Advocates Smith Taubitz Unsworth Ltd

Advocates Smith Taubitz Unsworth Ltd is a specialist litigation practice in the heart of Douglas, the Isle of Man’s capital.

The firm:

Advocates Smith Taubitz Unsworth Ltd is a specialist litigation practice in the heart of Douglas, the Island’s capital, established in December 2012.

The three experienced founding Directors Hazel Smith, Darren Taubitz and Vicki Unsworth pooled their knowledge, experience and skills to offer their clients a fully functioning litigation practice.  Since inception, Advocates Smith Taubitz Unsworth Ltd has built up an experienced team of Advocates in order to ensure that clients can obtain the advice they require.  Each of the Advocates bring their own expertise and reputation for demanding high standards and obtaining the best result possible for each client to the practice which strives to offer a gold standard service to all clients.  Lydia Mulligan joined the Board in 2025, and is a fantastic addition to the leadership team, strengthening the same.

The practice offers advice and assistance in all areas of law being conducted before the Courts, including legal aid funded work. Further, the team of Directors and Fee Earners work together on cases to ensure clients get the full benefit of knowledge and experience on offer. The Firm operates very much on a collaborative basis and is proud of that fact.

Whereas many firms in the Isle of Man are limited in their scope of practice, the experience and expertise of our advocates means that the entire spectrum of litigation is covered by the firm, a rare benefit in the Isle of Man. Further, the team at Advocates Smith Taubitz Unsworth Ltd work together on cases to ensure clients get the full benefit of the knowledge and experience on offer, in a cost effective manner, with no double charging.

The firm is very well regarded and receives a number of referrals from larger firms. All advocates are very positively received by the courts, and are routinely praised by the judiciary for their advocacy and case presentation.

A large percentage of the firm’s clients are based on the Island, however Vicki Unsworth’s practice spans the globe. The firm acts for clients from every walk of life, and is not afraid to give a voice and a chance to the most vulnerable members of society, even if it means working on a pro bono basis. At the other end of the spectrum the firm is involved in a lot of high-value litigation, working with some of the leading firms in the UK, the Caribbean and the US. A number of large clients and national insurers are now instructing the firm in place of tier 1 and 2 firms that they historically instructed.

Advocates Smith Taubitz Unsworth Ltd has grown from strength to strength and has been exceptionally busy. Darren Taubitz and Vicki Unsworth have been instructed to act in a number of very high profile regulatory cases forging the way by defending the first prosecutions in the regulatory sphere, both AML and Data Protection, as well as working with the FSA on mutual cooperation cases and litigation avoidance.  The reputations, hard work and court room ability of all of the advocates have ensured success, and that the firm continues to grow organically, with the associate advocates now becoming leading junior advocates.

Types of work undertaken: Advocates Smith Taubitz Unsworth Ltd covers all areas of court work.

Commercial litigation: Vicki Unsworth is known for international commercial litigation including insolvency and trust litigation, with both Darren Taubitz and Vicki Unsworth having an excellent reputation in regulatory compliance and data protection.  Vicki Unsworth has passed the Institute of Directors Diploma with Distinction and is a member of the Institute of Directors, which gives her a fantastic insight into all areas of business when advising.  Victoria Watson assists Vicki on commercial litigation cases.

Criminal litigation: Darren Taubitz is one of the Island’s leading criminal defence advocates.

Matrimonial and children law: Lydia Mulligan is a leader in the field of matrimonial and children, being one of the Island’s most experienced advocates.  Hazel Smith continues to provide consultancy services in this field as she winds down to a very well deserved retirement.

Personal injury and medical negligence: Vicki Unsworth and Matt Wilshaw are both renowned as being leading advocates in personal injury (both claimant and defendant) and medical negligence cases.  Victoria Watson is also building a strong reputation within these areas of law.

Regulatory and data protection: Darren Taubitz and Vicki Unsworth undertake a significant amount of work in the regulatory and data protection fields, as this is an area of law that is ever growing and developing.  There is also an increasing number of cases being pursued by local authorities pursuant to the Proceeds of Crime Act, both on the civil and criminal side, and Vicki Unsworth and Darren Taubitz have seen their instructions in this regard significantly increase from international high net worth individuals as well as local individuals and companies. They provide advice and assistance to some heavy weight clients from international companies to local start ups in relation to these fields of work. Both Darren Taubitz and Vicki Unsworth are qualified Data Protection Practitioners (GDPR) and Vicki Unsworth also holds a certificate in Anti Money Laundering.  Both Darren Taubitz and Vicki Unsworth, assisted by Victoria Watson have been engaged in large scale advice and representation in relation to defending data protection offences as well as regulatory offences and avoiding prosecution in relation thereto.  They work closely with the ICO, FSA, FIU and ECU in seeking to reach the best possible outcome for their clients.

The firm also has extensive experience in general civil litigation and employment law, in respect of which all associates assist.

All fee-earners regularly appear before the courts from the Summary Court up to the Court of Appeal.