Katharine Landells
Partner
Katharine is a partner in the divorce and family team.
Dynamic and creative, Katharine has huge energy which she puts to use in making positive progress for her clients in some of the most complex and challenging cases. Described by the legal directories as having the ‘killer combination’ of a ‘sense of humour and a razor sharp intellect’, Katharine has almost 20 years’ experience in the industry and is singled out among her peers for her ability to design and drive a broad strategy whilst overseeing and honing in on the crucial detail.
Fighting their corner with ‘intelligence and style’, Clients appreciate Katharine’s commitment to them as well as her humanity and empathy when dealing with sensitive and difficult issues. Whilst she is no stranger to big ticket litigation, with a string of reported cases to her name, her experience in those tough cases is put to good use for all of her clients to achieve positive results. Katharine is a talented negotiator, working to diffuse conflict, and resolve disputes in her clients’ best interests. She is adept at navigating her clients to out of court settlements, avoiding media glare, and collaborating to bring about an agreed outcome.
Ranked in Chambers UK, Legal 500, and Spears Top 50, clients have ‘utmost confidence in Katharine and her strategy’, describing her as ‘incredibly bright, flexible, with a work ethic to be admired, dedicated to her clients and creative’.
Her clients are typically founders, business owners, decision makers and their partners. She has a track record of dealing with the most financially and emotionally complex of cases, especially those with an international angle, those involving privately held businesses, or where there are trusts or other sophisticated asset structures. She is regularly instructed in connection with UK and International nuptial agreements and highly contested children matters as well as cases concerning the international relocation of children.
Track record
Admissions
Publications
Memberships
Katharine represented the wife in Christoforou v Christoforou [2016], a case involving complicated issues surrounding onshore and offshore property owning companies, including the beneficial ownership of the shares in those companies, the categorization of assets as marital or non-marital, and the assessment and treatment of potential tax liabilities. The wife was awarded an equal division of the assets and a proportion of her costs to be paid by her husband.
Acting for the wife in X v X [2016], Katharine was successful in arguing that the husband’s interest in a trust should be considered a resource of his. The case also involved complex issues in respect of contribution, share valuation and non-matrimonial assets.
Katharine acted for the husband in the case of Charman v Charman, the leading case on trusts in the context of divorce and which case involved litigation in England and offshore. The court also recognised Mr Charman’s special contribution resulting in a 63/37% division in Mr Charman’s favour.
England and Wales, 2004
‘Same Sex Marriage and Civil Partnerships the New Law’, Family Law, co-author
‘Civil Partnership the New Law’, Family Law, co-author
Tolley’s Administration of Trusts, contributor
Resolution
International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
Me in a minute
I am a strong believer in the power of good communication
Education
Languages
- English
