William Willson > South Square > London, England > Barrister Profile
South Square Offices
3-4 SOUTH SQUARE, GRAY'S INN
LONDON
WC1R 5HP
England
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William Willson
Position
William specialises in insolvency and restructuring, banking and finance and commercial litigation. His busy practice also includes civil fraud, company law, financial services, professional negligence, shipping, insurance and real property. Many of his cases have an international element, and he is particularly interested/experienced in cases involving Russia/the CIS. In the last 12 months he has been instructed in relation to many of the major insolvencies/restructurings, including Virgin, Debenhams, Arcadia, British Steel and Lehman Brothers.
In recent years William has appeared successfully in several high-profile trials, both at home and abroad, including the ongoing dispute about the ranking/priority of $10 billion of Lehman Brothers’ subordinated debt, and the $2 billion professional negligence claim by Primeo (a Madoff ‘feeder fund’) against HSBC. In the next 12 months he is instructed to appear in the Privy Council and the Court of Appeal, as well as trials in both the Commercial Court and the Chancery Division.
William has appeared as sole Counsel in the Court of Appeal, the Court of Appeal of the Cayman Islands and the Court of Appeal of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. He has been called to the Bar of Gibraltar (2013), the Cayman Islands (2014) and the British Virgin Islands (2016).
Before practicing at the Bar, William was a journalist/documentary producer, specialising in the former Soviet Union, terrorism and the intelligence services. His credits include the triple-BAFTA winning The Government Inspector.
Career
Called 2006: called to the Bar of Gibraltar 2013: called to the Bar of the Cayman Islands 2014.
Memberships
Chancery Bar Association, Commercial Bar Association, Insolvency Lawyers’ Association, INSOL International.
Education
Oxford University (2000 MA Classics, First Class); City University (2005 CPE, Distinction); Inns Court School of Law (2006 BVC).
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Banking and finance (including consumer credit)
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 2William Willson – South Square ‘William has all the qualities of a junior silk, and it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a KC. His advocacy is persuasive and he makes a real connection with judges. He is thorough and clever on technical issues, but also has a real ability to distil that and to be commercial and filter his advice through that lens, which clients find invaluable.’
London Bar > Insolvency
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 1William Willson – South Square ‘William is passionate about his work and is extremely engaging to work with. He helped us achieve great results in difficult circumstances.’
London Bar > Company
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 4William Willson – South Square ‘Extremely commercial and very personable, William gets straight to the point and is an effective communicator.’
South Square is ‘a go-to set for most insolvency, company and commercial litigation matters‘. The ‘commercial and technically brilliant‘ team often acts in high-profile shareholder disputes, and the group’s expertise in company law is bolstered by its strength in corporate restructuring and insolvency law. Tom Smith KC recently appeared before the Privy Council in a case concerning the issue of whether a shareholder has a right of action against a company for an improper issue of shares by the company. The ‘super-smart and pragmatic‘ Felicity Toube KC is very highly regarded for her expertise in handling international proceedings, often appearing in the Cayman Islands. William Willson is a highly rated senior junior, with experience in advising on offshore company law matters.
London Bar > Fraud: civil
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 4William Willson –South Square ‘A seasoned advocate with a well-earned reputation for commercial astuteness.’
The English Bar Offshore > Commercial disputes
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 1William Willson – South Square ‘William is a prodigious talent.’