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David  O'Hanlon

David O'Hanlon  

Partner | Guernsey

Dispute Resolution

  • David O’Hanlon brings clears-sightedness, good sense and commerciality to difficult cases and handles them with skill.
    Legal 500 (UK) 2023
  • We appreciate, beyond words, you 'being there'
    Client feedback
  • David O’Hanlon is calm and understated but firm in his advice. Willing to take on board client strategic views and to advise having regard to the ultimate aims.
    Legal 500 2022
  • David O’Hanlon is smart and always engaged, not just from a legal perspective but also strategically.
    Legal 500
  • David O’Hanlon is responsive and helpful – a good strategic thinker.
    Legal 500

David is a Partner in the Guernsey dispute resolution team at Collas Crill. He has a broad experience of commercial litigation and professional negligence matters, often with cross-border or jurisdictional issues. His primary areas of focus are:

"I enjoy working as part of the client's team to achieve the outcome they need. This often requires a view of the bigger picture as well as the immediate litigation the client is facing. "

Trust Matters

David has acted for trustees, investment banks and beneficiaries in contentious or semi-contentious matters, such as defending trustees against claims for breach of trust, acting in relation to variations of trust and advising trustees and beneficiaries on their obligations and rights in respect of the trusts. Recent public matters include: Walker et al –v- Egerton-Vernon et al in which David acted for one of the former trustees of a settlement established by the late entrepreneur Jack Walker in defending a claim in excess of £100 million (and settled on confidential terms).

Corporate Disputes

David advises directors, shareholders and corporate service providers on contentious corporate matters such as shareholder or board disputes, claims against directors and advice on issues such as potential conflicts of interest.  Recent work includes acting for the Independent Directors in Carlyle Capital Corporation Limited (in liquidation) and ors –v- Conway Jr and ors in their successful defence of a claim for in excess of $1 billion brought by the liquidators of Carlyle Capital Corporation Limited (in liquidation).

* Business Assistant
Caroline West

Caroline West

 
My services
Contentious Trusts
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We represent trust corporations, HNWIs, individual trustees and beneficiaries, often dealing with novel points of law and creating new and innovative solutions to fit the needs of our clients. Given the international scope of settlors, investments and assets, we often co-ordinate advice from our multi-jurisdictional teams, meaning that our clients benefit from the knowledge and depth of experience of our people around the globe.

Director & Shareholder Disputes
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Thanks to the depth of our experience and the resources of our team, we've acted on some of the largest pieces of litigation brought against directors offshore. We're well placed to deal with the 'bet the farm' proceedings that can occur in these type of disputes and have represented parties involved in intra-company disputes, including executive, non-executive and independent directors, majority and minority shareholders, companies and liquidators. We understand that shareholder disputes are often not simply 'black and white' and our team finds innovative and commercial alternatives to those which the Court may offer – taking a collaborative approach with our clients to ensure that the right result is achieved.

Dispute Resolution
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When your business is involved in any kind of legal dispute it's crucial to work with lawyers who are hands-on, cost-effective and flexible enough to respond quickly and intuitively to your unique situation and needs. We know that there are many different ways a dispute can be resolved and work closely with our clients to understand every aspect of their business, priorities and goals. This allows us to find the best way forward for our clients and to advise on the commercial implications of a dispute, ensuring the process remains as stress-free as possible. Our approach is practical, responsive and tailored to the client's interests. Our expertise and reputation means we're first choice for a range of clients, including banks, trust companies, high net worth individuals and top law firms.

Insight 12 Oct 2022

BTI v Sequana

On 5 October 2022, the Supreme Court handed down their landmark judgment in the long-running case of BTI v Sequana[1].  It is "a momentous decision for company law" (in the...

Insight 8 Jun 2022

Where there’s smoke there’s a fire(

David Harby, Simon Hurry, David O'Hanlon and Andrew Peedom discuss the difficulties of enforcing onshore judgments in offshore jurisdictions in an article published in the...

Deal 4 Dec 2020

Untangling the Webb

In a recent decision the Privy Council has had the opportunity to consider the circumstances under which a trust may be declared invalid due to the reservation of powers by...

Insight 9 Apr 2020

Government support

This guidance is current up to 08 April 2020 The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has rapidly changed the business landscape, with increasing restrictive measures on...

Insight 20 Mar 2020

First Aid Guide for Directors

We are facing an unprecedented period of adversity. The offshore financial services industry and the local communities that we serve, like the rest of the world, are not...

Deal 15 Apr 2019

Carlyle Directors Win Appeal

In an eagerly awaited judgment in the Carlyle Capital Corporation Limited (in liquidation) ("CCC") litigation, the Guernsey Court of Appeal has upheld the first instance...

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Event 5 Apr 2023
Past Event

Directors' Duties Conference

Collas Crill invites you to join us at our Directors' Duties Conference, where the focus will be on Shareholder Activism.  Join Partners David O'Hanlon, Wayne Atkinson and...

Event 14 Nov 2022
Past Event

Serle Court conference

Guernsey Dispute Resolution Partner David O'Hanlon is speaking at the Serle Court 5th International Trust and Litigation Conference 2022 in New York on 14 November. David...

Event 5 Nov 2019
Past Event

Collas Crill Conference

What do you do when the unexpected hits?  Dawn raids, document disclosure, data breaches and global crises may well be out of a director's control but can affect a company...

Event 12 Sep 2019
Past Event

Serle Court Cross-Border Litigation

Collas Crill Guernsey Partner, David O'Hanlon, will be speaking at the Serle Court Cross-Border Litigation Conference which will be held in Limassol, Cyprus on Thursday 12th...

Event 14 Nov 2018
Past Event

Directors' Duties Conference

Collas Crill will be hosting a conference on directors' duties during the life cycle of a company. From local cases, such as Carlyle to the much publicised UK examples of...

Event 9 May 2018
Past Event

Private Client Dining Club

Collas Crill partner David O'Hanlon will be speaking at the Private Client Dining Club's breakfast panel: 'wealthy families in dispute'. Sponsored and hosted by Lexis Nexis...

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