Ogier

Dispute Resolution; Restructuring and Insolvency; Regulatory; Trusts Advisory Group; Aviation and Marine

Partner

Mathew co-leads Ogier's Dispute Resolution team in Guernsey alongside Sandie Lyne, and is also the global head of the firm's multi-disciplinary Restructuring and Insolvency practice.

His practice encompasses commercial and financial dispute resolution, with a special focus on contentious insolvency and restructuring and regulatory matters, schemes of arrangement, shareholder disputes and matters involving investment schemes. Mathew also has considerable experience in relation to more general commercial disputes involving financial services businesses, Guernsey trusts and large scale construction claims.

Mathew regularly appears before the Royal Court of Guernsey as an advocate, acting for complex commercial and trusts disputes and insolvency / restructuring matters. In particular, Mathew frequently acts for trustees and beneficiaries in both hostile and administrative trusts proceedings, as well as for insolvency office holders and economic stakeholders in contentious cases involving distressed or insolvent structures, especially in cases of fraud and asset tracing. He also has substantial experience of civil cases involving breach of directors' duties, shareholder disputes and professional negligence, together with contentious regulatory cases in the context of proceeds of crime, sanctions and anti-money laundering legislation.

Mathew is also part of Ogier's Aviation and Marine sector group and has worked on litigation cases surrounding aircraft leasing in an insolvency situation as well as a case involving securing shipping vessels around the world on behalf of the liquidators of an oil and gas company.

Mathew's recent cases include:

- Restructuring and insolvency | Advising the general partner of a fund in liquidation, first in relation to a successful appeal of a judgment determining priority between the partners of the fund, and second in relation to the conclusion of the liquidation and distribution of assets.

- Trusts and estates | Advising the representative of the minor and unborn beneficiaries in relation to the restructuring of a high value, complex family trust structure holding assets in multiple jurisdictions.

- Commercial litigation | Advising the shareholder of a Guernsey company holding substantial property in Eastern Europe, in relation to an unfair prejudice/just and equitable winding up application brought by the other shareholder group. The case went to trial and then on to appeal and remains the leading authority on these types of claims in Guernsey.

- Regulatory | Acted for a major corporation in relation to monies held by a private bank under proceeds of crime legislation. Proceedings were issued against the Bank to recover the monies held, and the funds were eventually released in full when the allegations made against our client were proved to be completely unfounded.

Admitted in: 2011 - Guernsey | 2002 - England & Wales

Mathew is a qualified commercial mediator and is a member of the executive committee of ARIES, the Channel Islands chapter of INSOL International. He is a member of the Guernsey insolvency law reform committee, the Insolvency Lawyers’ Association, the Association of Business Recovery Professionals (R3) and is an overseas member of the Chancery Bar Association. Mathew is also a member of the editorial board of International Corporate Rescue magazine.

In 2024, Mathew became a fellow of INSOL International and is the only Guernsey-based lawyer to hold this qualification.