Karen is a partner and general counsel in the Dispute Resolution & Litigation Group in Guernsey. She specialises in corporate and commercial disputes, with a particular emphasis on banking, finance and trusts litigation and asset tracing and freezing orders. Karen also frequently advises companies, shareholders and directors in relation to corporate insolvency matters, and banks on enforcement of security. Karen also advises in relation to regulatory matters, including regulatory investigations. Karen has wide advocacy experience and appears frequently before the Guernsey Courts.

Karen's work often involves cross-border and conflicts of law issues.

Karen's clients include local trust companies and retail banks, private companies, international investment banks, insurers and accountants. Karen is frequently instructed by leading law firms, both in the UK and elsewhere.

Karen is a member of the Chancery Bar Association, the International Bar Association, the Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Experts and the Institute of Directors. Karen is listed in Who's Who Legal for Commercial Litigation, Private Client and Asset Recovery.

Career

Karen was called to the Bar in England and Wales in 1995 and qualified as a Solicitor of England and Wales in January 1999. Karen joined Carey Olsen in March 2002 having previously practised at Barlow Lyde & Gilbert, a leading London firm. She was called as an advocate of the Guernsey Bar in July 2003. Karen was made a partner in 2005.

In January 2019 Karen was appointed as global general counsel to the firm.

Advises on

业务领域

Relevant experience

Recent matters in which Karen has acted include:

advising an international investment bank in relation to alleged mis-selling of investments
acting for the general partner of a fund in relation to the removal of the fund's investment adviser
acting for the corporate trustee of a trust in a claim for breach of trust arising out of investments made by the trustees
acting for a retiring trustee in relation to a dispute concerning the extent of a trustee's right of indemnity against trust assets
acting for a global telecoms company in locating and securing assets in enforcement of a US$2 billion judgment

acting for a leading investment bank in obtaining freezing order relief ancillary to extra-jurisdictional proceedings
acting for a company in a dispute with a shareholder and former director; acting for the directors of an insolvent multi-million dollar hedge fund in applying for a compulsory winding up order
acting for a leading high street bank in enforcing its security over the realty of a company to secure repayment of significant outstanding loans
acting for employees and directors of a regulated entity in connection with a regulatory investigation.

Awards and accolades

奖项和荣誉

Karen is named in the Citywealth Leaders List 2014 in the Honours List for Contentious Trusts, as a Leading Practitioner by the IBA's "Who's Who Legal" of Asset Recovery Lawyers 2014, and is recognised in the Citywealth IFC Power Women Top 100 list.