Cate Barbour
Senior Counsel
Dubai
Cate Barbour is Senior Counsel in the Insolvency & Dispute Resolution Group, Dubai, having joined Walkers in 2015.
Cate has extensive experience of complex multi-jurisdictional corporate and commercial litigation, trusts, fraud and asset tracing matters which often involve urgent applications for injunctions, the appointment of interim receivers and other forms of interim relief. She regularly acts for clients based in the Middle East, Europe and Africa, and has particular experience in assisting ultra-high-net-worth individuals and family offices in high-value shareholder, trust and contentious probate disputes.
Cate has successfully represented clients in the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court of Appeal and most recently in the Privy Council. She is now based in Dubai having spent time in our BVI, Cayman Islands and London offices.
Cate has successfully represented clients in the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court of Appeal and most recently in the Privy Council. She is now based in Dubai having spent time in our BVI, Cayman Islands and London offices.
"Cate Barbour is an excellent strategist and super responsive. She has stellar knowledge of cross-border litigation and "an exceptional lawyer with an incredible work ethic."
Experience and recent work
Prior to joining Walkers, Cate worked in the Commercial Litigation group of Trowers & Hamlins LLP in London and the Middle East.
Qualifications
Admitted in:
- British Virgin Islands
- Cayman Islands
- England and Wales (not practising)
Education:
- MA (Hons) Social and Political Science, Cambridge University, UK
- LLB (Hons) College of Law, London, UK
Co-chair of IWIRC (Dubai) ICC Fraudnet - Cayman Islands Future Member. Cate is a member of the BVI Bar Association.
2025 – Lexology Commercial Litigation – Future Leader
2025 Chambers – Associate to watch
2025 Legal 500 - Leading Associate (EMEA)
2024 Legal 500 – Rising Star (EMEA) – "Cate Barbour is an excellent strategist and super responsive. She has stellar knowledge of cross-border litigation and "an exceptional lawyer with an incredible work ethic."
2024 WWL – Future Leader (EMEA)
2023 WWL – Future Leader
2023 Legal 500 - Rising Star (EMEA) - "Cate Barbour is absolutely exceptional. She works extremely hard in challenging circumstances to help her client achieve a great result in both the Cayman and BVI Courts. She is extremely knowledgeable and user-friendly and acted as a great interface to her Cayman and BVI colleagues"
2023 Legal 500 - Rising Star (British Virgin Islands) - "a great lawyer and an expert in the procedural law of the BVI"
2022 Legal 500 - Rising Star (British Virgin Islands)
2022 WWL - Future Leader
2021 Legal 500 - Rising Star (British Virgin Islands)
Team Members
