25 January 2019 - Article
Andrew Wass
Partner | London
Andrew is a partner in the litigation and arbitration team, focusing on banking.
He has a particular interest in dispute resolution and restructuring and banking in the financial services arena.
After university, Andrew was called to the Bar in 1986 but subsequently decided to pursue a career outside the law. From 1987-2002 he worked in a variety of industries; the financial markets, television post-production and residential property development. During that time he also ran a private investment portfolio. He returned to the law in early 2002, qualified as a solicitor and has since become experienced in contentious financial services.
Andrew spent more than five years as an inter-dealer broker in the foreign exchange (‘FX’) option market. This experience included establishing and managing a highly successful FX desk in Tokyo. As a former market participant, Andrew has a unique insight into the financial markets and their specialist products. He has used his market experience both as a litigator and a mediator in relation to financial services disputes.
Andrew’s other contentious experience includes professional negligence claims and the sport, civil fraud and defamation sectors. He qualified as a CEDR Mediator in 2006 and has mediated in numerous commercial disputes.
Track record
Admissions
Memberships
Acting against a major bank in a dispute over the making of a loan for the development of a household name supermarket and the related hedging of the loan by the use of an interest rate swap.
Acting for a German industrial company as 40% shareholder of a Dutch company in relation to a dispute over bridging finance of €180m lent to it by a syndicate of global banks. Our client asserted that the banks had an obligation to replace the bridge facility with a High Yield Bond.
Acting for a BVI hedge fund, and its BVI director in a dispute with its bank, and its English broker over the closure by the bank of the fund’s trading positions in FTSE options on LIFFE and the consequent loss of €40 million.
Called to the Bar, 1986
England and Wales, 2004
CEDR Mediator, 2006
Financial Services Lawyers Association
Middle Temple
Bar Council
Law Society
Education
Languages
- English
Dates
Joined
2002
Partner
2010
