Will Glassey

Partner

London

Will is a commercial litigator specialising in professional liability.

Will Glassey is a commercial litigator who specialises in professional negligence claims. He has a particular emphasis on handling claims against solicitors, barristers, pensions actuaries, insurance brokers and property professionals.

The subject matter of the claims in which he is instructed is diverse, but he has a particular focus on claims arising from transactions, including corporate, commercial, real estate and finance transactions, and he has extensive experience in claims arising from pensions, tax, litigation and insurance issues.

Ranked in Band 1 by Chambers UK, and in Legal 500's Hall of Fame for Professional Negligence, Will is described by clients as "technically and tactically brilliant. Proactive, resourceful and quickly gets stuck into the details" and "an excellent lawyer and a trusted adviser".

In addition, Will represents professional firms and individual professionals in regulatory investigations and disciplinary proceedings: he has handled matters before the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, the ICAEW, the Serious Fraud Office, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the FCA, and the Takeover Panel.

He also advises both insurers and policyholders on insurance coverage issues arising under professional indemnity policies. He has conducted disputes (including several leading reported cases) concerning all of the issues which typically arise under professional indemnity policies including notification and attachment, aggregation, dishonesty (conduct) exclusions, cyber coverage, fee and trading debt exclusions, and coverage for fines and penalties. Those disputes are conducted both in court and in arbitrations.

He also represents insurers and reinsurers in reinsurance coverage disputes.

Background

Will studied at the University of Auckland (LLB (Hons)) and was an associate in legacy Herbert Smith's Disputes team in London. Prior to re-joining Herbert Smith Freehills in 2021, Will was Head of Insurance Disputes in London and Global co-Head of Insurance at another international city law firm.

Experience & expertise

Selected matters

Senior Tax Counsel in the successful defence at trial and in the Court of Appeal of a high-value professional negligence claim concerning film finance tax avoidance schemes; the claim being brought by a group of claimants in managed litigation: McClean v Thornhill [2022] EWHC 457 (Ch); [2023] EWCA Civ 466
A solicitor, in the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, in the defence of alleged Code of Conduct breaches arising from the Money Laundering Regulations: SDT 12481 / 2023 Clyde & Co, Mills-Webb
King's Counsel and Junior Counsel in the successful defence at trial of professional negligence and conspiracy allegations brought by their former client concerning their conduct of a Commercial Court trial: King v DWF & Ors [2023] EWHC 3132 (Comm)
a firm of solicitors in the successful defence at trial of a claim concerning the terms on which the law firm agreed to hold substantial funds on client account: Raffeisen Bank International AG v Asia Coal Energy Ventures Ltd & Ashurst LLP [2020] EWCA Civ 11*
The Civil Aviation Authority in an important decision concerning the scope of Legal Advice Privilege: Civil Aviation Authority v Jet2.Com Ltd [2020] EWCA Civ 35*
on the successful strike out of references to Without Prejudice communications from a pleading in Briggs v Clay [2019] EWHC 102 (Ch)