William Charles

Partner

Contact
F +44 20.7615.3100

London

100 Liverpool Street

London, UK EC2M 2AT

T +44 20.7615.3076

F +44 20.7615.3100

Will is a partner in the Litigation & Arbitration Group. He specialises in complex commercial dispute resolution and regulatory (and internal) investigations, particularly in the financial services sector.

Primary Focus & Experience

Will’s investigations practice focuses on advising firms and individuals (from junior traders up to, and including, COO and CEO-level executives), in UK and cross-border internal and regulatory investigations, enforcement proceedings, and resulting litigation. Such investigations concern a range of issues, including alleged insider dealing, market manipulation, competition law violations, mis-selling and breaches of market conduct rules, including in respect of oversight, monitoring, treatment of confidential information, personal device usage, systems and controls issues, and senior management responsibilities.

His disputes practice has a strong focus on banking and finance litigation, as well as civil fraud, outsourcing, technology and energy disputes, in High Court litigation, arbitration, expert determination and other forms of ADR.

Will is recognised as a leading practitioner in the principal legal directories for Financial Services: Contentious Regulatory (in Chambers and Partners), and for Banking Litigation, Financial Services (Contentious) and Commercial Litigation in The Legal 500 UK. Clients praise him as "very knowledgeable and great with clients," "outstanding," providing "brilliant client service"; and “his knowledge and understanding of the nature of the proceedings that we are involved in is excellent and leaves nothing to be desired.”

William is a key contributor to Milbank’s ESG & Sustainability capabilities, focusing on regulatory enforcement and litigation risk, as well as the developing legal framework in connection with ESG disclosures and ‘greenwashing’.  He also regularly publishes articles on key developments in English litigation and UK regulatory investigations. Will has written on various legal topics, including co-authoring the UK chapter in the Private Competition Enforcement Review (15th and 16th editions), as well as articles published in The Banking Law Journal, Law360 and The International Who’s Who of Commercial Litigation.

Financial services investigations

  • Acting for an international financial sector firm in relation to investigations by regulatory authorities in multiple jurisdictions concerning antitrust/competition law and market conduct issues in connection with securities trading.
  • Acting for an investment bank employee in relation to investigations concerning historic trading activity involving the tax treatment of dividends.
  • Acting for a senior investment banking executive in relation to an investigation by the FCA in the context of enforcement action against the bank concerning LIBOR misconduct.
  • Acting for a senior investment banking executive in relation to an investigation by the FCA concerning allegations of manipulative trading activity (including ‘spoofing’), as well as systems and controls and supervisory failings.
  • Acting for a senior investment banking executive in relation to regulatory investigations arising from the collapse of the Icelandic banking sector.
  • Acting for a global investment bank in relation to investigations by a number of regulatory authorities across several jurisdictions into practices concerning foreign exchange trading.
  • Acting for a global investment management firm in relation to an investigation by the FCA concerning alleged misuse of price-sensitive information and an employee’s personal account dealing.
  • Acting for a major national building society in relation to regulatory investigations by the FCA and SFO concerning the sale of complex structured investment products.

Financial services and commercial disputes

  • Acting for a global investment management firm defending high-value claims in the High Court, arising from the selection of assets (in particular MBS) for a very substantial pension fund portfolio.
  • Acting for a global asset management firm in relation to complex civil fraud claims of around £180 million in value, brought in the High Court against third party investment managers and numerous corporate entities in a number of jurisdictions (listed by The Lawyer as one of the Top 20 Cases of 2014).
  • Acting for a leading European energy firm defending a c. US$750 million claim in LCIA arbitration, brought by a Russian party following the failure of joint venture negotiations.
  • Acting for a senior investment banker co-defending (with the investment bank) complex civil fraud claims brought in the High Court of very substantial value relating to the collapse of Kaupthing Bank.
  • Acting for a global financial services firm in relation to defending breach of warranty claims of significant value following the sale of a banking and consumer credit subsidiary.
  • Acting for a global IT services Fortune 500 company in a substantial and sensitive dispute relating to a high-profile public procurement contract.
  • Acting for a major international private equity firm in expert determination proceedings of substantial value following a major acquisition in the energy sector.
  • Acting for a global technology company in a substantial and sensitive dispute with a UK Government-owned organisation.
  • Acting for a major international pharmaceuticals firm in relation to complex and high value IT outsourcing disputes with one of the largest worldwide providers of IT services.
  • Acting for a major national retailer in relation to substantial fraud claims against an employee and related third parties.
  • Acting for a major national financial services firm in relation to professional negligence claims against advisers concerning pension liabilities.

Recognition & Accomplishments

William holds a First-Class honours degree in Classics from Oxford University (Trinity College) and was awarded an Exhibition during his time at Oxford.

He has also been awarded Higher Rights of Audience and is entitled to practice as a Solicitor Advocate.

William has significant recognition in the major legal directories, including as a “Next Generation Partner” for Banking Litigation and a recommended lawyer for Financial Services (Contentious) and Commercial Litigation in The Legal 500 UK; and he is recommended and ranked “Up and Coming” for Financial Services: Contentious Regulatory in Chambers and Partners. Clients praise him as “very knowledgeable and great with clients," “outstanding," providing “brilliant client service”; and “His knowledge and understanding of the nature of the proceedings that we are involved in is excellent and leaves nothing to be desired.”

Additional Details
Education
  • University of Oxford, M.A.
  • BPP University Law School, PgDL
  • BPP University Law School, L.P.C.
Admissions
  • England and Wales