About William
William is a partner, head of the Dispute Resolution department and co-head of the Insolvency & Restructuring department.
As may be seen from the cases referred to below, William has a wide-ranging practice in commercial disputes and contentious insolvency developed over 15 years.
William has also developed a niche specialism in assisting clients in the factoring, invoice finance and Asset Based Lending sector recover losses under finance agreements. This often includes pursuing orders to freeze assets and enforcing guarantees, indemnities and legal charges.
William deals with all contentious corporate and personal insolvency matters, assisting office holders pursue claims against directors and shareholders of insolvent companies, or individuals. William has developed a particular specialism (supported by several recent reported authorities) in recovering unlawful dividends and/or unauthorised remuneration from shareholders and/or directors. In addition, William advises on antecedent claims including transactions at undervalue, preferences, misfeasance claims, possession proceedings and disputes concerning beneficial interests in residential property.
Outside of work, William is passionate about sport, music, travel and his family. Time permitting, William surfs, plays golf, football and tries to keep fit in the gym and on the road bike. His 3 children also keep William busy supporting and travelling to their football matches most weekends.
The Legal 500: Recommended Lawyer 2022 in 5 practice areas
In recognition of William's wide ranging expertise, William is recognised as a recommended lawyer in The Legal 500, 2022 for five practice areas: Insolvency & Corporate Recovery, Commercial Litigation, Debt Recovery, Asset Based Lending and Baking & Finance. His practice is also recognised by Chambers UK, with PDT's Insolvency and Restructuring team ranked as a Top UK firm for Insolvency 2021 where William is named as a key contact.
"The team is very capably led by William Angas, who is incredibly professional and commercially minded. William’s experience in dispute resolution is often called to the fore and is hugely valued"
The Legal 500, Commercial Litigation, 2021
"Will Angas is an exceptional litigation lawyer who takes the time and trouble to really understand a recovery issue and works with you to formulate a strategy that is all about achieving the best possible outcome for all parties. The point worth emphasising is that whilst you would expect most lawyers to understand and know the law, it’s about how it is applied in a rapidly moving commercial setting that is important and PDT are able to strike the right balance in support of their clients.’'.
The Legal 500, Asset Based Lending 2021
Recent Work Highlights
- Acted for liquidator with successful breach of contract claim against major high street retailer
- Obtained summary judgment in High Court for invoice financier when a certificate of indebtedness was found to be conclusive as to the Defendant’s liability and quantum
- Acted for administrators of Toys R Us to recover large, disputed balances owed by international trade vendors
- Obtained judgment for liquidators in the High Court (upheld in the Court of Appeal) that remuneration and dividends received were unlawful and repayable
- Negotiated settlement terms for liquidator challenging fees debited under a US invoice finance agreement as unlawful
- Recovered for liquidator preferential payments of c£500,000 from directors, shareholders and associates
- Acting for Trustees to sell bankrupts’ properties, challenging declarations of trust and claims to beneficial interest
- Defending trustee’s decision regarding adjudication on proofs of debt
Reported Cases
- Richard Toone & Kevin Murphy v Dean Robbins & Richard Robbins [2018] BCC 728
- Catalyst Business Finance Limited v Very Tangy Television Limited, Richard Tuckwell & Very Tangy Media Limited [2018] EWCH 1669 (QB)
- Steve Domsalla (trading as Domsalla Building Services) v Kenneth Dyason [2007] EWHC 1174 (TCC)”
Contact William
Expertise
Sector Experience
Asset recovery
Insolvency
"Incredibly professional and commercially minded"
The Legal 500, 2022. Recommended Lawyer in 5 practice areas