William Arran
- Experience
Will qualified as a Solicitor at Birketts in 2014. He is an experienced Senior Associate in our commercial Litigation and Dispute Resolution Team, specialising in all aspects of commercial litigation and contentious insolvency.
Will acts for clients based in Essex, East Anglia, nationally and internationally. His clients are a broad mix of businesses, partnerships, shareholders, insolvency practitioners and other individuals.
Will’s commercial litigation work covers disputes between shareholders and partners, contractual disputes, disputes concerning personal guarantees, disputed and high-value debt recovery, urgent injunctions, disputes over ownership of goods and land, enforcement of judgments in the UK and abroad, defamation claims and harassment claims.
Will is experienced in arbitration and High Court and County Court proceedings, as well as alternative dispute resolutions (ADR) methods including mediation.
Will’s litigation practice also covers Companies Act applications to court, including applications to restore companies to the Register of Companies (including restoring companies back into liquidation), applications to register charges out of time and applications to correct a company’s register of members or correct mis-filings at Companies House.
Will has a particular focus on contentious insolvency. His expertise includes serving or disputing statutory demands or demands for payment, winding up and bankruptcy petitions and applications to set aside or restrain presentation of bankruptcy or winding up petitions. Will acts for insolvency practitioners, directors or third parties regarding all aspects of contentious insolvency work, including preference and transactions at undervalue claims, applications to realise assets for the benefit of creditors, and annulment of bankruptcy orders.
Will’s work also includes assisting with the appointment of administrators, advising creditors about the insolvency process generally and in particular landlords on CVA terms and conditions, and block transfer orders.
Will also leads Birketts’ Dawn Raid team, advising clients prepare for and respond to Dawn Raids and regulatory investigations, in particular by the Competitions and Market Authority.
Examples of Will’s work include
- Successfully advising client in heavily contested court proceedings to recover a substantial loan including indemnity costs from the defendant
- Defending an individual from a £4m claim, settling the claim at mediation
- Defending a client over disputed claims to ownership of a Rolls Royce
- Defending a client regarding claims of fraud and unlawful means conspiracy
- Defending former directors against claims by liquidators for repayment of director loans and for delivery up of company property
- Advising a client dispute its suspension from trade organisation
- Advising a partner in a LLP in a long-running dispute with the other member
- Advising clients in connection with threats from individuals to release information to third parties and/or the media
- Advising a client who mistakenly transferred money to a fraudster as part of an authorised push payment fraud
- Advising a foreign client with an application to annul a bankruptcy order against a foreign national
Will is recommended and named as a ‘Rising Star’ by Legal 500 [UK 2024]. In this edition, a client notes “Will Arran shows a remarkable aptitude for combining thorough analysis of documents from foreign jurisdictions with a high level of legal knowledge and awareness of client’s objectives. Will is a very competent and commercially aware lawyer whose advice was clear and practical.”
Will is based in our Chelmsford office.
Will is recommended and named as a ‘Rising Star’ by Legal 500 [UK 2024]. In this edition, a client notes “Will Arran shows a remarkable aptitude for combining thorough analysis of documents from foreign jurisdictions with a high level of legal knowledge and awareness of client’s objectives. Will is a very competent and commercially aware lawyer whose advice was clear and practical.”
In an earlier edition, a client described William as “helpful, approachable and attentive”. Will has also been described by his clients as:
“always […] constructive. He has listened to my case with great attention to detail. This gives me confidence that I am getting the right advice”.
“exceptional with advice relating to a very long-running dispute”.
“analytical, attentive to detail and a clear communicator. He tackles problems quickly while bearing in mind client objectives”.
Awards and Memberships
Will Arran shows a remarkable aptitude for combining thorough analysis of documents from foreign jurisdictions with a high level of legal knowledge and awareness of client’s objectives. Will is a very competent and commercially aware lawyer whose advice was clear and practical.
Legal 500 [UK 2024]
