Kate is a Partner in our award-winning Corporate Crime and Investigations practice.
Kate advises and represents clients on corporate crime matters, in particular in respect of fraud, corruption, money laundering and sanctions. She assists clients in balancing the competing risks and demands they face from concurrent civil litigation and criminal and regulatory investigation by agencies in multiple jurisdictions.
Kate has significant experience of internal and external investigations, including those conducted by the SFO, FCA, Police and HMRC, and the US DoJ and SEC. She represents clients at compelled interviews with the SFO and regulators. In 2017/2018 she was seconded to the SFO, and has spent substantial time in-house at a FTSE 100 client as lawyer to their investigations team.
She acts for a range of clients, including banks, multinational corporates and individuals.
Background
Kate has a degree in law (first class honours) from Bristol University. She has worked at Herbert Smith Freehills since 2004, during which time she has spent time on secondment to the Herbert Smith Freehills Hong Kong office as well as the SFO and a FTSE 100 client.
Kate is admitted as a Solicitor in Hong Kong as well as England and Wales, and is a Solicitor Advocate, having obtained her higher rights.
Experience & expertise
Selected matters
- Roger Jenkins in respect of a prosecution of fraud charges brought by the SFO in respect of events surrounding capital raisings by Barclays Bank in 2008, on which he was acquitted of all charges in February 2020
- Société Générale in respect of a c. US$1.5 billion claim brought by the Libyan Investment Authority, involving allegations of corruption and intimidation
- UBS on an unauthorised trading incident in the investment bank that resulted in a loss of $2.3 billion – providing advice from the initial discovery of the incident, through internal and independent investigations, to the criminal trial and conclusion of regulatory enforcement action
- a number of employees/ex-employees in respect of the SFO investigation into Tesco and prosecution of individuals formerly employed by Tesco, in relation to charges of fraud and false accounting
- an individual in respect of the SFO’s investigation into affairs at Rolls Royce plc
- various clients, including a number of FTSE 100 companies, on the Bribery Act and the implementation and maintenance of adequate procedures, including delivering training in Asia, Africa, Europe and the US. Advising on the failure to prevent the facilitation of tax evasion offences brought into force under the Criminal Finances Act 2017
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