The formidable head of Schillings’ family division has had a fruitful year dealing with a number of high-profile cases, notably Wyatt v Vince, where she was able to appeal against a former wife’s retrospective claim, and Abuchian v Khojah, where her client received the highest ever High Court financial award following an overseas divorce (originally served in Saudi Arabia). Both cases have set precedents in the reach of English law into assets and domiciles.
Katz doesn’t see the law as stagnant, saying it is changing, ‘albeit slowly’. That’s in part thanks to pre-nups, which have become a core part of her practice: ‘Such agreements certainly are not perfect — yet — but they are the best thing that family practitioners have, and they need to be better understood by the wider public.’
Clients are full of praise, a hedge fund founder crediting her ‘utmost professionalism and excellence’. ‘She more than delivered the results she promised,’ said another, ‘but more than that she was a constant source of support and positivity, even in the bleakest of times. I owe her a great debt.’