Experience 

Catherine is an associate in the Financial Dispute Resolution and Restructuring, Bankruptcy and Insolvency Groups.  She has experience advising clients in relation to commercial litigation and dispute resolution, with a particular focus on disputes in the financial services industry.  She has advised both insolvency practitioners and creditors on all aspects of insolvency administration, both in the UK and Australia.

Catherine has completed client secondments to the Group Legal and Company Secretariat Function of HBOS Australia Ltd and to the Regulatory Inquiries Group of UBS Investment Bank in London.

Catherine joined Mayer Brown International in 2007 and, prior to that, was working for a top-tier firm in Australia.

Notable Engagements 

• Advising lenders and directors of special purpose vehicles and structured investment vehicles on issues arising from the credit crunch.
• Acting for the Liquidators of Robin Symes Limited (antiquities).
• Successfully representing the bondholders of an Australian publicly-listed company at trial and on appeal in the Supreme Court of Western Australia concerning the company's failure to comply with its financial covenants to the bondholders.
• Acting for a large multinational professional services firm on a claim for negligence, breach of contract and breach of the Australian Corporations Act arising out of the firm's audits of a publicly-listed gold mining company in administration, involving complex issues relating to the firm's audits of the company's hedge book.
• Acting for the receiver of a property development in court proceedings to assist the receiver in realising the company’s assets.
• Acting for an investment bank defending a class action by 55-stock broking clients involving claims of breach of contract, misleading and deceptive conduct and negligence arising out of the clients’ investment in one stock.
• Acting for a large Japanese company with mining interests in Western Australia defending a misleading and deceptive conduct claim arising out of the preparation of a feasibility study provided to potential joint venturers.
• Acting for a large secured creditor of a travel agency franchise in insolvency administration, including considering relevant trust arrangements that may exist over funds held by the secured creditor in the companies’ accounts.
• Acting for stock-broking firms defending negligence and breach of contract claims.
• Acting for a range of corporate clients in recovering funds misappropriated by employees.

Education 

University of Southern Queensland, Advanced Insolvency Law and Practice, 2005 • University of Western Australia, Bachelor of Laws with Distinction, 2001

Admitted

• England and Wales, 2008
• High Court and Federal Court of Australia 2004
• Supreme Court of Western Australia, 2003