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Capacity to enter into a prenuptial agreement
Cate Maguire
"Absolutely excellent"
Legal 500 UK, the Client's Guide to Law Firms
Cate is a Senior Associate in the Family Team, advising clients on matters including divorce and civil partnership dissolution, jurisdiction disputes, complex financial issues and issues surrounding children. She has over a decade of experience working in high net worth Family Law, having worked at a boutique Family Law firm prior to joining the Family Team at Kingsley Napley in 2019.
Cate has a particular interest in and experience of international work, including cross-jurisdictional divorce and financial matters and child relocation.
Cate’s international experience includes jurisdiction dispute cases involving the USA, Asia, Africa, The Caribbean and Europe, and in particular her work on the long-running Chai v Peng jurisdiction dispute between England and Malaysia. Cate has a strong network of overseas contacts, including in Australia and Canada, and spent time living and working in South Korea before beginning her legal career. As a result, she has a clear understanding of the particular issues facing international families and the strategic issues at play in jurisdictional disputes.
Cate also has a wealth of experience in dealing with complex international and domestic trust and corporate structures in the context of divorce. Cate regular deals with issues surrounding company values, including in respect of hedge funds and other unusual company structures, and issues of liquidity and wider implementation issues surrounding business assets. Cate acted for the hedge fund owner in the reported cases of CG V DL [2023] EWFC 82 and CG v DL [No 2] [2023] EWFC 238.
Cate also regularly deals with financial cases involving issues of enforcement and non-disclosure. Her experience in this regard includes acting for Michelle Young in her 20-day long financial final hearing (Young v Young [2013] EWHC 3637 (Fam)).
Cate frequently acts in children cases, including those involving temporary and permanent child relocation and wider child arrangements. Her experience of child relocation includes intra-UK relocation as well as Australia, Canada and Europe. Cate has particular experience of dealing with children cases involving allegations of drug and alcohol misuse and substance testing requirement. Cate is also able to act for clients involved in non-molestation order and occupation order proceedings.
Cate tailors her approach to the unique facts of each case, working with her clients to establish their and their family’s particular needs and priorities and the nuances of their situation, so as to achieve the best result for each client as an individual. Cate regularly works with clients in the LGBTQIA+ community and has experience of cases involving civil partnership dissolution.
Cate is a member of Kingsley Napley’s Enable Network, whose goal is to raise awareness of different types of disabilities (both visible and invisible) and to create a safe space for people to speak out about their disabilities. Cate understands the particular challenges which may be faced in Family Law proceedings by clients with neurodiversity, or those with physical or mental disabilities, and the additional support which those clients may need.
The Legal 500 described Cate as “absolutely excellent”. Her Higher Rights of Audience qualification entitles Cate to act as an advocate for clients within the High Court.
Cate is also recognised as one of eprivateclient's Next Generation Leaders of 2024.
Cate completed her law degree at Downing College, University of Cambridge.
Reported cases
Cate’s reported cases include:
- Mr and Mrs K v Mr and Mrs Z [2025] EWHC 927 (Fam) – acted for applicant parents in surrogacy case in which the court provided additional guidance as to relevant factors for intended parents to address
- CG V DL [2023] EWFC 82 – acted for hedge fund owner in respect of the financial settlement to be made upon his divorce
- CG v DL [No 2] [2023] EWFC 238 – successful application to recalculate the financial award given in earlier decision of CG v DL [2023] EWFC 82 in light of collapse of our client’s hedge fund in the intervening period
- X v Y (Child Arrangements Order) [2019] EWHC 2872 (Fam) - Appeal to the High Court in respect of first instance judge’s decision unilaterally to make an order that the child live with his mother. Permission to appeal granted and substantive appeal resolved at hearing
- Chai v Peng & Ors [2017] EWHC 792 (Fam)
- Chai v Peng [2015] EWCA Civ 790
- Chai v Peng [2015] EWCA Civ 1312
- Chai v Peng [2014] EWHC 750 (Fam)
- Chai v Peng [2014] EWHC 1519 (Fam)
- Chai v Peng [2014] EWHC 3518 (Fam)
- Chai v Peng [2014] EWHC 3519 (Fam)
- Young v Young [2013] EWHC 3637 (Fam)
Publications and press
- The bleak legacy of the 2013 legal aid cuts: a rise in litigants in person and a family court system in crisis - Solicitors Journal, October 2024
- NextGen Leaders - eprivateclient, September 2024 (subscription required)
- Can my husband get away with not paying maintenance? Financial Times, February 2024
- Addiction and coparenting - Today's Family Lawyer, January 2024
- Chai v Khoo - Family Law, 2017
- “PRIVATE CHILDREN: Extreme Measures” regarding the increasing judicial willingness to change a child’s residence in cases of entrenched parental alienation - Family Law Journal, September 2017
- A rare outing for the Barder principle - Family Law Journal, June 2015: Critchell v Critchell [2015] EWCA Civ 436)
- Chai v Peng [2014] EWHC 1519 (Fam): a tale of two petitions - Family Law, 2014
Cate Maguire displays a level of confidence and competence beyond her years.”
Legal 500 UK
Cate has been an immense, patient and professional support to me during my acrimonious divorce. When I first met Cate, unpleasant things were happening and I was a bit of a wreck, but she led me carefully through the process, and a year and a bit later I'm happy to say that a positive outcome has been achieved on all fronts."
A client of Cate
