Duncan Watson

Called 1997   |      Email: dw@westgate-chambers.co.uk

Legal 500:“Duncan Watson is pragmatic and negotiates effectively but is not afraid to go to Court if he thinks it warranted in ancillary relief matters”.

Area of Practice

Specialist in family law with an emphasis on finances including ancillary relief on divorce, financial applications relating to children pursuant to Schedule 1 Children Act 1989 and civil actions between former co-habitants. He regularly represents clients in contact and residence disputes and undertakes the full range of private and public law children work. He also undertakes civil matters.

Qualifications

BA (Hons) University of Cardiff
Post Graduate Diploma, Nottingham Law School

Professional Associations

South Eastern Circuit
Family Law Bar Association

Additional Information

Recommended in the 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 editions of the Legal 500 for his expertise in the area of ancillary relief on divorce.

Appointed a Deputy District Judge in July 2010. Duncan sits as a deputy judge in the county courts in London.

Duncan specialises in middle-income and high net worth cases. He regularly deals with multi-million pound cases and is particularly experienced in dealing with complex cases involving companies, partnerships, family trusts, overseas assets, insolvency, third party property rights, pensions and cases where there are issues relating to disclosure and the tracing of assets. He is highly experienced in dealing with cases where it is necessary to instruct expert witnesses, in particular in cases where the valuation of pensions and companies are in issue.

He is very approachable and has the ability to explain complex and technical information to clients in a way they are readily able to understand. He is an experienced and effective negotiator who is able to recognise when it is favourable to settle and when to fight on to trial.

He also undertakes instructions in children’s cases. He is very experienced in representing clients in contact and residence disputes, including applications to permanently remove children from the United Kingdom. He is well placed to represent clients in their disputes with former partners relating to both children and finances. He recognises that where a client simultaneously faces litigation relating to both children and finances they are often best served with being represented by the same advocate in both sets of proceedings.