Catherine has extensive experience acting in a broad range of litigious and non-litigious disputes, including sensitive and high profile litigation and inquiries.

Catherine is known for achieving practical, commercial solutions, and creating a positive lasting impact for the clients that she works with. Clients value her strategic judgment and ability to manage highly confidential and complex matters with clarity, calmness, efficiency, and skill.

Catherine is a member of the Turnaround Management Association of Australia (TMA), the Australian Restructuring Insolvency & Turnaround Association (ARITA), and the Law Council of Australia's Insolvency and Restructuring Committee.

Career highlights

Litigation

• ASIC: Acted for ASIC in successful civil penalty proceedings against Austal Limited (ASX: ASB) and its former CEO concerning breaches of the Corporations Act.
• Prime Trust: Successfully defended a $60 million Supreme Court Proceeding against a major property group, arising out of the insolvent collapse of the Prime Trust. Also acted in related proceedings against 35 defendants.
• Class Action: Acted for the defendant in a securities class action concerning alleged contraventions of the Corporations Act, which was settled prior to trial.
• Regulatory investigations: Acted in a number of significant regulatory investigations, including acting for the targets of investigations and in other matters for ASIC.
• Civil Penalty Proceedings: Acted for individual and corporate defendants in a range of civil penalty proceedings commenced by ASIC and the ACCC.
• Cleansing applications: Obtained Federal Court orders on behalf of a number of ASX listed companies absolving them of the effect of inadvertent breaches of the Corporations Act.
• State of Victoria: Acted in relation to a substantial compensation claim raised by an aggrieved party in respect of a decision to terminate a tender process. Acted for Development Victoria in respect of material litigation concerning the closure of Central Pier to avoid risks to public safety.
• Lawyer X: Acted in the entirely suppressed Supreme and High Court proceedings concerning the applicability of public interest immunity to the identity of Lawyer X, which prompted the Royal Commission into the management of police informants.

Restructuring and insolvency

• Aerison: Acted for the major secured creditor of ASX listed mining services provider Aerison, including negotiation of a restructure DOCA under which security was released to achieve a successful turnaround of the insolvent business.
• Porter Davis collapse: Acted for a major developer (Lendlease) in respect of the restructure and novation of significant development contracts following the collapse of major domestic builder Porter Davis.
• McWilliams: Advised the successful DOCA proponent in relation to the acquisition and restructure of the McWilliams' Wines Group, including in relation to a successful s 444GA application to acquire 100% of the shares in McWilliams.
• SKM restructure: Acted for the State of Victoria in relation to the collapse of SKM, including providing advice to government and acting in negotiations with receivers appointed to one of Victoria's significant recycling providers.
• Korda Mentha: Successfully negotiated the sale of distressed debt and the cessation of a receivership in relation to a high profile property development group, and the compromise of related Supreme Court litigation against a secured lender.
• Coomboona Dairy: Acted for the administrators and deed administrators of significant dairy producer Coomboona.