Marcus Haywood
Barrister, South Square
Marcus specialises in domestic and cross-border insolvency/restructuring, banking and financial services, commercial litigation and company law.
In recent years, Marcus has appeared in many high profile cases including Ahmad Hamad Algosaibi & Brothers v Saad Investment Company Ltd and Others (see below), Heis v Financial Services Compensation Scheme Ltd (CA) (construction of a company voluntary arrangement relating to MF Global UK Limited), Citibank NA v Oceanwood Opportunities Master Fund (conflict of laws, construction of intercreditor agreement), Re Olympic Airlines SA (SC) (secondary insolvency proceedings in respect of former Greek national airline), Brazzill v Willoughby(CA) (status of monies deposited in an account with the Bank of England by Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander) and HHY Luxembourg SARL v Barclays Bank (CA) (construction of an inter-creditor agreement).
Marcus also has very significant offshore legal experience. Most recently in this regard, Marcus has been engaged in the trial and subsequent appeal of Ahmad Hamad Algosaibi and Brothers Company’s US$9bn claim in the Cayman Islands against various companies which previously formed part of the Saad Group. The trial was the largest which had ever taken place in the history of the Cayman Islands and one of the largest fraud claims ever litigated.
Marcus is recommended in the most recent edition of the Chambers & Partners UK Bar Guide for restructuring/insolvency and offshore, where he is described as “very pleasant, hard-working and has a nice manner in front of the court” and “very astute, responsive and pragmatic.” In previous editions of the Guide he has been described as “an incredibly dependable and hard-working junior”, “pragmatic, exceptionally user-friendly and a compelling advocate“, “exceptionally bright, has great opinions and brings real value to a case” and “a strikingly pleasant person to deal with, but no less effective for being so”.