Profile

Catherine joined Kennedys in 2003 and has been a partner in the insurance division for 15 years. After working in London for nearly 20 years, she is now based in Leeds where she heads up its new professional liability practice in that location. She has over 30 years of experience in advising insurers and their insureds in professional negligence claims.

Catherine has extensive experience acting in a broad range of professional indemnity practice areas but principally solicitors, accountants, surveyors, insurance intermediaries and insolvency practitioners. She regularly advises insurers on coverage in respect of high quantum disputes, which has included acting for insurers in coverage disputes through mediation/arbitration in the non-UK jurisdictions of Italy and Malta

Catherine has acted for a number of high-profile firms of solicitors including those in the top rankings and firms which themselves conduct professional negligence claims.

Catherine is also a member of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers.

During her career Catherine has been involved in a number of reported cases including:

  • Penn v Bristol & West Building Society [1997]
  • Johnson v Bingley Dyson [1997]
  • Buckenham v Dickinson [2000]
  • Colton v Graysons [2003]
  • T&N Ltd v Royal & Sun Alliance [2003]
  • AXA Insurance (formerly Winterthur Swiss Insurance Co) v Akther & Darby Solicitors [2010]
  • Moduroglu v Stephenson Harwood [2017]
  • Various Claimants v Giambrone & AIG [2019]
  • Kings v Steifel and others [2021]

Qualifications

  • Qualified in England and Wales in 1993
Leaves no stone unturned’ and is a ‘tenacious and highly knowledgeable lawyer.

Market recognition

  • Recommended lawyer for 'Professional negligence (London)'
    The Legal 500 UK 2023
  • Recommended lawyer for 'Professional negligence (London)'
    The Legal 500 UK 2022
  • Recommended lawyer for 'Professional negligence (London)'
    The Legal 500 UK 2021
  • Recommended Lawyer for 'Professional negligence (London)'
    "Catherine Shuttleworth ‘leaves no stone unturned’ and is a ‘tenacious and highly knowledgeable lawyer’."
    The Legal 500 UK 2018/19
  • Described as a “well respected individual” for Insurance and re-Insurance and as “excellent” for Professional Negligence.
    The Legal 500 UK 2017

Work highlights

  • Successfully defended solicitors against a £50 million claim arising from abortive substantial underlying litigation, with a full recovery of costs on the indemnity basis.
  • Represented 300 firms of solicitors in relation to claims arising from the collapse of The Accident Group.
  • Acted for AIG in a multi-million pound claim for a non-party costs order against them pursuant to s.51 Senior Courts Act 1981, which was settled on appeal to the Court of Appeal on terms whereby the application was dismissed with contribution to AIG’s costs.
  • Acted for Stephenson Harwood: (1) Eren Muduroglu (2) Smu Investments Ltd (in liquidation) v (1) Stephenson Harwood (A Firm) (2) Summers LLP [2017].
  • Advised insurers of accountants in relation to coverage on a multi-million pound claim by administrators on behalf of a number of investor clients in an alleged Ponzi scheme.
  • Advising insurers on coverage in relation to several hundred claims arising from foreign conveyancing transactions.
  • Acting for leading London commercial firm of solicitors in defending a £58 million claim for alleged fraudulent conspiracy.