Katrina Mather > Gatehouse Chambers > London, England > Barrister Profile

Katrina Mather

+44 (0)20 7242 2523 katrina.mather@gatehouselaw.co.uk View profile

Position

Katrina specialises in insolvency, property and commercial law and is particularly sought after for cases where one or more of her specialist areas overlap or intertwine. She is frequently instructed on complex matters which are of commercial significance as well as high value. She is noted for taking a rounded approach to cases where reputational risk can be as or more important than winning or losing a particular dispute.

Katrina is popular with lay and professional clients alike both as sole and junior counsel and has a particularly loyal client base. She is retained as standing counsel by institutional clients including investment, hedge and pension funds as well as major financial institutions. Clients appreciate her tactical judgment and her genuine commitment to their best interests.

Her clients have praised her approachability and precision while judges have rated her submissions as “exceptionally intelligent and well measured” and cross-examination as “remarkable, particularly for one so junior”. She is an experienced trial advocate and has appeared in the lower and upper courts in her own right and as junior counsel.

Her recent instructions include:

• Covid-19 related advice on the New Look CVA as well as advising on the Homebase and Carillion CVAs amongst other high profile retail CVAs
• Junior counsel in a test case against the NHS challenging imposition of service charges on GP surgeries
• Acting as junior counsel in a £25m claim for commercial damages arising from property damages
• Actions against delinquent directors under s. 212, 213 and 214 of the Insolvency Act 1986
• Acting in a highly contentious creditor application for an administration order
• Instructed as junior Counsel on the limitation case of Re Kelcrown

Katrina authored the CVA and Disqualification chapters for the most recent edition of ‘Atkin Court Forms – Corporate Insolvency’ and is a contributor to the LexisNexis CRI Case Alerter Service. She frequently speaks on matters relating to her practice. She has recently delivered seminars to the Property Litigation Association and the R3 SPG Forum.

Before commencing practice at the Bar, Katrina had a successful career in politics which saw her sit on a government select committee for two years during which time she was instrumental in bringing about legislative reform. Her natural oratory ability secured her reputation as a ‘go-to’ media spokesperson and led to her giving speeches to EU summits and in the House of Lords.

Career

Kaplan BPTC. Called 2014

Memberships

• Chancery Bar Association
• Property Bar Association
• COMBAR
• LCLCBA
• Bar Pro Bono Unit
• Free Representation Unit
• Company Insolvency Pro Bono scheme

Education

• BPTC, Kaplan Law School
  LLB, London School of Economics
• Gray’s Inn, Lord Justice Holker Scholarship
  London School of Economics, Academic Scholarship Award
• Harvard University, Harvard Book Prize
• Brook, Young Person of the Year
• BT, Seen and Heard Award