Professor Mark Watson-Gandy

Effective and respected barrister with expertise in banking, insolvency, directors disqualification and civil fraud work, offering expert and practical advice, drafting and advocacy.

Fees are pre-agreed so you will get no unexpected surprises.

Mark has acted for three of the UK's accountancy institutes and two of its second tier bodies and drafted the legislation on auditors for Dubai.

About me

Professor Mark Watson-Gandy is a respected and effective barrister specialising in insolvency, banking and company work.

He was called to the Bar in 1990 and was one of the Junior Counsel to the Crown from 2000 to 2012. He is a tenant at Thirteen Old Square Chambers, a specialist commercial chancery barristers chambers in Lincoln's Inn, London, founded by leading chancery silk, John McDonnell QC.

In 2013 he was also called to the British Virgin Islands Bar.

Notable cases

He was leading counsel for the court appointed amicus in litigation over the liquidation of Stanford International Bank in Antigua. He represented the Nigerian Ports Authority in negotiations over the dredging of the Bonny Island Channel and advised the Italian President, Silvio Berlusconi, in his dispute with The Economist. He represented the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board on a £170 million private international law case over the building of a power station in India. Other cases include: Feetum v Levy (2005) The Times 28th February (the first case on the £50 million project finance exception to the bar on administrative receivers under the Enterprise Act 2002), Khan v Nallamothu [2005] (company hi-jack), Watersheds v Da Costa [2010] Bus LR 1 (FSMA implications when raising corporate finance for clients), Kaupthing Capital Partners [2010] (validity of the administration of the investment fund of Iceland's largest Bank) and

Re Marrache [2010] (specially admitted to the Gibraltar Bar to appear as leading counsel in this high profile bankruptcy case before the Gibraltar Court of Appeal), Ticketus v Whyte [2013] (appeared for Craig Whyte in litigation arising out of the financing of his controversial acquisition of Rangers Football Club) [2013] and Nattrass v UKIP [2013] (successfully defended UKIP against a claim by their former deputy leader over his de-selection as a candidate for the European Parliament). His Holiness Pope Benedict knighted him in recognition of "his work as a barrister and law professor for the Catholic Church" in 2007. He has acted for three of the UK's accountancy institutes and two of its second tier bodies and drafted the legislation on auditors for Dubai. He acted for the actress, Joan Collins, in her tax professional negligence case against her accountants. Other cases include: Feetum v Levy (2005) The Times 28th February (the first case on the £50 million project finance exception to the bar on administrative receivers under the Enterprise Act 2002), Khan v Nallamothu [2005] (company hi-jack), Watersheds v Da Costa [2010] Bus LR 1 (FSMA implications when raising corporate finance for clients), Kaupthing Capital Partners [2010] (validity of the administration of the investment fund of Iceland's largest Bank) and Re Marrache [2010] (specially admitted to the Gibraltar Bar to appear as leading counsel in this high profile bankruptcy case before the Gibraltar Court of Appeal), Ticketus v Whyte [2013] (appeared for Craig Whyte in litigation arising out of the financing of his controversial acquisition of Rangers Football Club) [2013] and Nattrass v UKIP [2013] (successfully defended UKIP against a claim by their former deputy leader over his de-selection as a candidate for the European Parliament). His Holiness Pope Benedict knighted him in recognition of "his work as a barrister and law professor for the Catholic Church" in 2007.

Professional & academic

He is a Visiting Professor at the University of Westminster (teaching on their Corporate Finance Law LLM) and a Visiting Lecturer at Cass Business School (teaching the business law elective on their Executive MBA).

He holds the Institute of Chartered Accountant's Corporate Finance qualification. He is the author of "Watson-Gandy on Accountants", "Corporate Insolvency Practice: Litigation Practice and Procedure", "Personal Insolvency Practice: Litigation Practice, Procedure and Precedents" and the ICAEW Guide "Tax Advocacy".

He is one of the Editors of the Company Law volume of the "Butterworths Corporate Law Service" and wrote "Tolley's CSR Company Service Corporate Precedents: Directors".

He is Head of Professional Standards for the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers.