Profile description
Employment
Catherine appears for both claimants and respondents in the Employment Tribunal, and undertakes all types of employment work, from preliminary hearings through to multi-day final hearings at tribunals around the country: recent work has included seven-day hearings in Birmingham, Leeds and Southampton as well as numerous multi-day hearings in London and the south-east. In particular, she has experience of unfair dismissal claims (including constructive dismissal), discrimination, whistleblowing and holiday pay claims. Recent work includes successfully defending a well-know budget hotel chain from claims of maternity discrimination; achieving a generous settlement for a client found to be unfairly dismissed after more than 20 years’ service; defending a nursing agency from whistleblowing claims and resisting an appeal against a successful judgment in the Employment Appeal Tribunal.
Outside the employment tribunal, Catherine has appeared in front of the Nursing & Midwifery Council to defend a nurse threatened with suspension.
Media
Recent work includes applying for an injunction over defamatory allegations posted on Facebook, and defending a client against defamation claims made by a wealthy property developer, which due to her strong advocacy and detailed pleadings she was able to settle to the client’s satisfaction. Catherine has also been instructed by a major supermarket chain to defend it from allegations of defamation and false imprisonment, and succeeded in having the claim struck out on both counts.
Property
Catherine has experience of claims for possession and mortgage/rent arrears on behalf of both private and public authority landlords, and can assist in dealing with issues arising out of the failure to protect tenancy deposits. She acts for both landlords and tenants and also advises on disrepair, property ownership and ToLATA matters. She is currently instructed in a complex family dispute to assist a client who lacks capacity to recover assets that were being dissipated by her children.
Commercial
Catherine undertakes a wide range of general civil litigation, including applications and enforcement work in the county court and High Court, and costs hearings including detailed assessments and costs budgeting. She has acted for a defendant in the High Court in proceedings for contempt of court, succeeding in having the proceedings struck out as an abuse of process. She is regularly instructed by a nationally known glazing company to both pursue and defend claims for breach of contract, and by a major utility company to defend prosecutions under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991. She has experience of road traffic and personal injury work including dealing with issues of fundamental dishonesty.
