Alan Williams
Partner
Alan is a Partner specialising in banking and commercial disputes, including claims against global investment banks. His work often involves complex cross-border issues, sometimes arising from fraud. He is experienced at resolving high value disputes in the English Courts, via arbitration, and through mediation. Alan's clients include hedge funds, large multi-national corporates, professional services firms, private equity houses, online brokers, liquidators of insolvent companies, high-net-worth individuals, shareholders and joint venture partners, and sovereign nations. He has a particular interest in disputes emanating from Africa, co-operating closely with local lawyers in African jurisdictions.
“Clients appreciate my straightforward, no-nonsense attitude.”
“I am experienced in working closely with international clients, and partner law firms and experts in different jurisdictions. I have obtained successful outcomes for clients in many high profile and complex disputes over the years.
Clients value my responsiveness and my commitment to achieving their goals, but also my honesty and experience. This helps my clients successfully navigate the dynamic litigation process, which is often unfamiliar to them. Clients like that I think deeply about my work for them, but they also appreciate my straightforward, no-nonsense attitude.
I make myself available for my clients and invest time in building strong relationships with them. I adapt how I work, to what works best for each client. Often, that means being able to work quickly to distil key commercial points for clients, from broader in-depth legal and factual analysis.”
Alan’s recent work highlights:
Acted for Frasers Group PLC to obtain injunctions preventing the closeout of certain options trades pursuant to a US$900m margin call.
Acted for the Federal Republic of Nigeria in a US$875m claim against JP Morgan.
Acted for the general partner of a real estate fund in a €160m gross negligence claim.
Directory quotes
" Alan has drive and enthusiasm." - Legal 500 UK 2025
"Alan Williams is always across the detail and phenomenally clever." - Legal 500 UK 2024
"Jonathan Cary and Alan Williams were right across the detail, knowing the case inside out and back to front, and showed great judgement throughout." - Legal 500 UK 2023
Recommended - The Legal 500 UK 2021
Relevant work
- Acted for the general partner of a real estate fund in a €160m gross negligence claim brought on behalf of the fund's limited partner investors against the manager of the fund.
- Instructed by the liquidators of an Isle of Man based property investment company in a dispute with a global investment bank over the sale of interest rate swaps.
- Represented a listed German real estate company in a claim against a global investment bank, arising from a disputed make-whole payment, allegedly paid under duress on the early repayment of a €205 million term loan.
- Acted in a LCIA arbitration for a US-based online fx brokerage in a dispute following the Swiss franc event of January 2015
- CF Partners - Acted on its successful claim for breach of confidence against Barclays Bank and Tricorona AB (one of The Lawyer's Top 20 Cases of 2013)
Memberships
London Solicitors Litigation Association
Financial Services Lawyers Association
Commercial Litigators Forum
Get in touch
Expertise services
Disputes, Corporate, Commercial, Banking & Financial Markets, Commercial Disputes, Company & Shareholder Disputes, Competition Litigation, Fraud & Asset Recovery , International Arbitration
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