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.

Full profile
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Andrew Wass of Withers LLP is described as ‘very engaging personally, and very considered and commercial in the advice he gives.’

Chambers UK 2018, London
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Andrew Wass is ‘calm, unflappable and distinguishes the wood from the trees in massive litigation’.

Legal 500 UK, 2017
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Andrew is calm, unflappable and able to distinguish the wood from the trees in massive litigation.

Legal 500 UK, 2018
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Andrew Wass is calm, unflappable, and deeply knowledgeable about the law and sector.

Legal 500 UK, 2020
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He has great commercial instinct and judgment. He gets to the heart of the issues and gets a really good deal for the client.

Chambers UK, 2021
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Andrew Wass is a charming partner able to diffuse high tension situations but equally capable of bringing the hammer down when needed. Banking clients could not find a safer pair of hands. He understands the sector, terminology and jargon in a way which many other lawyers just do not – in short, ‘the man to have’.

Legal 500 UK, 2021

Focus areas

High-net-worth individuals

Families and family offices

Europe

Family businesses

Private companies

Public companies

Sport

Financial services

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.

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Called to the Bar, 1986

England and Wales, 2004

CEDR Mediator, 2006

Financial Services Lawyers Association

Middle Temple

Bar Council

Law Society

Education

Kings College School, Wimbledon
University of Nottingham
Inns of Court School of Law

Languages

  • English

Dates

Joined

2002
Partner

2010

Recognition

London

20 Old Bailey,

London,

EC4M 7AN

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Insight

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