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Communication Series Part 4: Deceitful Dialogue - How Misrepresentations Shape Fraud Claims
Katie Allard
Katie is a Senior Associate in the Dispute Resolution Team. She has a wide-ranging commercial practice with particular interest and expertise in complex civil fraud and asset tracing investigations, boardroom and shareholder disputes, and breach of contract claims, acting for both claimants and defendants.
Katie has experience acting in claims involving freezing injunctions, disclosure applications, search orders and other types of interim relief. She often works on matters with an international dimension, whether litigating in London on behalf of international clients or acting for UK and non-UK-based clients in multi-jurisdictional disputes.
Katie has a particular interest in ESG disputes, and she is a member of the firm’s Entrepreneurs Group.
Katie joined Kingsley Napley in February 2012 as a paralegal in the Dispute Resolution team and completed her training contract with Kingsley Napley, qualifying as a solicitor in September 2017.
Katie is involved in a number of projects aimed at addressing issues affecting the local community, particularly homelessness and social inclusion, and is an active member of the firm’s Charities Group. She also volunteers as a caseworker for Amicus.
Katie sits on the committees of both the Young Fraud Lawyers Association and TL4 FIRE Starters.
Areas of expertise
- Civil Fraud and Investigations
- Shareholder and Director Disputes
- Commercial and Contract Disputes
- Insolvency Litigation
- International and Cross-Border Disputes
PUBLICATIONS & PRESS HIGHLIGHTS
- Ecocide: the next wave of legal actions? Solicitors Journal, August 2024
- A further setback for climate litigation? Solicitors Journal, December 2023
- ClientEarth v Shell PLC: a set-back for climate litigation? Solicitors Journal, June 2023 (This content is available to Solicitors Journal subscribers)
- Green related lawsuits: the sign of things to come, Business Matters, November 2022
Recent cases
- Successfully obtaining a multi-million pound judgment for over 100 claimants in Ponzi-scheme fraud across multiple jurisdictions including USA, Chile, Belize, St Lucia, Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand after successfully obtaining Norwich Pharmacal orders and freezing assets.
- Successfully acting for a company in a claim against one of its directors for fraud and breach of duty, including misappropriation of company funds and making a secret profit.
- Successfully obtaining an injunction against two individuals following attempts to appoint them as company directors in a hostile take-over bid at an EGM, preventing them from being held out as and/or acting as directors of the company.
- Successfully defending a claim brought by an individual for a declaration that they held shares in a client company.
- Successfully setting aside a declaration of trust on behalf of a Trustee in Bankruptcy on the basis that it was entered into for the purpose of putting assets beyond the reach of creditors and constitutes a transaction at an undervalue within the meaning of section 423 of the Insolvency Act 1986.
- Successfully acting for a company in unfair prejudice proceedings brought by a shareholder and former director.
- Acting for victims of fraud in a potential Quincecare claims against their banks.
- Acting for individuals in respect of professional negligence claims against former solicitors.
- Acting for the successful claimant in a landmark Supreme Court case which resulted in change to the law of dishonesty, overturning a 35 year old test from the case of R v Ghosh [1982].
- Acting for a sports agency in a claim against a top Formula One team for unpaid commission arising from a sponsorship introduction.
- Acting for a government body in a professional negligence claim against its former solicitors.
- Acting for the defendant in one of the first cases to provide guidelines on the meaning of the “serious harm” threshold in defamation law under section 1(1) of the Defamation Act and one of the first libel cases involving posts on twitter.
professional societies and memberships
- Young Fraud Lawyers Association (YFLA) – Vice Chair
- Female Fraud Forum
- TL4 FIRE Starters – Committee Member
- Young Fraud Lawyers Association – Committee Member
Thank you for your superb professional guidance through the various legal minefields we encountered along the way, as well as for your moral support and patience throughout. We could not have done it without you.”
A client
…may I take this opportunity of thanking you all for the advice, support and assistance that you have given throughout this process, which has contributed to us reaching an early and excellent outcome.”
A client
Thank you again for fighting my corner so astoundingly.”
A client
Katie’s drafting is “intelligent, dignified, assertive and to the point” and demonstrates a “fierce grace.”
A client
It means a lot to me […] to have two formidable women doing me justice.”
A client
Thank you again for guiding me through this process.”
A client