William
Spence

Will has acted as sole counsel in disputes relating to contracts, commodities, sale of goods, civil fraud, joint venture agreements, and director claims.  

He also has experience working in cases where conflicts of laws issues arise. 

Recent experience includes:  

• Acting for a large steelworks company in proceedings claiming damages for defective performance by a welding sub-contractor engaged in the High Speed 2 railway project.
• Acting for a major supplier of display and sensor components in a claim brought under section 37 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979.
• Acting for a company seeking Norwich Pharmacal and Bankers Trust disclosure orders against a US bank, following the discovery of cyber fraud.
• Acting for a managing director in a quasi-partnership dispute relating to breaches of a shareholder agreement, diversion of business and breach of confidence.
• Advising on a complex s. 994 unfair prejudice petition arising out of a deadlocked financial analytics company.
• Appearing in an application for security for costs under civil procedure rule 25.13(2)(c), within proceedings alleging fraudulent misrepresentation.

Will completed pupillage at a specialist insolvency set of chambers. He regularly appears and advises on corporate and personal insolvency matters, both for creditors and debtors.  

Recent experience includes: 

• Acting in an application to restrain the presentation of a winding up petition.
• Acting for a company resisting an application to set aside a statutory demand.
• Acting for a private individual in a bankruptcy petition presented by HMRC.
• Acting in an application seeking an increase in remuneration for a trustee in bankruptcy.
• Advising on retrospective validation orders under section 127 of the Insolvency Act 1986.
• Advising on the validity of the out of court appointment of an administrator.
• Advising on the operation of insolvency set-off.  

Will acts in several areas of property litigation including commercial forfeiture, boundary disputes, nuisance, dilapidations, and lease renewal claims.  

Recent experience includes:  

• Appearing unled in the High Court for the respondent to an application for a mandatory injunction seeking the removal of a unilateral notice registered against the title of a property: White & Waterman v James [2024] EWHC 1427 (Ch).
• Acting for a tenant of a commercial premises in an opposed lease renewal claim involving redevelopment ground (f) of section 30(1) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954.
• Acting for the landlord in a commercial enfranchisement claim under section 13 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993.
• Acting for the respondent to an application for interim injunctive relief alleging derogation from grant.
• Acting for a tenant claiming that their landlord had unreasonably withheld consent to assign the lease.
• Acting in several claims for relief from forfeiture of commercial premises, one of which resulted in a successful strike out application on the ground that the landlord had waived the right to forfeit.  

Will’s practice includes more traditional chancery cases concerning disputes between business partners, family members, trustees and beneficiaries.  

Recent experience includes:

• Acting in an application for a vesting order under section 44(ii)(c) of the Trustee Act 1925. 
• Acting for a foreign-appointed executor seeking to administer immovable property situated in England.
• Advising on applications under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.
• Advising on the proper administration of an estate.
• Advising on the consequences of the severance of a joint tenancy prior to a testator’s death.
• Advising on the validity of a will.