Kate specialises in employment and discrimination law, and international and European human rights law.

What the directories say

"Kate is an exceptionally skilled advocate, combining deep technical legal knowledge with a thoughtful and strategic courtroom presence." Legal 500 2026

"Kate Annand is a calm, steady influence whose presence brings a reassuring sense of clarity and composure to any room." Chambers and Partners 2026

‘Kate has an authoritative manner which is both persuasive and assertive. Judges love her. She is calm and measured and truly brings the tribunal along with her, whilst at the same time being tenacious.’ Legal 500 2024

"Kate has become a trusted partner to our team and provides us with an outstanding service." Chambers and Partners 2024

"Kate is highly organised, calm, reassuring and approachable. She is a safe pair of hands who builds an excellent rapport with clients, as well as being a skilled advocate." Chambers and Partners 2024

"She's such a safe pair of hands with amazing client care skills. Her preparation is so meticulous and she is very reliable, and phenomenal in what she puts together." Chambers and Partners 2024

"Kate instils confidence in clients with her meticulous preparation, ability to get on top of complex issues, and excellent advocacy." - Chambers and Partners 2023

‘An exceptionally efficient, conscientious and reliable barrister, for whom nothing is too much trouble. Kate is a calm and reassuring presence, who has fantastic client-care skills and an impressive knowledge of the gamut of employment law issues. Highly recommended for discrimination claims." - Legal 500 2023

"She is a superb all-rounder: clients just love her, her written work is excellent and she makes great presentations in court - she is exactly the type of barrister you want on your side." - Chambers and Partners 2022

"Kate is really thorough. She is able to spot and resolve tricky legal issues that others may miss. She is thoroughly pleasant and professional to be against - a real asset to the profession." - Legal 500 2022

Employment and Discrimination

Kate regularly appears in the Employment Tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal. She has particular expertise in discrimination law and considerable experience of high value claims.

Kate is currently instructed as junior counsel in a complex long running group litigation in the High Court.

Kate’s recent reported cases include Cairns and others v Newport Council and others (2021), Roberts v Tesco Stores Ltd (2021), Evans v GE Capital Funding Limited (2021), Alipourbabaie v Dyson (2020), East London NHS Foundation Trust v O'Connor (2019) and Bowler v Chief Constable of Kent Police, where the Claimant was awarded damages, including aggravated damages, for claims of direct race discrimination and victimisation. Kate was junior counsel to Henrietta Hill QC in respect of the first appeal (Chief Constable of Kent Constabulary v Mr A Bowler Appeal No. UKEAT/0214/16/RN), and sole counsel for the Claimant for the second appeal, in which the Chief Constable was unsuccessful (Chief Constable of Kent Constabulary v Mr A Bowler Appeal No. UKEAT/0308/17/LA). 

Kate has a particular interest in claims of perceived disability discrimination, having represented one of the first claimants to succeed with this type of claim: Fortt v Chief Constable of South Wales Police.

International Law

Kate was led by Edward Fitzgerald QC in Mangouras v Kingdom of Spain before the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights. The application challenged the decision of the Spanish Government to set a bail security at 3 million Euros as a breach of Article 5(3) of the European Convention. 

Kate was junior counsel in the case of M.S. v United Kingdom (Application no. 24527/08), where the European Court of Human Rights unanimously held that the detention of a mentally ill man in a police cell for over three days violated his rights under Article 3.

After joining Doughty Street, Kate was awarded a Pegasus Scholarship by the Inns of Court. She worked for a three months period at the National Security Project and Human Rights Department of the American Civil Liberties Union in New York.