Bio
Will is a Senior Associate in the Dispute Resolution team in Appleby’s Cayman Islands office. Will specialises in restructuring and insolvency, as well as shareholder and investment fund disputes. He has written extensively on insolvency topics, and his academic writing has been cited with approval by the New Zealand Supreme Court. He has been invited to speak on panels organised by the American Bankruptcy Institute and INSOL International. Will’s broad experience also encompasses trust disputes and high-value contract claims.
Will previously practised as a junior barrister at one of New Zealand’s leading commercial barristers’ chambers. In that role, Will gained significant advocacy experience in both trial and appellate courts (including personally arguing before the New Zealand Court of Appeal).
Prior to joining Appleby, Will spent a year completing post-graduate study at Columbia University in New York. Following his studies, Will gained admission as an attorney in New York State.
Bio
Will is a Senior Associate in the Dispute Resolution team in Appleby’s Cayman Islands office. Will specialises in restructuring and insolvency, as well as shareholder and investment fund disputes. He has written extensively on insolvency topics, and his academic writing has been cited with approval by the New Zealand Supreme Court. He has been invited to speak on panels organised by the American Bankruptcy Institute and INSOL International. Will’s broad experience also encompasses trust disputes and high-value contract claims.
Will previously practised as a junior barrister at one of New Zealand’s leading commercial barristers’ chambers. In that role, Will gained significant advocacy experience in both trial and appellate courts (including personally arguing before the New Zealand Court of Appeal).
Prior to joining Appleby, Will spent a year completing post-graduate study at Columbia University in New York. Following his studies, Will gained admission as an attorney in New York State.
Work Highlights
Recent cases include:*
- Preparing expert evidence on Cayman Islands law relating to novel points of cross-border insolvency for use in US proceedings arising out of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.
- Acting for court-appointed receivers seeking to recover misappropriated funds located in the Cayman Islands relating to one of Canada’s largest financial scandals in recent history.
- Acting for a Chinese conglomerate successfully seeking to recover an investment in a California-headquartered venture capital fund.
- Acting for a HKEX listed Chinese property company successfully negotiating the withdrawal of a statutory demand after the purported acceleration of US-law-governed bonds by the ultimate account holders.
- Acting for the liquidators of a high-profile failed building company bringing claims against the former directors. This included litigation defending the associated litigation funding arrangements.*
- Acting for a creditor in litigation against the directors of failed technology firm.*
- Acting for a company director defending various claims by the creditor of failed property development.*
- Acting for a creditor in successfully seeking the liquidation of an international payments company and suspected Ponzi scheme.*
- Acting for a high-net-worth individual successfully applying to stay litigation and compel arbitration regarding the control of a substantial group of companies.*
- Acted for a high-net-worth family in long-running litigation against the trustee of several trusts regarding the control of substantial farming assets.*
*Prior to joining Appleby
Recent cases include:*
- Preparing expert evidence on Cayman Islands law relating to novel points of cross-border insolvency for use in US proceedings arising out of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.
- Acting for court-appointed receivers seeking to recover misappropriated funds located in the Cayman Islands relating to one of Canada’s largest financial scandals in recent history.
- Acting for a Chinese conglomerate successfully seeking to recover an investment in a California-headquartered venture capital fund.
- Acting for a HKEX listed Chinese property company successfully negotiating the withdrawal of a statutory demand after the purported acceleration of US-law-governed bonds by the ultimate account holders.
- Acting for the liquidators of a high-profile failed building company bringing claims against the former directors. This included litigation defending the associated litigation funding arrangements.*
- Acting for a creditor in litigation against the directors of failed technology firm.*
- Acting for a company director defending various claims by the creditor of failed property development.*
- Acting for a creditor in successfully seeking the liquidation of an international payments company and suspected Ponzi scheme.*
- Acting for a high-net-worth individual successfully applying to stay litigation and compel arbitration regarding the control of a substantial group of companies.*
- Acted for a high-net-worth family in long-running litigation against the trustee of several trusts regarding the control of substantial farming assets.*
*Prior to joining Appleby
Recognition
In 2021 Will was awarded the Research Essay Prize of the Banking and Finance Law Association (Australia and New Zealand) with a paper on insolvent trading laws.
In 2023 Will’s academic writing was cited with approval by the New Zealand Supreme Court in the country’s leading case on insolvent trading (Yan v Mainzeal Property & Construction Ltd (in liq) [2023] NZSC 113).
In 2021 Will was awarded the Research Essay Prize of the Banking and Finance Law Association (Australia and New Zealand) with a paper on insolvent trading laws.
In 2023 Will’s academic writing was cited with approval by the New Zealand Supreme Court in the country’s leading case on insolvent trading (Yan v Mainzeal Property & Construction Ltd (in liq) [2023] NZSC 113).
Qualifications & Education
Will is admitted as an attorney-at-law in the Cayman Islands. He is also admitted as an attorney in New York State, a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand, and as a legal practitioner of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.
- Columbia Law School (LLM (Honours))
- Victoria University of Wellington (BA/LLB (First Class Honours))
Will is admitted as an attorney-at-law in the Cayman Islands. He is also admitted as an attorney in New York State, a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand, and as a legal practitioner of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.
- Columbia Law School (LLM (Honours))
- Victoria University of Wellington (BA/LLB (First Class Honours))
Memberships & Associations
Will is an active member of various insolvency industry groups including RISA, INSOL International, the American Bankruptcy Institute, and the Banking and Financial Services Law Association (Australia and New Zealand).
Will is an active member of various insolvency industry groups including RISA, INSOL International, the American Bankruptcy Institute, and the Banking and Financial Services Law Association (Australia and New Zealand).