Catherine Bedford > Harbottle & Lewis LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile
Harbottle & Lewis LLP Offices
7 Savoy Court
LONDON
WC2R 0EX
England
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Catherine Bedford
Work Department
Family
Position
Catherine is well-known in the field of family law, leading the Family Group at Harbottle & Lewis which has gained significant respect within the industry.
Under Catherine’s leadership, the Family team has gone from strength to strength and she has gained a formidable reputation within the industry where it is said she is now ‘at the top of the table of London divorce solicitors‘.
Since early 2020, Catherine has been running an unprecedented, high-value case over numerous hearings in the High Court and Court of Appeal. The case draws on multiple areas of law extending well beyond family and raising important legal questions.
Catherine’s client base includes individuals from UHNW families, often with a public profile to protect. Her clients range from royalty to entrepreneurs, business and finance leaders and those in the creative industries. Catherine works closely with the firm’s top-tier defamation/reputation group to protect privacy in the event of invasive media attention.
Catherine’s practice encompasses all areas of private family law in the wake of relationship breakdown as well as advising on pre-emptive nuptial agreements.
Catherine has particular expertise in handling complex finances and representing international clients with interests under corporate and trust structures across jurisdictions, often working with family offices and trusted advisors.
Catherine’s approach to each client is tailor-made – whether low-key negotiation outside of the court process or skilled litigation within it, always thinking expansively and finding inventive ways to cut through a dispute.
Career
Catherine joined Lee & Thompson as a partner in 2007 and founded the firm’s Family group. She joined Harbottle & Lewis in April 2017, bringing the Lee & Thompson Family group with her.
Education
Catherine completed a degree in English Literature at McGill University in Montreal, Canada before moving to the UK to read Law at Oxford University.
Lawyer Rankings
London > Private client > Family
(Hall of Fame)Harbottle & Lewis LLP receives many plaudits for its ‘superb team’, which is led by Catherine Bedford, ‘the Boadicea of the family law world’ who ‘runs chariots through opponents’ defences’. The agile team covers both financial and children work, most often representing ultra-high-net-worth clients. It has substantial expertise in complex children cases involving issues of domestic abuse and coercive control, as well as parental alienation. Nicholas Westley has particular expertise in nuptial and cohabitation agreements, while Mark Irving garners praise for his ‘combination of brains and humanity’. In team news, Lidia Cantele and Alex Ward were promoted to the partnership in June 2022.
Lawyer Rankings
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Private client > Contentious trusts and probate
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Film & TV
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Media finance
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Theatre, publishing and other media
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Video games
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Reputation management
Firm Rankings
- Private client > Charities and not-for-profit
- Private client > Family
- Corporate and commercial > M&A: Smaller Deals, £10m-£100m
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Advertising & marketing
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Media: Music
- Employment > Senior executives
- Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: mid-market
- Real estate > Commercial property: corporate occupiers
- Employment > Immigration
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: trade marks, copyright and design
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > IT and telecoms
- Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate
- Real estate > Residential property
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Sport
- Industry focus > TMT
- Corporate and commercial > Venture capital
- Industry focus > Hospitality and leisure
- Industry focus > Retail and consumer
- Risk advisory > Data protection, privacy and cybersecurity
- Employment > Employers