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Martin is a senior and experienced litigator listed as a Leading Individual in the Legal 500 and comes recommended in Chambers & Partners. He has a wide practice with a particular interest in high value and complex disputes.

Martin has a particular interest in trust and contentious probate matters and leads the team at Ward Hadaway in advising trustees, beneficiaries in all aspects of this area of work. He advises on the  challenging of wills, provides advice on mental capacity issues regarding the formulation of wills, and has expertise in implementing the removal and addition of executors and trustees.

Martin also acts for a range of national and international clients handling a wide variety of disputes. These include complex contractual disputes, insurance claims, professional negligence claims, pensions, tax and misselling claims.

He also has a strong reputation providing advice in relation to public bodies in procurement disputes and commercial organisations.

Experience

Martin’s recent experience includes:

Private Client Work

Martin is an acknowledged expert and has an extensive practice in private wealth disputes and lead the team at Ward Hadaway.  Martin has experience of acting on behalf of private individuals, families, trustees and charities includes;

  • Acting for family members who had not been provided for in their relative’s final Will
  • Representing a family member in a successful claim that their parents had executed mutual Wills
  • Acting for beneficiaries under a trust in multi-party proceedings alleging breaches of trustees’ duties in respect of their investment powers
  • Acting for beneficiaries of a trust in a claim against the trustees for mismanagement of the trust’s assets
  • Acting for a class of circa 250+ private investors who had lost their capital in the failure of the corporate mini-bond offered by The Providence Group

Professional Negligence

  • Acting in a professional negligence claim against previous advisers following the variation of a Will
  • Acting against a number of advisers following negligent tax advice and large losses in relation to film schemes

Examples of commercial work includes

  • Acting for major hotel group in a claim relating to its energy supplies
  • Acting in a number of shareholder disputes
  • Acting for company in on-site oil sector against claim from major oil producer
  • Acting for client against insurer following declinature of cover following flooding
  • Acting for client against HMRC in major dispute re application of Zim Properties
  • Acting for a Claimant Commissioning Group (CCG) in an application to lift the suspensory effect of the issue of proceedings
  • Acting for the CCG in the defence of a challenge to the procurement of a multi-million pound contract for the provision of musco-skeletal services

Briefing: regulatory issues highlighted by the collapse of Secured Energy Bonds

 

What people say

  • Martin Woodford is a meticulous partner who pays great attention to detail

    Legal 500, client quote
  • Martin Woodford is a no-stone-unturned litigator who acts fiercely on behalf of his clients but is also commercially minded.

    Legal 500
  • Martin Woodford is always on hand and provides efficient and effective advice.

    Client quote
  • Very much focused on getting the best result for his client.

    Chambers & Partners
  • Martin Woodford ‘exudes common sense and good judgement’.

    Legal 500
  • Martin Woodford is deemed to be a 'real class act' and complimented on his client service and high quality of work. He comes particularly recommended for his significant experience in financial services disputes.

    Chambers & Partners

My insights

  • Important judgment for SIPP Providers and Investors

    The Court of Appeal, through the decision in Adams v Carey has set out an important judgment as regards the scope of duties owed by SIPP operators, as well as the statutory construction of section 27 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.