Katie Cowton KC

"A fierce champion for her clients"

Chambers & Partners 2023

"Family Silk of the Year 2022"

Chambers & Partners 2022

"An industrious, pragmatic, technically sharp advocate who relentlessly fights her client’s corner"

Chambers & Partners 2022

"A lawyer of fierce intellect who cuts to the chase"

Chambers & Partners 2021

"An incredibly persuasive and very powerful advocate"

Chambers & Partners 2019

"A fierce champion for her clients"

Chambers & Partners 2023

Joint Head of Chambers

Call: 1995

Silk: 2019

“Family Silk of the Year” (Chambers & Partners 2022), Katie is in significant demand for her winning combination of persuasive advocacy, rigorous intellect and empathy.

Overview

Katie is highly sought after as a specialist in jurisdictional disputes, divorce financial remedies and child financial claims. A powerful advocate with a commercial approach, her clients value her discretion.

Expertise

Katie’s high-profile practice has gone from strength to strength since taking Silk in March 2019. She was awarded “Family Silk of the Year” by Chambers & Partners in November 2022.

Katie is instructed to appear in complicated international cases, involving corporate, trusts and tax issues. She specialises in jurisdictional disputes, financial applications on divorce and civil partnership dissolution, financial claims after overseas divorces (Part III MFPA 1984), and Children Act Schedule 1 financial applications for unmarried parents. She is instructed to draft pre-nuptial, post-nuptial and cohabitation agreements. She is well known for her expertise in high net worth cases, and represents both individuals and trustees.  A tough negotiator and tenacious advocate, she quickly wins the confidence of her clients. Much of Katie’s practice takes place away from the public eye, resolving complex, often high-profile cases at private FDRs.

She sits as family Judge (Recorder), is a family Arbitrator (MCIArb), and is in demand as a private FDR Judge

“(Katie) takes her job seriously and gives it everything. She treats each case like it’s the only case she’s doing and makes each client feel they’re the very centre of her universe. Comfortable delivering tough messages…. She’s a fierce champion for her clients.”
Chambers & Partners 2023
“Totally numerate, articulate and not afraid to take on her opponent. ”
Legal 500 2022
“An industrious, pragmatic, technically sharp advocate who relentlessly fights her client’s corner. She gets straight to the point whilst having a command of the details of a case. Her organisation and clarity show in her advocacy. ”
Chambers & Partners 2022
“A lawyer of fierce intellect who cuts to the chase and is hugely supportive to the instructing solicitor. She is thoroughly prepared, incredibly commercial, and a good lateral thinker whose strategy is spot on. (Katie) prepares the case like no one else and knows every single detail.”
Chambers & Partners 2021
“Brilliant at unpicking the finer details of the case then swooping back out to see the big picture when it comes to advice and strategy. She has a phenomenal understanding of the law in relation to financial remedy and an ability to pick up other areas of the law quickly and decisively. As an advocate she knows what to say to bring the judge round. She’s a very classy performer. ”
Chambers & Partners 2020
“Works at a phenomenal rate and level.”
Legal 500 2020
“She’s incredibly hardworking, and her attention to detail is exceptional. She’s a massive safety net for the solicitor, as she never misses anything. An incredibly persuasive and very powerful advocate.”
Chambers & Partners 2019
“Unbelievably hardworking.”
Legal 500 2019
“Katie is frighteningly clever and has a mind which works at lightning speed. Despite her own enormous intelligence, she is accessible to her clients and will cut through any jargon, puff, or smoke and mirrors to bring her clients to the result they are looking for. A barrister you always want to be with you rather than in opposition.”
Chambers & Partners 2018
“Extremely bright and tenacious; a fabulous advocate.”
Legal 500 2018
“She’s clearly very sharp but also emotionally intelligent; she knows what a client needs and connects with them. Incredibly tenacious and fearless in court, she’s very thorough and has everything at her fingertips.”
Chambers & Partners 2017
  • Family Silk of the Year (Chambers & Partners, 2022)
  • Queen Mother’s Scholar, Middle Temple (1994-95)
  • Magdalene College, Cambridge – Law (1991-94)
  • Family Recorder (South Eastern Circuit, appointed 2018)
  • Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
  • Member of the Family Law Bar Association
  • Advocate panel member

Katie regularly lectures on current legal issues. Topics include:

  • Non-matrimonial Property (June 2022 – White Paper Conference)
  • Hemain and Anti-Suit Injunctions (June 2022)
  • Overseas divorces, Part III MFPA 1984 (November 2021)
  • Overseas cases: following Potanin v Potanina, what remedies are available to a financially weaker spouse after an overseas divorce which provided inadequate financial provision? (June 2020 – White Paper Conference)
  • Brexit and Jurisdiction (October 2019 – At a Glance Conference)
  • For Better or For Worse: Nuptial Agreements and Court Intervention (June 2019 – Young Bar Conference)
  • Private FDRs (March 2019)
  • Spousal maintenance: the impact of SS v NS and Wright. Is the tide turning against wives?
  • Search, Preserve, Enforce: the use of commercial pre-emptive remedies and enforcement techniques in the Family Courts

Katie Cowton KC is regulated by the Bar Standards Board. To view our complaints policy please click here.

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