settled at mediation.
- A claim for professional negligence against acting for insurers on policy, and then for the insured following declinature of cover, in a multi-million pound engineer's negligence dispute concerning defective design of the foundations of a shopping centre.
- Defending a firm of solicitors in a £1.4m claim arising out of the drafting of rent review provisions in a commercial lease, settled for £200,000.
- Acting for a firm of solicitors in a complex tax dispute arising out of the drafting of a family trust, settled at mediation.
- Advising top-up insurers in a major construction dispute on policy and claim issues.
- Acting in a reported case for a firm of solicitors involving the sale of a chain of pubs, settled very favourably following negotiations pending a Court of Appeal hearing on a point of law relating to loss.
Contentious Trust and Probate:
- Acting for a group of beneficiaries to a £6M estate in relation to the removal of an executor with whom they were in dispute. This was a multi party dispute with other interested beneficiaries being represented by a major London firm and was resolved shortly prior to a hearing on very favourable terms for our clients on costs.
- Acting for a farmer in relation to a proprietary estoppel dispute also involving a dispute regarding testamentary capacity of the testator.
- Acting for a trust corporation as beneficiary of a £12M estate facing multiple claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family & Dependants) Act 1975.
- Advising charities and individuals on numerous cases involving challenges to wills on grounds of testamentary capacity, lack of knowledge and approval and undue influence.
Katharine trained in the City at Titmuss Sainer & Webb (now Dechert) and was at a firm which is now part of Weightmans for 3 years, then Beachcroft for 8 years where she was an associate, before joining Henmans.