Kate Fortescue
Barrister at Law @2kbw Chambers
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WORK HISTORY
Barrister at Law @2kbw Chambers
Accomplished criminal and public law practitioner with extensive experience in complex case work. Grade 4 prosecutor and appointed to serve on the Serious Crime and Serious Sexual Offences panels. Expertise accross the full spectrum of criminal and public law. Criminal law experience includes conducting jury trials in the most serious and complex of cases as junior and leading counsel, including homocide and organised crime.Appellate work encompassed drafting grounds of appeal and respondents\' notices and appearing in appeal hearings at the Crown Court and Court of Appeal. Extensive experience managing case work teams and advising on all aspects of criminal casework including case strategy, disclosure, lines of enquiry and public interest immunity. Public law work on high profile Public Inquiries, including being appointed as Counsel to the Grenfell Inquiry and work on the Post Office Inquiry. This work involved managing large scale disclosure expercises, drafting disclosure requests, reviewing documentation, planning questioning for witnesses, attending hearings and drafting of final reports. This work required exemplary professional conduct, consistent delivery of work to the highest standards and handling highly sensitive material in cases of national importance. Writing work included legal analysis and commentary to the national press, including the Telegraph and Evening Standard, to provide expert analysis and commentary on significant cases or legal issues.
EDUCATION
Tokyo School of Sushi and Washoku
Washoku 6 month Certificate (Part Time), Culinary Arts
BPP Law School
Post Graduate Law Degree and Bar Vocational Course
iDiscover 360
Compass, Business Development
Leiths School of Food and Wine
Higher National Diploma, Diploma in Food and Wine and Nutrition in Culinary Practice
Newcastle University
Bachelor’s Degree, History and Politics (BA Hons)
SKILLS
ABOUT KATE FORTESCUE
From courtroom to kitchen, my path into the food industry has been anything but conventional. For nearly two decades I worked as a barrister specialising in criminal and public law, appearing in jury trials, the Court of Appeal, and major public inquiries including Grenfell and Post Office Horizon. Alongside this I wrote for national publications including The Telegraph and Evening Standard, offering commentary on legal issues and high-profile cases. My lifelong passion for food, and belief in its power to nourish, heal and connect, led me to retrain at Leiths School of Food and Wine, where I completed the Diploma in Food and Wine and Nutrition in Culinary Practice. I also studied traditional Japanese cuisine at the Tokyo College of Sushi and Washoku. I\'ve found the legal training never leaves you: I know how to read a room, make connections, ask the question nobody else is asking, and get to the nub of an issue quickly. These skills are just as useful to a food business, whether that\'s product strategy, business development, commercial negotiations, regulatory compliance, crafting a compelling pitch, or knowing exactly where a grant application needs to land. The combination of my legal background, culinary training and nutrition expertise are particularly valuable to startups and small food businesses, where wearing many hats isn\'t optional. I can move between product development, compliance, business development, stakeholder presentations, funding applications and strategic planning. I am now consultant Head of Food at Ample, developing a food range from surplus farm produce for schools, the NHS and other institutions, working across everything from recipe development and costing to supplier relationships and procurement frameworks with Bidfood, Compass Group and NHS procurement teams. I also work as a chef and food educator at Nourish Hub, a community kitchen where I prepare meals using surplus food and lead cooking programmes for adults and children. My previous freelance work spanned wellness retreats, nutrition consultancy and recipe and content development for food brands. I am passionate about being part of the movement to create a fairer food system and reduce food waste. I grew up on a fruit farm, which has given me a lifelong respect for the land. The connection to nature, nourishment and fair access to good food runs through everything I do. If our values and missions align or you think I could add value to your organisation in a consultancy role, please do connect.
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