Kate maintains a diverse practice across all of Chambers’ main areas, with a particular focus on commercial litigation, group actions, and public law. She has appeared as junior counsel in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal and has significant experience as sole counsel in the High Court and County Courts, including successfully appearing unled in a heavy application in the Chancery Division.
Kate’s recent instructions include:
- Appearing in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal in an appeal against a planning decision, the leading authority on the influence of settled practice in statutory interpretation (led by Patrick Green KC) (Wathen-Fayed v Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities [2025] UKSC 32; [2024] EWCA Civ 507).
- Acting for the First Respondent in successfully opposing the Appellant’s application to re-open a costs order made by the Supreme Court (led by Patrick Green KC) (Micula & others v Romania, order dated 6 March 2026)
- Acting for the Defendants in an environmental group action (led by Adam Heppinstall KC and Freya Foster).
- Acting for the Claimants in the Pan NOx emissions litigation (one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases for 2025).
- Acting for the Respondent former director in proceedings brought by the liquidator of a company (Re DWB Waste Management [2025] EWHC 476 (Ch)).
- Acting for an Interested Person in a six-day Inquest concerning a death at an Army barracks.
Kate is a recipient of the Pegasus, Lord Denning, and Lord Brougham scholarships from the Inns of Court. Before her legal career, Kate ranked second in her year as an undergraduate at Oxford and interned at UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
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Expertise
Group Actions and Competition
Kate is currently instructed in:
- The Pan NOx emissions litigation on behalf of the Claimants (one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases for 2025); and
- An environmental group action on behalf of the Defendant (led by Adam Heppinstall KC and Freya Foster).
Kate has gained significant further experience on secondments:
- Johnson Winter Slattery, Sydney: in 2025, Kate undertook a three-month secondment as a Pegasus Scholar to a leading Australian law firm, where she worked on a range of class actions, including advising litigation funders.
- Competition and Markets Authority, London: in 2024, Kate undertook a five-month part-time secondment, where she gained unique insight into all aspects of competition litigation. Her work covered the CMA’s involvement in director disqualification in competition cases; remedy negotiations; possible interventions in High Court proceedings, and varied consumer matters.
As a pupil, Kate gained experience in various other group actions, including an environmental nuisance claim, the PPI group action, and a proposed group action arising from a terrorist attack.
She is also experienced with claims under s.90A of FSMA 2000 (including one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2024) (as a pupil).
Commercial Litigation, Arbitration, and Company
Kate has significant experience of commercial litigation and has a particular interest in disputes related to energy, commodities, and sports. She regularly appears in the county courts on behalf of financial services organisations and other businesses.
Examples of Kate’s recent commercial instructions include:
- Acting for the claimant in relation to a $2.6 million debt arising from the financing of a South African gold mine (Alphier Capital LLP v Blyvoor Gold Capital (Pty) Ltd), led by Arnold Ayoo. Kate appeared unled at a heavy application hearing where she successfully defeated the defendant’s strike out application. The case went on to win at trial ([2026] EWHC 244 (Ch));
- Varied cases involving fraud, including APP fraud; and
- Assisting with the permission to appeal application in Your Lawyers v Therium, one of The Lawyer’s Top 10 Appeals of 2025 (as a pupil, for Thomas Samuels).
Examples of Kate’s recent instructions in cases concerning investor-state arbitration include:
- Acting for the First Respondent in successfully opposing the Appellant’s application to re-open a Supreme Court costs order (led by Patrick Green KC) (Micula & others v Romania, UKSC order dated 6 March 2026)
- Assisting Patrick Green KC in Infrastructure Services v The Kingdom of Spain (in the Court of Appeal; subsequently upheld in the Supreme Court), concerning the recognition and enforcement of a €120 million arbitration award (one of the Lawyer’s Top 10 Appeals of 2024);
Examples of Kate’s recent work in company and insolvency cases include:
- Re DWB Waste Management Ltd [2025] EWHC 476 (Ch): Kate successfully obtained an 11thhour adjournment of trial. She continued to represent the Respondent former director in the proceedings (valued at over £500,000) brought by the liquidator of a company.
- Acting in proposed proceedings for an unfair prejudice petition on behalf of a major shareholder of leading F1 engineering and technology company, led by Henry Warwick KC; and
- Attending on and drafting winding up and bankruptcy petitions, including successfully resisting a bankruptcy order for £1.2 million.
Kate also has extensive experience in professional negligence and insurance work, having completed pupillage at a leading set in those areas. Her recent work includes acting for the claimant in a multi-million pound professional negligence claim arising from divorce proceedings (led by Patrick Green KC); and contributing to Butterworths’ Civil Precedents on Professional Negligence.
Representative cases
grid list-
Re D.W.B. Waste Management Ltd [2025] EWHC 476 (Ch)
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Alphier Capital LLP v Blyvoor Gold Capital (Pty) Ltd [2024] EWHC 2649 (ChD)
Public, Regulatory, and Environmental Law
Kate has a varied public law practice. Her recent work includes:
- Acting for the claimant/appellant in an appeal against a planning decision in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal (led by Patrick Green KC) (Wathen-Fayed v Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities [2025] UKSC 32; [2024] EWCA Civ 507), and acting in related judicial review and statutory review proceedings. The Supreme Court judgment is the leading authority on the influence of settled practice in statutory interpretation;
- Acting for the Union of Medical Associate Professionals in judicial review proceedings relating to the Leng Review (led by Patrick Green KC);
- Acting for a private client in judicial review proceedings (led by Patrick Green KC);
- Acting for the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government in the UK Covid-19 Inquiry; and
- Research on multiple matters before the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (as a pupil).
Kate is also building a practice in the coroners’ courts. Her recent work includes:
- Acting for an Interested Person at the Inquest touching upon the death of Jack Burnell-Williams, concerning the death of a member of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment who took his own life days after he had taken part in the late Queen’s state funeral. The Inquest was widely publicized (see https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly129xgvzdo); and
- Assisting with submissions on behalf of an Interested Person at an inquest into a death in a foreign prison (as a pupil).
Representative cases
grid list-
Wathen-Fayed v Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities [2025] UKSC 32
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Wathen-Fayed v Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities [2024] EWCA Civ 507
Sports
Kate has a particular interest in sports disputes, whether commercial or regulatory. She is a keen sportswoman who played Lacrosse for Wales at junior level and was awarded a Full Blue at Oxford University.
Examples of her recent work include:
- Drafting a defence on behalf of a national chain of health club;
- Acting for a high-profile sports club in urgent injunction proceedings brought against its regulator (whilst on secondment at Johnson Winter Slattery, Sydney, Australia);
- Acting for the major shareholder of leading F1 engineering and technology company in an unfair prejudice petition (led by Henry Warwick KC);
- Advising a major sporting governing body on their regulatory framework (led by Adam Heppinstall KC);
- Advice (as a pupil) in relation to a commercial dispute between a La Liga football club, major international player, and a football agent, involving allegations of breach of fiduciary duty;
- Drafting pleadings (as a pupil) in a dispute between two major sportswear brands; and
- Winning the Littleton Chambers Sports Law Essay Prize 2023.
News and articles
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Instructing Kate Gardiner
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Government Legal Department, Junior Junior scheme (2024 to 16/03/2028)
- COMBAR
- ChBA
- Environmental Law Foundation (pro bono member)
Education
- BVS, City University – Distinction
- GDL, City University – Distinction
- BA (Hons) Geography, University of Oxford (Hertford College) – First Class (2nd in year)
Scholarships and Prizes
- Pegasus Trust Scholarship 2025, Inns of Court
- 1st Place – Littleton Chambers Sports Law Essay Prize 2023
- City Law School Scholarship for Academic Excellence
- Lord Denning Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn
- Lord Brougham Scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn
- Gibbs Prize (proxime accessit) for Geography, University of Oxford
- Highly commended in the Royal Geographical Society DARG Dissertation Prize (top three dissertations in country)
- Hertford College Final Honour School Prize
- Hertford College Academic Scholarship
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Bar Council Number: 76511
VAT Registration Number: 463400027
Legal Status: Barrister
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Regulated by the Bar Standards Board.
