Catherine Addy QC
Call 1998
Silk 2017
clerks@maitlandchambers.com
Catherine regularly practises in most areas of chancery and commercial litigation.
She has a particular interest in insolvency related work, both corporate and personal: She has been a member of the statutory Insolvency Rules Committee since 2013 (appointed pursuant to s413 of the Insolvency Act 1986 following an open competition) and was appointed as a Deputy Insolvency and Companies Court Judge in 2016. She has been instructed in relation to numerous high profile insolvencies, including litigation arising out of the collapse of Barings, appearing for the Crown in Spectrum Plus, advising HM Treasury and the Bank of England in relation to Northern Rock, representing differing interests in various litigation arising out of the collapse of Lehman Brothers, acting for the successful defendant directors in the disqualification proceedings concerning Farepak, for the administrators of the entity trading as ‘Blockbusters’, appearing in the GAME litigation concerning administration expenses as well as regularly for the Secretary of State in a number of successful disqualification claims against former directors of companies in the public eye. In addition, she is an ongoing contributor to Gore Browne on Companies (Chapter 61: Liquidation – Civil and Criminal Liabilities and Officeholders’ powers of investigation) and continues to be an appointed member of the Bankruptcy and Companies Court Users’ Committee.
In addition to her insolvency related practice, she has much experience of other company and commercial litigation (including financial services, property and trust law matters, other asset recovery claims, shareholder disputes, and conflicts of laws issues). In recent years she has been acting for LBBW in the long-running Swaps litigation concerning UBS and the Leipzig Water Company and for HMRC in the substantial Ingenious film finance scheme litigation as well as in Lehman Brothers litigation. She has also previously been instructed by the FCA.
Prior to taking silk, Catherine was a member of the Attorney General’s 'A' Panel, having first been appointed as Junior Counsel to the Crown in 2003, and she has regularly advised and acted for a number of government departments, including HMRC, the now Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, the former Treasury Solicitor and the Attorney-General.
In 2015 Catherine won 'Company/Insolvency Junior of the Year' at the Chambers UK Bar Awards having previously been shortlisted for Chancery Junior of the Year (2014) and Insolvency Junior of the Year (2012). She continues to be highly recommended by Chambers UK and Chambers Global for Chancery-Commercial litigation, Restructuring & Insolvency and Company and by Legal 500 for Company & Partnership and Insolvency. The current edition of Chambers UK describes her as being “a superb advocate, extremely approachable, highly intellectual and pragmatic … she's absolutely superb on her feet, really impressive” whilst noting that she “speaks in a straightforward manner which clients can understand”. Previous editions have similarly regularly praised her advocacy and analytical skills as well commenting favourably upon her affable nature, with various editions referring to her as “a highly regarded advocate” and an “accomplished chancery litigator” who is “exceptionally bright and quick to identify the real issues” and who “Garners praise from clients and peers alike” as well as offering “excellent input on general commercial matters”. The 2013 edition particularly reported that “She is, by the account of multiple interviewees, "outstanding."”
Catherine has been elected as a Bencher of the Middle Temple (2014) and is one of the Inn’s Accredited Advocacy Trainers. She was formerly an elected member of the Bar Council (2001-2007) and the Chancery Bar Association representative on the Bar Council (2010-2012) and she remains a co-opted member of the Bar Council’s Ethics Committee. She was Chairman of the Young Barristers’ Committee in 2004, the Chairman of the Bar Conference (Human Rights – Taking Liberties) in 2007 and the elected Treasurer of the Chancery Bar Association from 2008-2012.
Catherine read law at Cambridge and went on to read the LLM in which she achieved a first. She was a Queen Mother Scholar and a Harmsworth Entrance Exhibitioner and has been in practice at Maitland Chambers since completing pupillage in 1999.
The clerks are happy to discuss the basis on which Catherine will act in any given matter. In the absence of express written agreement otherwise, the terms under which Catherine accepts instructions are The Standard Contractual Terms for the Supply of Legal Services By Barristers to Authorised Persons 2012 (as updated from time to time) referred to in the BSB Handbook.
Notable Cases
Green & Newman (as Joint Administrators of each of the Respondent companies) v SCL Group Ltd (2019)
UBS AG v Kommunale Wasserwerke Leipzig GMBH (2017)
In the Matter of Lehman Brothers International v Revenue & Customs (2016)
UBS AG (London Branch) & Ors v Landesbank Baden-Wurttemberg & Ors (2014)
Pillar Denton Ltd v GAME Retail Ltd (2014)
Mynt Ltd v Revenue & Customs Commissioners (2013)
John Green & Paul Rowley v Royal Bank of Scotland Plc (2013)
E-Clear (UK) Plc v Elias Elia & Ors (2013)
In the Matter of UKLI Ltd; Secretary of State v Baljinder Chohan (2013)
E-Clear (UK) Plc (In Liquidation) v Elias Elia, Ian Defty (2012)
In the Matter of Instant Access Properties Ltd v Maria Gifford (2011)
In the Matter of Lehman Brothers Int (Europe) (In Admin) (2010)
In The Matter Of Lehman Brothers International (Europe) (In Administration) (October 2009)
Revenue & Customs Commissioners v Alan Blackburn Sports Ltd (2008)
Revenue & Customs Commissioners v (1) Shaun Cassells (2) Nicholas Reed (2008)
Halton International Inc & Anor v Guernroy Ltd (2006)
Monks v Revenue & Customs Commissioners (2006)
Halton International Inc (Holding) Sarl and Mohtaram Kaddoura v Guernroy Ltd (2005)
National Westminster Bank Plc v Spectrum Plus Ltd & Ors (2005)
McCullough (HMIT) v Gurcharan Singh Ahluwalia (2004)
National Westminster Bank PLC v Spectrum Plus Ltd (2004)
National Westminster Bank PLC v Spectrum Plus Ltd (In Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation) (2004)
Memberships
Chancery Bar Association
COMBAR
Insolvency Lawyers Association (full member)
R3 (full member)
American Bar Association (International Associate)
Qualifications
MA, LLM (Cantab)