Jack Watson

Insolvency

Jack is ranked in The Legal 500 as a leading junior for insolvency. The directories note:

• “His technical knowledge of insolvency law is first rate and his written work is extremely thorough.”
• He is “a very capable barrister who displays good judgement and strategic thinking.”
• “Jack’s ability to get to the heart of complex disputes so quickly is very impressive.”

Jack regularly acts for office holders, directors, individuals and insolvent companies often in cases involving an international or multi-jurisdictional dimension.

He is also regularly instructed on a range of company related matters including unfair prejudice petitions and other shareholder disputes, actions against directors and advising on share purchase agreements and other related agreements. Jack is experienced at making applications under s.236 and s.366 Insolvency Act 1986 as well as conducting interviews and private examinations.

Jack’s recent company/insolvency cases include: 

• Re ipagoo (No.1): Acting as sole counsel for the successful joint administrators in a two-day appeal before the Court of Appeal to determine whether sums held by e-money providers pursuant to the Electronic Money Regulations 2011 are held on a statutory trust.
• Re Brickvest (in liquidation): Acting as sole counsel for the Defendants in three-week High Court trial over a £19m claim for unfair prejudice and breach of warranty arising out of the collapse of an investment fund relating to the purchase of land in Germany.
• Re Ferster: Acting for a trustee in bankruptcy (leading Ram Lakshman) in a five-day High Court trial of claims for orders suspending discharge from bankruptcy under s.279 Insolvency Act and disclosure under s.366.
• Re Currency Matters International: Acting as sole counsel for the Joint Administrators in a test case before the High Court to determine how sums held under the Payment Services Regulations 2017 should be distributed.
• Saatchi v Gajjar: Acting as sole counsel for a former business partner of a well-known art dealer in wide-ranging litigation concerning the ownership of a multimillion-pound art storage warehouse, and claims for breach of directors’ duties.
• Re Integrated Control Solutions: Appearing as sole counsel in a five-day High court trial of competing unfair prejudice petitions each alleging substantial misappropriation from the company.
• Re Montpelier (in liquidation): Acting for the Receiver and Manager of a trust company in liquidation in actions to determine the validity of a sale of the business and for directions as to the transfer of over 1000 trusts.
• Re Sanguine: Acting as sole counsel in an appeal against the dismissal of a winding up petition against the respondent company. The appeal centred on the value of an underlying LLP (said to be worth over £1m by the Appellants) and it is now one of the leading cases on the meaning of guarantee provisions and whether the variation of those provisions took the relevant facility agreement outside the purview of the guaranteed obligations.
• AHAB v Saad: Acting for the joint official liquidators of a Cayman Islands company defending a multibillion-dollar cross-jurisdictional fraud claim.

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Civil fraud and asset recovery

Jack is ranked in The Legal 500 as a leading junior for civil fraud. The directories note:

• “Extremely smart, analytical, decisive as well as being user-friendly and approachable: a great asset to any litigation team.”
• “His written submissions are comprehensive and he leaves no stone unturned. Top marks.”

Jack has an extremely busy fraud practice and regularly acts in large scale international fraud litigation. He is frequently in court both seeking and defending freezing orders and other commercial injunctions as well as trials and other larger hearings.

Jack’s recent civil fraud experience includes:

• Ridley v DIB: Acting as sole counsel in a four-day commercial court trial seeking injunctive relief in respect of the imprisonment of an individual following an alleged $400m fraud.
• Vneshprombank v Bedzhamov: Acting (with Alan Gourgey KC) in proceedings relating to an alleged fraud of over £1billion leading to the collapse of a large Russian bank. Jack appeared as sole counsel at an interlocutory stage dealing with a search order and related confidentiality requirements.
• Saatchi v Gajjar: Acting as sole counsel for a former business partner of a well-known art dealer in wide-ranging litigation concerning the ownership of a multimillion-pound art storage warehouse, and claims for breach of directors’ duties.
• AHAB v Saad: Acting (with Tom Lowe KC) in one of the largest fraud cases ever litigated, involving a claim for around US$9bn, a trial lasting over a year and the disclosure of over 5 million documents. In addition to complex issues of fact, the case involved issues relating to tracing and asset recovery, trust and partnership law, attribution of knowledge, ex turpi causa, bona fide purchase, conflicts of law and the law of Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and Bahrain. Jack’s involvement included cross examining an expert accountant in relation to a claim to trace over US$150m.
• Re Brickvest (in liquidation): Acting as sole counsel for the Defendants in three-week High Court trial over a multimillion-pound claim for fraudulent breach of warranty and misrepresentation.
• Acting with James Bailey KC in a multimillion-pound fraud claim for misrepresentation and breach of fiduciary duty.
• Acting in a multimillion-pound claim brough by a former England football manager against his former business partners.
• Acting in a billion-pound fraud claim in respect of a large international contract fraud.

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Professional liability

Jack’s professional liability experience includes:

• Defending a claim for payment of solicitors’ fees on the grounds that the solicitors’ negligence in explaining a conditional fee arrangement and/or breach of fiduciary duty gave rise to a counterclaim for damages which exceeded any fees payable.
• Brudenell-Bruce v Moore and Cotton [2014] EWHC 3679 (Ch): Acting with Clare Stanley KC in a three-week trial of a claim for breach of trust relating to the alleged negligent mismanagement of trust property raising issues as to (a) the scope of trustees’ duties to manage trust property (b) acquiescence and concurrence (c) detailed surveying and accountancy evidence and (d) the measure of damages for losses sustained by trusts.
• Acting with Andrew Mold KC for defendant benefit consultants facing professional negligence claims in the administration of the Bloxwich pension scheme.
• Advising the settlor of a trust under the Schedule 1 Children Act as to a potential claim against his former solicitors for failing to settle on more advantageous terms.
• Successfully settling adjudication proceedings relating to negligent construction works.
• Bringing and defending complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service in relation to the sale of Self-Invested Personal Pensions.
• Defending a claim for payment of solicitor fees on the grounds of negligence having given rise to a right of non-payment.
• Acting in a claim brought by the employers of an occupational pension scheme against the former accountants of that scheme for failing to properly calculate necessary increases to members’ benefits.

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Property

Jack regularly advises and acts in commercial property related matters often encompassing a fraud or insolvency element.

Jack’s recent property related experience includes:

• Oberman v Collins: Acting as sole counsel for the successful claimant in a five-day High Court trial relating to the ownership of a multimillion-pound property portfolio and an unfair prejudice petition. The case has been featured in the Times, Telegraph and Daily Mail.
• Bell v Qureshi: Acting as sole counsel for the Claimants in a claim relating to the ownership of a care home.
• Richards v Bodden: Appearing as sole counsel in the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in a complex claim for restitution arising out of a failed property purchase.
• FNTC v BBLL: Acting as junior counsel (with Alan Gourgey KC) in relation to a hard fought claim for dishonest assistance and breach of trust arising out of the purchase of a Spanish Apartment complex.
• Lemos v Blue Diamond: Acting for the Claimants in a claim relating to the legal and beneficial ownership of shares relating to valuable London real estate.
• An injunction to allow a licensee back onto business premises raising issues of proprietary estoppel and fraud.

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Trusts, probate and estates: contentious

Jack regularly accepts instructions on a wide range of matters where trusts are involved. Jack’s trust practice encompasses a wide variety of domestic and international trust disputes as well as trust claims arising out of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty or other cases involving asset tracing. He is also often instructed to provide trusts advice in the context of other areas of law including in the divorce context.

Jack’s recent experience includes:

• Re Montpelier (in liquidation): Acting for the Receiver and Manager of a trust company in liquidation in actions to determine the validity of a sale of the business and for directions as to the transfer of over 1000 trusts.
• Re A Trust: Acting for the trustees of a trust in relation to a claim to set aside various dispositions under English insolvency provisions.
• FNTC v BBLL: Acting as junior counsel (with Alan Gourgey KC) in relation to a hard fought claim for dishonest assistance and breach of trust arising out of the purchase of a Spanish Apartment complex.
• Re Confidential Trust: Acting for the settlor of several property trusts in seeking a declaration that certain of those properties are held on trust for his children as part of ongoing ancillary relief proceedings.
• DBS v Zhang: Acting for the Respondents to an appeal to the Hong Kong Court of final appeal as to the application and scope of Anti-Bartlett clauses and the irreducible core of trusteeship.
• Re 1947 Settlement: Acting for the trustees of an English settlement in seeking declarations from the High Court in relation to the governing law of the settlement and the effect of that governing law on the appointment of trustees by a foreign court.
• Re A Trust: Acting for the discretionary object of a trust in proceedings for a multibillion-dollar worldwide freezing and proprietary injunction over the purportedly distributed assets of the trust.
• Lemos v Blue Diamond: Acting for the Claimants in a claim relating to the legal and beneficial ownership of shares in two Liberian Corporations.
• Re A Trust: Advising the administrator of a trust in relation to an allegedly fraudulent appointment.

Jack also has extensive advisory experience including:

• Advising the trustees of several London properties as to the scope of their duties to carry out works to trust property and their ability to recover expenses from the fund.
• Advising the executors of a deceased’s estate as to the merits of an intimated claim in Jersey under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1982.
• Advising the settlor of a trust under the Schedule 1 Children Act as to a potential claim against his former solicitors for failing to settle on more advantageous terms.
• Acting for the beneficiary under a trust in seeking to have monies paid into court.
• Providing advice as to the scope of trustees’ powers and acting in respect of Inheritance Act Claims.

Download Trusts, probate and estates: contentious CV