Kathryn Arnot Drummond > Cloth Fair Chambers > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Kathryn Arnot Drummond

020 7710 6444 View profile

Position

Advocacy

An accomplished court advocate, experienced in jury trial and appellate work, Kathryn has acted as both leading and junior counsel in a number of financial crime and significant general criminal cases. Her recent instructions include cases investigated and prosecuted by a range of prosecuting authorities including the Serious Fraud Office and HMRC.  She is also an appointed panel member to the CPS Specialist Fraud Panel at level 3.

In addition, Kathryn is instructed to act in contested applications for account freezing and account forfeiture orders and has experience representing individuals in regulatory proceedings.

Advisory (Individuals)

Kathryn has a substantial advisory practice advising individuals pre-charge on their personal liability to criminal and regulatory proceedings, under the Senior Manager Regime and exposure as a directing mind of a corporate.  Kathryn is often instructed to advise potential witnesses working within corporates under investigation and has attended a section 2 interview.

She advises at all stages of an investigation and is well-versed with the whistleblower protections and opportunities to co-operate with investigations.  Similarly, she is experienced in managing a strategic case in the face of the use of aggressive investigatory powers under PACE.

Advisory (Corporates)

Kathryn provides strategic advice to a range of corporates on white collar, regulatory and collateral civil fraud investigations.  Her recent instructions include advising a global bank, international mining company, law firm and a range of smaller companies.   She is experienced advising Boards, senior management and in-house legal teams and working effectively and sensitively with the corporate to manage often conflicting legal /regulatory obligations and personnel issues.  She has worked with PR teams to prepare appropriate press releases and advises on legal privilege and market sensitive/ insider information.

Kathryn is experienced and comfortable working in parallel with teams of foreign lawyers and commercial /litigation firms including magic circle.  Kathryn has worked on cases involving parallel criminal, civil or regulatory proceedings in the USA (DOJ and SEC) and Luxembourg and has experience of working on cases where the underlying dishonest conduct / bribery took place outside of jurisdiction in Russia, China, and Africa (Tanzania, Nigeria, Kenya and Mozambique).

Kathryn is often instructed when the issue is first identified to offer immediate strategic advice and support for a corporate where an internal investigation is necessary.  She has conducted individual-issue internal investigations alone and worked as part of a team to scope the corporate’s criminal and regulatory exposure.   Kathryn advises on self-reporting, co-operating with prosecuting authorities, managing regulatory obligations and complying with obligations arising from insolvency service investigations.

Career

Recent and Ongoing Cases

• Instructed to act for founder and CEO of an investment fund.
• Advised a global investment bank in relation to a regulatory investigation in the UK whilst parallel proceedings were ongoing in the USA. Kathryn was retained to assist the bank with the collateral civil fraud litigation.
• Advising a law firm in relation to Anti-Money Laundering issues.
• Represented the Chief Operating Officer of Afren PLC, charged by the SFO alongside the company’s former CEO with fraud and money laundering offences.
• Advised a publicly listed company in an extractive industry in relation to multi-jurisdictional corporate criminal liability.
• Leading counsel in a multi-handed company fraud trial involving complex legal argument.
• Instructed in relation to a high profile SFO investigation into allegations of multi-jurisdictional bribery.   Kathryn was one of two lawyers who attended the section 2 interview.
• Instructed pre-charge to advise a former CEO of a hedge fund in regard to alleged offences of fraud and money laundering.
• Advised a spread betting company on personal account dealing/insider dealing.
• Represented a film producer against charges of conspiracy to cheat the revenue and fraudulent claiming of film tax credits.
• Advised the directors of a pharmaceutical company under investigation for the commission of offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act as a result of wholesale foreign export on strategy and approach to interview.

Memberships

Called to the Bar – 2008

Master of the Bench, Inner Temple [2019]

Appointed member of the CPS Specialist Fraud Panel: Level 3 [2021]

Committee member of the Fraud Lawyers Association [February 2019 to current]

President of the Inner Temple Junior Bar Association [2012-2013]

Education

• MA Hons Mental Philosophy – University of Edinburgh
• Bar Vocational Course and Graduate Diploma in Law – BPP
• Bernard Sunley Award [The Honourable Society of the Knights of the Round Table to those who have debated or mooted for the Inner Temple]
• Exhibition Award [The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple]