Catherine is a barrister based in London practising in international arbitration, public international law and commercial litigation. Her international arbitration practice spans inter-State, investor-State and commercial arbitration. She has experience in matters conducted under the ICSID, ICC, UNCITRAL, LCIA, SIAC and treaty-based arbitration rules, including the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, in respect of which she successfully defended the UK against the EU's claim in an inter-State arbitration relating to fisheries, trade and international environmental law.
As regards her public international law practice, Catherine is highly sought after for cases before the International Court of Justice, the European Court of Human Rights, UN bodies and other specialist international tribunals. She has been instructed in nine ICJ cases, two inter-State European Court of Human Rights cases and represented victims and interveners in a number of cases before the International Criminal Court and UN human rights bodies. She has extensive experience across a wide range of areas, including: State responsibility; the law of treaties; territorial and maritime disputes; immunities and privileges of States and international organisations; international human rights law including self-determination; international humanitarian law; international criminal law; climate change; international environmental law; the law of the sea; the law of international organisations; and the arms trade.
Catherine is also regularly instructed in high-profile cases before UK courts which intersect with international arbitration and public international law. This has included acting in Al Haq v SSBT, a landmark challenge against the UK Government's decision to export weapons in the context of the war in Gaza, and in Star Hydro Power Limited v National Transmission and Despatch Company, a pending Supreme Court appeal regarding whether an English court can restrain recognition and enforcement proceedings under the New York Convention. Most recently, she prevailed before the UK Supreme Court in Border Timbers v Zimbabwe, a case which confirmed that States waive their immunity from recognition and enforcement when becoming a party to the ICSID Convention.
Before joining the bar in London, Catherine worked in international arbitration and public international law at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Paris, and taught public international law and international dispute settlement in Cambridge, Paris and Brisbane.
