Katie Palms

Of Counsel
Katie comes up with a right-sized strategy to balance risk with our business priorities.
— Sanctions, Chambers and Partners, 2026
London
About

Katie is an experienced and pragmatic sanctions, investigations, risk management and compliance lawyer. She is regularly commended by clients for her responsiveness, commerciality and clarity of advice.  She supports clients across the full range of contexts in which sanctions and trade issues arise, including crisis situations, potential disputes, internal and external investigations, complex transactions and day-to-day compliance management, including licence applications and regulatory notifications.

Katie brings to her UK sanctions advice a cross-border perspective developed over a decade of practice as an investigations and compliance lawyer in both the US and UK. In addition to supporting clients with questions on the interpretation and application of sanctions, she regularly helps clients design and implement compliance programmes, conduct transactional and counterparty due diligence and risk assessments, navigate government and internal investigations and handle sensitive or crisis situations.

Areas of FocusFinanceEnergy and Natural ResourcesOil and GasHealthcareLife Sciences
Bar admissionsSolicitor of the Senior Courts of England and WalesAttorney-at-law admitted with the Supreme Court of New York

EXPERIENCE

  • Advising insurance firms on the impact of sanctions on insurance coverage, claims, disputes and transactions, and leading strategic responses to urgent and/or complex multijurisdictional matters.
  • Leading advice to a global industrials firm on all aspects of Russia financial and trade sanctions.
  • Providing integrated sanctions and money-laundering advice and support to clients in the financial services sector, including retail, commercial and investment banks; payment service providers; fintechs and challenger banks; and global financial investors.
  • Supporting multiple global clients with investigations and breach reporting.
  • Delivering technical advice and strategic guidance to multiple technology, software and telecommunications providers, including on the potential sanctions implications of software-as-a-service delivery.
  • Leading sanctions aspects of advice on a dispute centering on "ownership and control".
  • Submitting applications to and securing licences from financial and trade sanctions authorities.
  • Developing programmes for and executing integrated anti-bribery and corruption, anti-money laundering and sanctions due diligence and risk assessments for global financial investors, including in higher-risk contexts.
  • Advising multiple companies on POCA self-reporting obligations, DAMLs and SARs.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

  • Band 3: Sanctions - Chambers and Partners, 2024, 2025 and 2026
  • “Katie comes up with a right-sized strategy to balance risk with our business priorities.” 
    Sanctions - Chambers and Partners, 2026  
  • "Katie is extremely responsive, and expertly concise and clear with complex issues." Sanctions - Chambers and Partners, 2026
  • “Katie is an extremely good lawyer.  She writes extremely well, and is both creative and accurate with her use and knowledge of law.” – Chambers and Partners, 2025  
  • "She responds quickly, provides advice succinctly and gets to the heart of the matter. She also doesn't just tell you what the law says; she advises on how pragmatically to handle issues." Sanctions - Chambers and Partners, 2024
  • "Katie is an excellent and pragmatic lawyer. Her great skill is explaining clearly and simply how the complex sanctions framework applies to any, often difficult, situation. She is a pleasure to deal with." Sanctions - Chambers and Partners, 2024
  • "Katie has been outstanding in helping us navigate the economic sanctions landscape. She provides excellent levels of client service." Sanctions - Chambers and Partners, 2024
 

Education
  • Harvard Law School, J.D., 2009
  • Yale College, B.A., 2003

Publications and media


Prior Experience

  • 2015-2023 – Senior Associate and Counsel, London based international law firm
  • 2009-2014 – Associate, New York based international law firm

Memberships and Affiliations

  • Law Society of England and Wales
  • Qualified in the US (New York) 

My latest insights

Publication
RY_String_Creative

DLA Piper’s Sanctions Matrix quarterly update: December 2025

19 December 2025

Publication

High Court holds that US sanctions are rarely an excuse for contractual non-performance

18 December 2025

News

DLA Piper advises WTW on acquisition of Cushon from NatWest and management

11 December 2025

View All
CallvCardLinkedInPrint

Connect

Phone

+44 (0)20 7796 6276
(Work, London)