The Legal 500

Work Department

Private capital, contentious trusts.

Position

Catharine is head of Lawrence Graham LLP’s international contentious trust group and is an international trust partner who specialises in advising wealthy individuals and trustees on the optimum use of trust and company structures and the management of family disputes. She is particularly experienced in asset protection and effective dynastic planning, with defensive planning being a key element in the preventative techniques she applies. She has extensive experience in the international arena and regularly deals with the trust regimes of offshore jurisdictions and advises professional trustees and ultra-high-net-worth individuals on conflict of laws and the optimum use of jurisdictions for their trust structures. Catharine worked for four years in Jersey on several high-profile cases which have had a lasting impact in the trust world, eg the longstanding Group of Torras litigation. Catharine regularly project manages multi-jurisdictional disputes, and advises on issues of the proper forum and jurisdiction to manage these. Her practice also covers risk analysis for the professional trustee and confidentiality, reputational management for individuals and fiduciaries.

Career

Catharine lectures and writes on contentious and non-contentious trust law issues relevant to the professional trustee.

Practice Areas

Contentious trusts and probate; Private client