Kate Allass > Farrer & Co > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Farrer & Co‘s ‘dispute resolution team is second to none in terms of technical quality and relationship building‘. The core of the firm’s corporate and commercial litigation practice involves major disputes, with a particular focus on cases involving complex company structures and asset holdings, shareholder conflicts, and cross-border commercial contracts. The team predominantly acts in matters comprising international components; and it is particularly expert in both coordinating proceedings in multiple jurisdictions, and handling cases encompassing jurisdictional issues. Corporate and shareholder dispute specialist Kate Allass is ‘one of the best in the mid-market sector‘; Ben Longworth‘s commercial disputes practice encompasses contractual claims, shareholder disputes, post-M&A issues, and insurance coverage matters; and Jolyon Connell is ‘a class act, who speaks honestly and directly‘. At associate level, seniors William Charrington, Charles Fursdon and Blue Elliott all maintain busy commercial disputes practices, while Victoria Atkins and Sally Mantell are also experienced litigators.

Steered by Tom Bruce, Farrer & Co‘s sports team regularly advises a diverse mix of high-profile sports clients on a range of corporate, commercial and governance matters, such as regulatory instructions, joint ventures and structuring international sporting events. Bruce regularly handles this workload with the support of India Benjamin. Katie Fudakowski is the key contact for several governing bodies seeking assistance with investigations and reviews into safeguarding and employment matters, as well as compliance mandates. Owen O’Rorke focuses on overlapping commercial, IP and data matters for such clients, while Julian Pike is a go-to contentious media and sports practitioner, advising sports teams, governing bodies and individuals on all manner of disputes. Henry Sainty, David Hunt and Paul Jones are further key names to note. Kate Allass is particularly recommended for her capabilities in high-profile disputes.

Farrer & Co acts in significant disputes involving parties from across Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, the Far East, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Caribbean. Its core focus is commercial arbitration, but it also houses experts in investor-state arbitration, art-related matters, and sports disputes. The practice is also increasingly active in marine construction and shipping matters. Hendrik Puschmann leads the group, which comprises sports disputes specialist Kate Allass, construction expert Edward Banyard Smith, and commercial disputes partner Ian De Freitas.