Biography
Kate has more than twelve years’ experience acting in complex, high value, cross border disputes, including civil fraud and asset tracing claims, general commercial litigation and banking litigation.
Kate has advised on all stages of litigation, from pre-action through to fully contested trials and enforcement matters. She also has experience of a wide range of interim applications, including applications for summary judgment, stays and adjournments, specific and third-party disclosure, security for costs, freezing injunctions, committal for contempt of court and applications for cross-examination on evidence. Kate has a special interest in digital assets and tech disputes, and regularly publishes articles on and speaks about these topics.
Kate is ranked in the Chambers UK 2023 guide for Civil Fraud and is commended by sources as being “great at driving a matter forward and building a team. She is really smart with a huge amount of energy and expertise”. Another commentator notes that “Kate is a great litigator. She is hard-working, dedicated to her clients and able to bring good commercial judgement to bear on her cases.” Previous guides have described her as having “notable experience in civil fraud work” and commended her for having “a real commercial handle on things and is completely unflappable”. Kate is also recognised as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ in The Legal 500 UK 2023 Guide, with sources describing her as having “real depth of experience in civil fraud matters, including cryptocurrencies.”
In 2018, Kate co-founded ACROSS Fraud, a network for fraud lawyers in London and worldwide and in 2014 she was identified as a ‘Rising Star’ for Commercial Litigation by Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers. Kate is a member of the Fraud Lawyers’ Association, the International Association of Young Lawyers and the ThoughtLeaders4FIRE community.
Kate trained and qualified at Allen & Overy and completed a client secondment to the litigation team at Barclays Bank. Kate obtained her Higher Rights of Audience (Civil Advocacy) in 2010.
Experience
- Acted for four defendant banks in an €800m claim in the English Commercial Court which alleged EURIBOR manipulation in relation to swaps between the claimant and the banks. The swaps were entered into in connection with a loan to the claimant to finance the purchase of an entity’s global headquarters [Marme Inversiones v Natwest Markets plc & Others ([2019] EWHC 366 (Comm))].
- Represented a major international hedge fund in civil and criminal proceedings, a judicial review, and two Court of Appeal hearings, all in relation to the theft of highly valuable confidential information and trading algorithms by a former employee. Proceedings were brought (i) in the High Courts in England and Hong Kong for damages and injunctive relief, (ii) by way of a private prosecution in England against the Defendant, and (ii) for contempt of court In England, which resulted in a further term of imprisonment for the Defendant [Corbiere Limited and others -v- Ke Xu Claim No. HC-2014-001924].
- Acted for Cellcom Telecommunications Limited in Lonestar Communications v Kaye and Ors, one of The Lawyer’s Top Cases of 2022. In this dispute, Liberian telecoms company Lonestar claims it fell victim to a number of cyber attacks and as a result, suffered damages, causing a drop in the business value and a loss of profits. The case includes claims of conspiracy and unlawful interference.
- Successfully enforced an arbitral award against the assets of an Israeli businessman. The process included obtaining orders for asset disclosure and obtaining and continuing a Worldwide Freezing Order.
- Advised an international billionaire in relation to a multinational dispute arising out of an alleged joint venture and including allegations of conspiracy and fraud.
- Acted for the Claimant in a USD$300m fraud claim against an international manufacturer’s former shareholder and CEO and former CFO.
- Acted for the Agent Bank to successfully oppose a Part 8 claim and subsequent appeal brought by a “Class X” noteholder for a declaration that default interest should be included in the calculation of interest on the Class X Notes [Credit Suisse Asset Management LLC v Cornerstone Titan 2006-1 PLC and Ors [2016] EWCA Civ 1293].
- Acted for an international bank, defending a claim seeking payment under the terms of an on-demand guarantee where making payment would be contrary to the terms of a PRC court order [Spliethoff’s Bevrachtingskantoor BV v Bank of China Ltd [2015] EWHC 999 (Comm)].
- Acted for the estate of an Iraqi businessman being sued in the High Court in fraud proceedings in respect of a multibillion-pound telecoms venture in Iraq, involving allegations of a breach of fiduciary duty and misrepresentation [Merchantbridge & Co Ltd and others -v- The Estate of Basil Al- Rahim and others (Cayman Islands)].
- Advised a number of tech start-ups in relation to various legal issues arising out of investor disputes, legal technology, market innovation and litigation and other legal risk.
- Represented several banks in shipping disputes relating to a counterparty’s fraudulent misdirection of payments. These are arbitrations brought within the LMAA rules.
- Advised two former directors of a UK company in respect of an alleged multimillion-pound fraud relating to a multinational oil and gas company.
- Advised on a number of post-takeover litigation and contentious regulatory matters for a global inter-dealer broker.
Publications
MPs Say Crypto Trading Should Be Treated As Gambling – Law360 – 17 May 2023
Industry Slams Treasury Committee Call to Regulate Unbacked Crypto as Gambling – The Fintech Times – 17 May 2023
Treasury Committee calls for regulation of crypto as gambling – Investment Week – 17 May 2023
The FCA’s reforms to the ESG labelling regime: Litigation funders could see a spike in enquiries – Litigation Finance Insider – 25 March 2023
Reforms to the ESG labelling regime may catalyse new claims in the investment fund sector – IFA Magazine – 20 March 2023
Banking mini-crisis sparks first signs of litigation – Commercial Dispute Resolution – 15 March 2023
What advisers should know about FCA rules and ESG disputes – Professional Adviser – 14 March 2023
The FCA’s new regime to ‘clean up’ ESG funds provides the catalyst for new claims from green investors – International Investment – 14 March 2023
Tougher regulation of digital assets – Compliance Monitor – 27 January 2023
Lords report calls for ‘failure to prevent fraud’ offence – Fraud Intelligence – 17 January 2023
The House of Lords fraud report and the UK’s battle against fraud – New Law Journal – 13 January 2023
The biggest UK corporate crime cases of 2022 – Law360 – 14 December 2022
FTX and BlockFi: Will improved regulation and a suite of disputes follow? – Investment Monitor – 2 December 2022
The legal and regulatory implications of FTX’s collapse – Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence – 2 December 2022
What does the new Economic Crime Bill hold in store for accountants and company directors? – Accountancy Daily – 28 November 2022
Economic Crime Bill may have some unpredictable implications for insurers – Insurance Day – 9 November 2022
UK Financial Conduct Authority issues warning against crypto exchange FTX – Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence – 5 October 2022
UK watchdog warns consumers of dealings with FTX – Finextra – 21 September 2022
FCA warns crypto unicorn FTX is not authorised to operate in UK – UK Technology News – 20 September 2022
CMA Fashion Industry Probe Is A Greenwashing Warning – Law360 – 7 September 2022
Greenwashing Draws Scrutiny From Gov’t And Litigators Alike – Law360 – 26 August 2022
Landmark Crypto Judgment: Service by NFTs, Disclosure Orders Against Crypto Exchanges, and Potential Constructive Trustee Liability – Crypto News – 21 August 2022
Watchdog to test green fashion claims – The Times – 30 July 2022
Asos, Boohoo and Asda accused of misleading customers over green credentials – The Metro – 29 July 2022
CMA to examine fashion brands’ green claims – The Times – 29 July
Asos, Boohoo and George at Asda subject to greenwashing probe by regulators – Yahoo News – 29 July 2022
Asos, Boohoo and George at Asda subject to greenwashing probe by regulators – Evening Standard – 29 July 2022
Asos, Boohoo and George at Asda subject to greenwashing probe by regulators – Daily Mail – 29 July 2022
UK Court Tears Down Legal Hurdle By OKing NFT Service – Law360 – 19 July 2022
Developments in Litigation Funding: What happens next? – Litigation Finance Insider – 13 July 2022
Court grants service by blockchain – New Law Journal – 13 July 2022
UK High Court allows service of legal documents by NFT in ground breaking new order – Legal IT Insider – 12 July 2022
United Kingdom Court Considers NFT a Property – Coincu – 8 May 2022
The ESG Phenomenon: UK Watchdog Reportedly Frowns On HSBC – WealthBriefing – 6 May 2022
FSB: is crypto a threat to global financial stability? – Global Risk Regulator – 5 May 2022
Boss Beauties NFTs Characterised as Property in “Landmark” Lawsuit – Crypto Compass – 2 May 2022
NFTs Characterised as Property in “Landmark” Boss Beauties Lawsuit – The Fashion Law – 1 May 2022
NFTs Recognised as Property in the UK Following OpenSea Case – ArtNews – 29 April 2022
What lurks beneath the surface of barclays’ dark pool? – Financier Worldwide – 28 April 2022
Leaked ASA report: Regulator to order HSBC to end greenwashing and stop misleading UK customers – City A.M. – 29 April 2022
Company directorship: corporate criminal risks – Accountancy Daily – 26 April 2022
Quincecare unchained: a wider duty for banks? – Compliance Monitor – 25 April 2022
Looking ahead to crypto litigation – Compliance Monitor – 6 April 2022
Quincecare quarrel: How interpretations of a historic duty may transform the landscape of banking fraud claims – Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence – 1 April 2022
Company directorships: ESG and the risks of private actions – Accountancy Daily – 28 March 2022
Funding litigation with crypto: Look before you leap – 21 March 2022
A new frontier: ESG-related litigation risk – Insurance Post – 10 March 2022
Company directorships: increased scrutiny and enforcement – Accountancy Daily – 3 March 2022
Crackdown on crypto promotions at home and abroad – Blockchain Tribune – 1 March 2022
Enforcement Proceedings: Keep them Simple – Litigation Finance Insider – 1 March 2022
Keeping up With Crypto – The UK Legal System – The Fintech Times – 4 February 2022
UK legal system risks lagging in technological advances – Global Risk Regulator – 2 February 2022
Crypto regulation: too little, too late? – The FT’s Banker – 24 January 2022
Cryptoassets: will the watchdogs bark or bite? – The Law Society Gazette – 21 January 2022
Bumps in road expected as U.K. strives to be climate risk leader – Compliance Week – 20 January 2022
Revealed: The Top 20 Cases of 2022 – The Lawyer – 10 January 2022
Can challenger firms compete for audit share? – Accountancy Daily – 9 December 2021
Signature Litigation LLP: Is 2022 The Year of Crypto-Asset Regulation? – The Fintech Times – 8 December 2021
Will the crypto asset industry be driven underground? Regulatory regimes and risks – Law360 – 12 November 2021
Challenging the ‘billion-dollar quartet’ – The Law Society Gazette – 1 November 2021
Fraud in a pandemic: the perfect storm? – Accountancy Daily – 18 October 2021
Crypto regulation: where will it lead? – Global Investor – 14 October 2021
Fraud on the rise: a side-effect of the Covid pandemic – Lawyer Monthly – 14 October 2021
Crypto Regulation – Where Will It Lead? – The FinTech Times – 14 October 2021
What the future holds for UK Auditing Reform – Law360 – 17 September 2021
Blockchain bandits – Fraud Intelligence – 21 July 2021
Does the UK need a bespoke financial regulatory regime for cryptocurrencies – Blog – 15 July 2021
Why corporates must beware of using cryptocurrency – Blockchain Tribune – 25 June 2021
Is the FRC on track to become a new, more resilient regulator? – Accountancy Daily – 24 May 2021
Asset Disclosure Can Help Claimants Enforce Judgments – Law360 – 14 May 2021
Will bitcoin’s popularity attract fraud? – Lawyer Monthly – 26 March 2021
High Court Ruling Checks Growth Of Bank Protection Duty – Law360 – 24 February 2021
Clarity on Quincecare duty for banks – The Law Society Gazette – 15 February 2021
Areas of Expertise
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Signature Partners
Ioannis Alexopoulos
Ioannis is ranked in the Chambers UK 2022 Guide for international arbitration, which notes that he “consistently produces extraordinary, excellent work and he fills the client with great confidence and comfort”. He is further described as “adept at handling BIT claims” and “is very experienced and brings a wealth of knowledge to the field.” He is also recognised in The Legal 500 UK 2023 as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for civil fraud, international arbitration, commercial litigation and banking litigation, and he is praised for his “superb commercial and practical sense.” Ioannis is also recognised in Who’s Who Legal 2022 Arbitration Guide. He has been described as “well recognised for his top-notch arbitration practice among peers who say he is “very experienced and engaging with the tribunal”.”
Paul Brehony
Paul is recognised for his commercial litigation expertise in The Legal 500 UK 2023 Guide. He has also been recommended for civil fraud and banking litigation and is commended as “a highly accomplished insolvency litigator“, who “is fantastic in highly complex insolvency cases where his knowledge and experience put him head and shoulders above others“. Previous guides have described Paul as a “notable practitioner” for banking litigation and “highly recommended” for commercial litigation. He is further praised as “charming, well organised and a pleasure to litigate with.”
Natalia Chumak
Natalia has been ranked in the Chambers UK and The Legal 500 UK Guides for her International Arbitration expertise. She has previously been praised by The Legal 500 and Chambers UK for her “fantastic experience and responsiveness“, for being an “extremely good tactical mind“, a “steely litigator with excellent litigation instincts” and she has been praised for her ability to “remain incredibly calm under pressure“.
Julian Connerty
Julian has been ranked in Chambers for Civil Fraud and the Guide notes he “has considerable expertise in international fraud cases.” Julian is recommended in The Legal 500 UK 2022 for his civil fraud expertise. The Legal 500 has noted that Julian is an “extremely experienced practitioner” and “a specialist in international fraud and asset recovery actions”. Julian is also described as “subtle and meticulous” and “inspires great confidence in all around him”.
Simon Fawell
Simon has been recognised as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ in The Legal 500 UK for his litigation and arbitration expertise and is commended as “a strong strategic thinker”, “a real team player” and “very good to work with”. He is also Recommended for insurance and reinsurance litigation.
Sylvie Gallage-Alwis
Sylvie is described by Who’s Who Legal as a “dynamic and determined litigator“, who is “a firm favourite among clients” as “she always goes the extra mile to support her clients, and is proactive in seeking commercial solutions to disputes” and is “analytical, intelligent and responsive“. The Legal 500 EMEA Guide ranks Sylvie as a ‘Leading Individual’ for Product Liability Litigation in France and she is recognised for her work on “high-profile toxic tort and product liability cases, handing a number of asbestos claims.”
Becca Hogan
Becca is recognised as a ‘Next Generation Partner’ by The Legal 500 UK 2023 for banking litigation. Becca is described as “exceptional“, with an “excellent grasp of the detail”. She is further praised as a “safe and skilled pair of hands.” She has been described, by previous editions of the Guide, as “stellar“, “calm and strategic“. She has also been praised for her “good instincts” and “commercial approach”.
Graham Huntley
Graham is consistently recognised by The Legal 500 and Chambers as one of the UK’s highest ranked commercial and banking litigators and has been involved in some of the most significant cases of recent years. Chambers UK describes him as “an intense and effective solicitor with an incredibly client-focused approach” and he has previously been described as “very bright, very hard-working, a good tactician” and “very committed and driven”. The Legal 500 UK 2023 recognises Graham as a ‘Hall of Fame’ lawyer for both banking litigation and commercial litigation, and a ‘Leading Individual’ for his civil fraud expertise. He is described as “a doyen of London banking litigation” and a “master tactician“.
Abdulali Jiwaji
Abdul is regarded as a ‘Leading Individual’ in The Legal 500 UK 2023 for Commercial Litigation and a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail. The Guide notes he is “absolutely unflappable” and that he “inspires confidence“. A commentator notes that: “One of the best litigators I have had the privilege of working with is Abdulali Jiwaji.” Abdul is further described as having “a grip of the big picture and the detail; very deft in client handling; tenacious and determined; swift, responsive and clear-thinking“. Previous Guides have noted Abdul “is always on the ball and has a good tactical brain” and recognises he “has always provided sound and very considered advice”. He is also praised for being “a steady hand during turbulent times”. Chambers Global has described him as a “technically sound, sensible and robust litigator who always finds practical solutions”.
Tsegaye Laurendeau
Tsegaye Laurendeau is recognised as a ‘future leader’ in the Who’s Who Legal Arbitration Guide. Peers and clients say he is a “brilliant arbitration lawyer” and “very adept at steering cases and handling experts”. Previous editions of this Guide note that Tsegaye is “one of the best arbitration lawyers of his generation”, “a top-notch attorney” who is “rapidly establishing himself as one of the leading practitioners, notably in Africa-related disputes”. Tsegaye also features in The Legal 500 International Arbitration Powerlist UK, which showcases the UK’s leading arbitration practitioners.
Emmanuèle Lutfalla
Emmanuèle is recognised as a ‘Thought Leader’ in Who’s Who Legal’s France 2020 Guide. She is also ranked as both a ‘National’ (in France) and ‘Global’ Leader for Product Liability Defence in Who’s Who Legal. The Guide notes Emmanuèle “excels in handling disputes at the intersection of product liability and insurance matters, representing clients from the life sciences sector in litigation and product risk management.” The Legal 500 EMEA Guide ranks Emmanuèle as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for insurance and notes she is “very renowned in the insurance sector“. The Legal 500 also ranks the insurance and reinsurance litigation practice very highly in Paris, and also notes the department “unites an impressive bench of stellar litigators“. The Chambers Europe 2022 Guide notes that Emmanuèle noted as “the key point of contact” for insurance at the firm. Chambers ranks Signature Paris’ insurance practice as a leading firm in its Europe Guide and highlights the team’s “knowledge and ability to handle complex and difficult matters“.
Hermès Marangos
Hermès is recognised as a ‘Leading Individual’ in The Legal 500 UK 2022 for his insurance and reinsurance litigation practice. Hermès has been ranked as an expert in Chambers Global and Chambers Latin America for his Insurance expertise in the region.
Neil Newing
Neil is regarded as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ in The Legal 500 UK 2023 for international arbitration and banking litigation. He is for his “excellent arbitration experience, and excellent appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of cases.” Previous Guides have described Neil as “a strong lawyer who stands out for the quality and thoroughness of his analysis” and noted for managing “major cross-border disputes“. The Legal 500 UK 2021 recognised him as “an outstandingly clever counsel who will go very far”. Neil is also described as being “an exceptionally talented lawyer, a strategic thinker and a pleasure to work with. The depth and breadth of his experience in international commercial arbitrations is a huge asset to the firm”. He is also ranked in the Who’s Who Legal Arbitration Guide as a ‘future leader’.
Elliott Phillips
Elliott is an internationally recognised barrister and specialises in global commercial litigation and international contentious trusts disputes. He has been recognised in The Legal 500 for his experience in dispute resolution work and is also ranked as a Band 2 individual in both Chambers Global and Chambers Europe for General Business Law: Dispute Resolution — Gibraltar. Elliott is also recognised as one of the world’s leading private client lawyers and trusts and estates litigators, and is listed in the Private Client Global Elite community. The Legal 500 EMEA Guide recognises Elliott as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for dispute resolution in Gibraltar, and notes he “is a specialist in international trusts and estates disputes.” A referee in the Guide described Elliott as “an accomplished litigator, highly experienced, knowledgeable and great to have on your side” and another praised his “vast knowledge and experience across an array of different areas” and noted he is “the stand-out practitioner in a hugely talented team.“
Flore Poloni
Ranked in the Who’s Who Legal Arbitration Guide, Flore is described as “the most dynamic young arbitration practitioner in Paris“, “a very dynamic and multi-skilled lawyer” and praised for her “excellent communication skills and perfect knowledge of arbitration“. The Legal 500 EMEA 2021 Guide ranks Flore as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ for dispute resolution and has been recognised as a ‘Rising Star’ lawyer for International Arbitration. Flore has been praised for her “extensive expertise in international arbitration” and described as “extremely capable”.
Thomas Rouhette
Thomas is ranked as a leading expert by both Chambers Global and Europe for his litigation and aviation law expertise, with sources praising him for his “invaluable” advice, experience and knowledge. The Legal 500 EMEA Guide consistently recognises Thomas as a ‘Hall of Fame’ lawyer for his aviation and commercial litigation practices. Who’s Who Legal regards Thomas as the “finest product liability lawyer in the country and one of the very best on the continent.”
Tom Snelling
Highly ranked in the Chambers UK Guide for his commercial litigation expertise, Tom Snelling is described in the 2020 Guide as “extraordinarily good” and an “utter pleasure to work with and enormously talented, with a sixth sense for where a case is going and very sound judgement”. The Guides have also noted that Tom is “amazingly dedicated with strong credentials in international litigation” and that he is both “practical and commercial”. Tom is recognised as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ in The Legal 500 UK 2022 for Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail and Commercial Litigation.
Daniel Spendlove
The Legal 500 UK Guide describes Daniel as “hugely talented“, “with a really creative eye for litigation strategy“, “an exceptionally committed, exceptionally hard working lawyer, with a careful and thorough approach to issues” and “a really effective litigator“. He has also been described as “very smart, client focused and details-oriented” and “excellent, with great attention to detail, wide experience and excellent client care’“. He has also been praised as “highly professional”, and “a strategic thinker” who “brings real energy to cases”. He is highly ranked across the Commercial Litigation, Banking Litigation and International Arbitration categories. He was recently described, by Commercial Dispute Resolution magazine, as “one of a new breed of independent and forceful commercial litigation partners”.
Rory Spillman
Rory is recognised as a ‘Next Generation Partner’ by The Legal 500 UK 2023 for banking litigation and a commentator notes that Rory has “tremendous judgement” is “very hard-working“, and comes “highly recommended for banking disputes.” He has also been described by previous Guides as “impressive“, “excellent” and a “real authority“.
Josh Wong
Described as a “a highly experienced commercial international arbitration expert“, Josh is recognised as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ in The Legal 500 UK 2023 for international arbitration and banking litigation. A commentator remarks: “Josh Wong and his colleagues are a highly knowledgeable and intellectually-focused team that fully appreciates and acts upon all the levers within complex litigation, taking full account of the strengths and weakness of all components.” Past guides have also noted that he is “an expert in security, asset tracing and enforcement actions involving multiple jurisdictions”. He has also been ranked in Chambers Global as a ‘Foreign Expert Based in UK’ for his Chinese dispute resolution, arbitration expertise, and as a ‘Foreign Expert for China’ for UK dispute resolution.
