Dentons partner Katharine Harle is a rising star in the field of financial regulation and investigations. The past two years saw her leading the firm’s regulatory and investigations team to new heights, growing it from four lawyers to 21. Harle welcomed the challenge of balancing casework and team management. She takes pride in their collective achievements and is already planning to expand the group to around 30 lawyers.
One of Harle’s biggest cases this year will involve defending the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in a high-profile judicial review brought by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Business Banking. As a result of an agreement back in 2013, nine banks paid over £2.2bn in compensation to customers who had been mis-sold interest rate hedging products. The review concerns the FCA’s refusal to enforce the payment of a redress to some businesses omitted in the original deal (whose claims are estimated at £1bn).
Harle was the first person at Dentons to be made partner while working three days a week. The extra time allows her to devote more time to her family and charity work – she was recently appointed as a trustee at Autistica, a charity working to improve the lives of those with autism. She is passionate about using her position as a platform to show that – although it may be hard to believe – there exist things far more important than work.