Profile details
About Cat Greenwood-Smith
Cat is a Partner in our dispute resolution practice in London, specialising in the defence of complex and large-scale group litigation across a range of industries.
Her practice focuses on ESG, consumer protection, and data privacy / data breach claims. Cat has particular expertise in relation to English group litigation having acted on two of the most high profile group actions in the High Court. She has also helped numerous clients to manage contentious regulatory risks and is experienced in dealing with external regulators and authorities.
Recent work
- Acting for one of the world’s largest energy companies in the successful defence of English High Court group litigation proceedings brought by a group of Colombian landowners, claiming for environmental damage to their properties allegedly caused by the construction of an oil pipeline.
- Acting for a multinational automotive manufacturer in relation to the defence of a UK class action concerning diesel emissions.
- Defending a multinational oil company and a number of its subsidiaries in two separate UK High Court litigation proceedings, both in respect of alleged human rights abuses allegedly committed by Colombian military and paramilitary forces in the mid-1990s to early 2000s.
- Acting for a number of mining companies in respect of both an OECD complaint made by an NGO to a number of National Contact Points and a potential class action before the English High Court regarding alleged impacts of a mine in Colombia.
- Advising a Colombian mining company in respect of a complaint made by an NGO to the UN Special Rapporteur, alleging breaches of environmental and social obligations under Colombian and international law.
- Advising a number of clients across a number of industries on their climate change legal risks and providing detailed, multi-jurisdiction reports on these risks, including practical advice on how to mitigate them.
- Advising a global packaging company in respect of a complaint made by an NGO to the UN Special Rapporteur, alleging breaches of environmental and social obligations under the UN Guiding Principles.
- Acting for a leading estate agency in its defence of a group claim that asserted overcharging in relation to the provision of certain services.
- Acting for a multinational hotel company on its response to one of the world’s largest customer data breaches, including defending the client in an opt-out representative action alleging loss of control of data.
- Acting for a major tech company on the defence and coordination of litigation in the UK and across Europe in respect of data scraping on its platform.
- Advising a major tech company on a consumer regulatory investigation relating to fake and misleading reviews.
- Advising a global tech company on its litigation strategy (including regarding class actions) regarding transfer of data out of the EU and on related UK litigation.
Qualifications
- The University of Law - Higher Rights
- Worcester College, University of Oxford - Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL)
- BPP Law School - Legal Practice Course (LPC), Distinction
- King's College London - Bachelor of Laws (LLB), First Class Honours
- University of Strasbourg, France - Diploma in French Legal Studies