Andrew Willins
Global Guide 2024
Band 1 : Dispute Resolution
Email address
[email protected]Contact number
1 284 393 5323Share profile
Band 1
About
Provided by Andrew Willins
Practice Areas
Dispute Resolution, Fraud & Asset Tracing, Insolvency & Restructuring, Regulatory Disputes, Trust Disputes, Regulatory Advice, Private Client & Trusts, Trust Disputes
Career
Andrew Willins is a Partner and Group Head of the Dispute Resolution department in the British Virgin Islands. He has over 20 years experience as an advocate, drawn from his time at the Chancery Bar in London and, since 2008, in the British Virgin Islands. He has particular experience in insolvency litigation, shareholders´ disputes and in complex commercial litigation, including professional negligence and cross-border fraud and asset tracing claims.
He has appeared in some capacity or other in many of the major insolvency disputes of the last decade, including Pioneer (for the Liquidators) Fairfield Sentry (for redeeming creditors), Peak Hotels & Resorts Ltd (for the Liquidators), Boston Life & Annuity Company (for the Liquidators), China Fisheries (for Maybank), Unicorn Worldwide (for the Liquidators) Luckin Coffee (for creditors) and he is one of a handful of advocates with meaningful experience in state immunity issues and the enforcement of investment treaty awards. He successfully defeated a strike out application on non-justiciability grounds in Congo Mineral Developments, and successfully represented Pakistan International Airlines in a $5.976bn attempt to enforce an ICSID award over its assets, and is currently advising or representing a number of other sovereign states.
Professional Memberships
Andrew is a member of the Chancery Bar Association, the Property Bar Association and INSOL International. He served as 2nd Vice President of the BVI Bar Association for two terms, between 2011 and 2013.
Publications
The Last Rites for the Siskina?
Managing the court process
Appointment of Mr Justice Wallbank
BVI Court underlines willingness to support foreign arbitral proceedings
Review of 2018 Offshore Fund Disputes
In The Courts: Companies
In the Courts: Insolvency & Restructuring
In the Courts: Trust Disputes
In the Courts in 2018: an Appleby review of offshore court decisions
BVI companies may see more “just and equitable” petitions
Chambers Review
Global
Andrew Willins leads Appleby's BVI litigation team and commands great respect within the offshore legal community. His activity spans company disputes, trust disputes and insolvency-related litigation, in addition to assisting with the enforcement of overseas judgments. He is also regularly called upon to act as an expert witness.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"He is a thoughtful, intelligent litigator. He prepares efficiently. He's a go-to lawyer in the BVI. "
"Andrew is a pleasure to work with. He's a good draftsman and advocate. He has good judgement and is a safe pair of hands."
"Andrew is very, very good. He has a good sense of clients' objectives and how best to communicate relatively difficult things to them. He handles that side of the job extremely well."
"He is a very diligent, thorough lawyer with encyclopedic knowledge of local case law. He is very on top of recent developments in law, he puts his hands on case law that is relevant to you, with a canny tactical sense."
"He is a thoughtful, intelligent litigator. He prepares efficiently. He's a go-to lawyer in the BVI. "
"Andrew is a pleasure to work with. He's a good draftsman and advocate. He has good judgement and is a safe pair of hands."
"Andrew is very, very good. He has a good sense of clients' objectives and how best to communicate relatively difficult things to them. He handles that side of the job extremely well."
"He is a very diligent, thorough lawyer with encyclopedic knowledge of local case law. He is very on top of recent developments in law, he puts his hands on case law that is relevant to you, with a canny tactical sense."