Anthony Williams leads Spencer West’s dispute resolution practice in Guernsey, bringing a formidable combination of courtroom advocacy and strategic counsel to some of the Channel Islands’ most complex commercial disputes. With a career spanning jurisdictions across the globe, he brings a broad international perspective to island-based litigation.
Having qualified as an Advocate of the Royal Court of Guernsey in 2012, Anthony has built a reputation as a trusted adviser to financial institutions, funds, and trust structures navigating contentious terrain — from billion-dollar insolvency claims to landmark regulatory enforcement matters.
Notable Work
- Anthony has acted for directors defending claims in the region of USD 1 billion brought by the liquidators of a Guernsey-incorporated parent company — one of the largest contentious insolvency matters before the Royal Court of Guernsey in recent years.
- He advised and acted in Aareal Bank AG v JJW Limited, at first instance [2020] GRC 046 and on appeal [2021] GCA 021 — establishing the first reported Guernsey case concerning a contested compulsory winding-up application.
- Anthony acted for the successful defendant in Fonds Rusnano Capital SA v CRGF Limited [2021] GRC 089, proceedings brought before the Royal Court by a Russian state agency to terminate a Guernsey registered Limited Partnership.
- He appeared for the successful respondent directors in the landmark decision of the Royal Court in Domaille & Ors v GFSC [2023] GRC 017 concerning appeals against sanctions imposed by the GFSC’s under its regulatory enforcement regime including consideration of its new fining powers.
- Anthony successfully appeared as trial and appellate Advocate on behalf of Standard Chartered Trust Company (Guernsey) Limited (in liquidation) defending proceedings alleging claims of fraud and gross negligence in connection with the issuance of a universal life insurance policy. The claims were entirely dismissed with indemnity costs awarded against the claimants. See Kazzazz and Others v Standard Chartered Trust (Guernsey) Limited and Songbird Limited [2024] GCA 067 and Kazzazz and Others v Standard Chartered Trust Guernsey Limited and Songbird Limited [2023] GRC 059
- Anthony appeared on behalf of the successful appellant in the Guernsey Court of Appeal in relation to an application by a beneficiary seeking to set aside various dispositions into trust. This is the leading decision in Guernsey with respect to the rule in Hastings Bass as examined by the UK Supreme Court in Pitt v Holt. See M v St Anne’s Trustees [2018] GCA 021.
- He appeared as a trial Advocate successfully representing a beneficiary of a trust in relation to a claim that certain trust assets be distributed to her. This case, Liang v RBC Trustees (Guernsey) Limited [2018] GRC 20, is the leading financial crime decision in Guernsey with respect to the scope and applicability of suspicious activity reports and the statutory ’no consent’ regime.
- Advised HSBC on the transfer of their banking business in Guernsey pursuant to a scheme of arrangement as part of a wider restructuring of the banking business in the UK. It was the first court sanctioned scheme of this kind in Guernsey.
- He appeared for the acquirer in relation to the successful CAN$775 million takeover of the NYX Gaming Group by way of a contested scheme of arrangement.