Kathryn Arnot Drummond

Practice Profile

"She is nothing short of brilliant" (Chambers & Partners, Financial Crime)

“Kathryn is a fierce cross-examiner; determined, methodical and robust. Her advocacy is focused and persuasive – legal argument is her natural home” (Legal 500, Fraud 2025)

“Kathryn is diligent, hard-working and details oriented, and at the same time very personable.  She is a delight to work with and puts clients at ease.  She demonstrates a breadth of knowledge and brings a refreshing perspective, drawn from her criminal prosecution and defence practice and corporate investigations experience” (Legal 500, Business & Regulatory Crime (including Global Investigations) 2025)

“An outstanding and persuasive advocate able to distil complex matters into the core issues that are the central points in a clear and understandable way.” (Legal 500, Business & Regulatory Crime (Including Global Investigations) 2024)

"She is willing to reach an informed and confident view on challenging and strategically important issues." (Chambers & Partners, Financial Crime 2024)

"She swiftly gets to the heart of the issue and provides highly expert, tailored, clear advice that both is user-friendly and provides the best workable solution under the circumstances." (Chambers & Partners, Financial Crime 2024)

"Kathryn is bright and charming - she has a great manner with the client and in court. She presents complicated strategic advice in a clear and concise manner." (Chambers & Partners, Financial Crime 2024)

Nominated: Legal 500 UK Corporate Crime Junior of the Year 2024 and 2022.  Kathryn is also recommended as a leading junior in fraud in the Lexology UK Bar Index.

Advocacy

Kathryn is recognised as an “extraordinarily persuasive” and accomplished criminal court advocate, who has “a charismatic presence” and “lovely manner in court”. She is experienced in jury trial and appellate work and has acted as both leading and junior counsel in a wide range of financial crime and serious general criminal cases. 

"Exceptionally good and very hard-working”, Kathryn acts for both for the defence and also for the prosecution where there is a novel or complex question of law with instructions coming from HMRC, The Insolvency Service and the Serious Economic Crime and Special Crime teams at the CPS. 

Kathryn is currently instructed as junior alone in a range of trials involving allegations of fraud; money laundering; cheat on the revenue; Companies Act offences; serious violence against women and other complex general crime.   These instructions include issues requiring sensitive witness handling, challenging expert evidence as well as complex legal argument.  

This combination and range of experience enhances Kathryn’s ability to defend and to advise on Private Prosecutions, an area where she has growing expertise.
In addition, Kathryn acts in contested applications for account freezing and account forfeiture orders and has experience representing individuals in regulatory proceedings.

Advisory (Individuals)

Kathryn has a substantial advisory practice advising individuals pre-charge on their personal liability to criminal and regulatory proceedings.   She is “detail-oriented, logical and comprehensive in her approach" with "an in-depth knowledge of criminal procedure”. 

Bringing “a really broad range of experience", she is sought after for her insights into and “clear, strategic advice” on emerging areas of criminal law.   Her recent instructions encompass a diverse range of issues such as corporate criminal liability, the feasibility of initiating private prosecutions, LPP and directors duties.

Kathryn is experienced advising potential witnesses working within corporates under investigation.  She is “very approachable”, has “excellent client management skills” and builds “excellent rapport with clients”.  

She advises at all stages of an investigation.  She is well-versed with the opportunities to co-operate with investigations and is “organised and methodical” in her approach.  Similarly, she is experienced in managing a strategic case in the face of the use of aggressive investigatory powers.

Advisory (Corporates)

Kathryn “provides legal advice which is informed by pertinent strategic and commercial considerations” to corporates. 

In recent years, Kathryn has acted for a global bank, international mining company, law firm and a range of smaller companies providing strategic advice on white collar, regulatory and collateral civil fraud investigations.  She is therefore experienced advising Boards, senior management and in-house legal teams and working effectively and sensitively with the corporate to manage often conflicting legal /regulatory obligations and personnel issues.  She is recognised as being able to “explain the matter in a clear digestible way that makes her advice both indispensable and user friendly.

She is familiar with reputational damage concerns and has worked with PR teams to prepare appropriate press releases and advises on legal privilege and market sensitive/ insider information. 

Kathryn is experienced and comfortable working in parallel with teams of foreign lawyers and commercial /litigation firms including magic circle.  Kathryn has worked on cases involving parallel criminal, civil or regulatory proceedings in the USA (DOJ and SEC) and Luxembourg and has experience of working on cases where the underlying dishonest conduct / bribery took place outside of jurisdiction in Russia, China, and Africa (Tanzania, Nigeria, Kenya and Mozambique). 

Kathryn is often instructed when the issue is first identified to offer immediate strategic advice and support for a corporate where an internal investigation is necessary.  She has conducted individual-issue internal investigations alone and worked as part of a team to scope the corporate’s criminal and regulatory exposure. 

Kathryn advises on self-reporting, co-operating with prosecuting authorities, managing regulatory obligations and complying with obligations arising from insolvency service investigations.

Kathryn's Privacy Policy can be downloaded here. 

Professional Appointments

• Master of the Bench, Inner Temple [2019] 
• Master of the South Eastern Circuit, Inner Temple [2020-current]
• CPS Specialist Fraud panel – level 3
• CPS Special Crime panel – level 3
• CPS Counter Terrorism panel – level 3
• CPS General Crime panel – level 3
• President of the Inner Temple Junior Bar Association [2013]
• Professional memberships
• Fraud Lawyers Association [committee member] 
• Private Prosecutors Association [member]

News