Mark Emery

Mark is a Director in DQ’s Dispute Resolution department, and also heads DQ’s Insolvency & Restructuring team. Since qualifying as a Manx Advocate in 2012 Mark has regularly appeared at all levels of the Isle of Man High Court of Justice.

Mark practices a wide range of commercial litigation, but has particular experience in acting in commercial disputes (ranging from complex contractual disputes through to issuing proceedings seeking to secure and recover substantial assets such as private jets, yachts and properties held through Isle of Man companies), fraud & asset recovery, corporate insolvency, claims against directors, the appointment of receivers, applications for injunctive relief, trust disputes, enforcing foreign judgments and assisting with the recognition of foreign trustees in bankruptcy and obtaining of ancillary orders from the Isle of Man High Court. Due to his expertise Mark has given expert opinions on Isle of Man law to courts in the United States, Kazakhstan, and Singapore.

Mark has been regularly ranked by the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners UK, and is a member of the IFG (previously known as the Fraud Network), which is a handpicked group of specialist fraud lawyers across the world focused on securing injunctions, asset recovery and trust busting remedies in key offshore jurisdictions. Mark is a member of the Channel Islands & Isle of Man Committee of FIRE (Fraud. Insolvency. Recovery. Enforcement).

Whilst working full-time as an Advocate Mark previously completed a long-distance masters degree in Corporate and Insolvency Law with Nottingham Law School, earning not only a distinction, but also being awarded a prize for the best overall performance in the Law School at postgraduate level.

• BLS1 Limited v Isle of Man Treasury (Customs & Excise Division) (Staff of Government Division) – Successfully acting for the Appellant in overturning a decision at first instance from the Isle of Man VAT and Duties Tribunal in a two-day appeal concerning the supply of sleeping accommodation in London in circumstances where it is an equivalent to a hotel, the “reduced value rule” and statutory construction of the Isle of Man Value Added Tax Act 1996. An application by the Isle of Man Treasury seeking permission to appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council was also successfully opposed, a copy of which can be accessed here.
• Paul Allen and Paul Atkinson as Joint Trustees in Bankruptcy of the Insolvent Estate of Jacobus Adriaan Paulsen (Deceased) v Zedra Trust Company (Isle of Man) Limited as Trustee of the Eldoriange Trust – Acting in substantive proceedings issued in the Isle of Man High Court by English bankruptcy trustees of the deceased settlor’s Estate (allegedly insolvent to the value of £40 million) seeking documentation from the trustee concerning an Isle of Man trust. The judgment is a rare example summarising how section 366 of the English Insolvency Act and English common law concerning the operation of the same can be directly applied in the Isle of Man, and in particular, confirms that a “categories” based order for the production of classes of documents to English bankruptcy trustees is typically a more appropriate and usual form of order.

• Zedra Trust Company (Isle of Man) Limited As Trustee of the Eldoriange Trust – Successfully obtaining on an urgent basis the blessing by the Isle of Man High Court of a momentous decision by the trustee (pursuant to section 61 of the Trustee Act 1961) and beddoe relief in respect of responding to related court proceedings issued in the Isle of Man High Court by foreign bankruptcy trustees of the deceased settlor’s Estate (allegedly insolvent to the value of £40 million) seeking information from the trustee concerning an Isle of Man trust.

• Fry, Shankland & Hyde (acting as Joint Trustees in Bankruptcy of Olena Tyschenko) v Baker Tilly Isle of Man Fiduciaries Limited – Acting for Baker Tilly in respect of the bankruptcy of a high-profile Ukrainian national. Baker Tilly were added by the English joint trustees in bankruptcy to recognition proceedings before the Isle of Man High Court of Justice, in circumstances where Baker Tilly required a court order in order to compel the production of certain confidential documentation with an ancillary order for the costs of compliance.
• Hannah Davie and Nicholas Stewart Wood (as Joint Trustees in Bankruptcy of Kamal Siddiqi, deceased) – Successfully obtaining the urgent recognition in the Isle of Man of English Joint Trustees in Bankruptcy in order to assist with ascertaining whether the Bankrupt had any interest in an Isle of Man company, suspected of owning English properties with a value of between £5-5.6 million.
• Hermitage One Limited v Heda Airlines Limited – Acting for the Claimant in proceedings issued in the Isle of Man High Court of Justice totalling US$15 million relating to the financing of a Bombardier aircraft. This case was set against the wider background of a high-profile $3 billion Russian divorce, with other related proceedings in various other jurisdictions including England & Wales, Switzerland and Monaco. This case involved a three-day witness trial, with complex arguments concerning the construction of a loan agreement and also a counterclaim for rectification of the contract. Interestingly, with some of the witnesses being outside of jurisdiction and strict covid travel restrictions in place at that time on the Isle of Man a hybrid trial took place, with witnesses giving a mixture of evidence in person and via video link.
• Felicity Kniveton v Public Sector Pensions Authority (Staff of Government Division) – Successfully acting for the Respondent in a judgment where the Appellant was refused permission by the Staff of Government Division to bring a “second appeal”. In particular, the Staff of Government Division concisely summarised the law applicable in the Isle of Man where an Appellant brings a second appeal, which has subsequently been cited with approval in more recent judgments.
• Kerr v Borough of Douglas (Staff of Government Division) – Successfully acting for the Respondent in a tenancy repossession case both in the court of first instance and at appellate level. This is the leading Staff of Government Division judgment in respect of how the Court will consider applications by public authorities to repossess public sector residential properties and how this interacts with the Human Rights Act 2001.
• Re: Kenichi Machida (as trustee in bankruptcy of Shingi Nishida) – Appearing on a without-notice basis in seeking the common law recognition in the Isle of Man of a Japanese Trustee in Bankruptcy.
• Exclusiva General v Vorko Corp & Ots – Acting for the claimant creditor in insolvency proceedings (based upon an alleged debt of £25 million) and appearing in respect of applications for security for costs, requests for further information and the determination of a preliminary issue.
• Baggaley v St. Christopher’s Fellowship (Employment Tribunal) – Acting for the respondent in successfully arguing that there had been no dismissal of the employee for the purposes of the Employment Act 2006.
• Felicity Kniveton v Public Services Commission  – Acting for the Defendant in successfully arguing that the terms and scope of a compromise agreement prohibited a significant claim against it for an alleged pension entitlement in the Isle of Man High Court of Justice.
• Taylor v Hewitt (Employment Tribunal) – Successfully acting for the claimant in a preliminary hearing to determine the employment status of a dentist for the purposes of the Employment Act 2006. This case addresses the persuasiveness of English judicial precedent in the Isle of Man Employment Tribunal.
• Felicity Kniveton v Public Services Commission and Public Sector Pensions Authority – Acting for the Defendants in successfully striking-out doleance proceedings (judicial review) issued by the Claimant.
• Felicity Kniveton v Public Sector Pensions Authority – Acting for the Defendant in successfully defending an appeal on a point of law by the Claimant in relation to a decision by the Deputy Pensions Ombudsman for the Isle of Man.

Mark has been consistently ranked by both the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners UK. Mark has been ranked each year by the Legal 500 as a “Next Generation Partner” since 2021 in both Dispute Resolution and Employment. In particular, some notable recent quotes include:

• Legal 500 (2022 Edition) – “Mark Emery, a seriously good operator, technically excellent, good attention to detail. Runs a top team. Good with clients.”
• Legal 500 (2022 Edition) – “Mark Emery is an excellent and very responsive lawyer.”
• Chambers & Partners UK 2022 –  “Mark’s advice is always pragmatic. His experience enables him to provide tailored advice which always has the client’s best interest and outcome in mind.” … “He is incredibly responsive and very knowledgeable.”
• Legal 500 (2022 Edition) – “Mark Emery stands out for his depth of experience which means he can quickly assess complex matters and give good strategic advice. He has an excellent inter-personal manner, highly professional and very approachable.”
• Chambers & Partners UK 2021 – “He is one of the brightest lawyers I’ve come across – he’s a real rising star.”
• Legal 500 (2021 Edition) – “Mark Emery… has a strong background in the insolvency arena.”
• Chambers & Partners UK 2020 – “According to a client, “Mark’s strengths are his tenacity, boundless energy, pragmatism and can-do attitude.”
• Legal 500 (2020 Edition)– “Mark Emery is making a name in the contentious insolvency field as well as advising on professional negligence, data protection and mutual legal assistance issues”
• Chambers & Partners UK 2019 – “really impressive, very sensible, pragmatic and realistic when dealing with clients.”
• Chambers & Partners UK 2017 – noted Mark’s “impressive and concise” presentation

Mark was also previously awarded the Isle of Man Law Society’s George Johnson Prize for an essay entitled “What effect does legal precedent from other jurisdictions have on the courts in the Isle of Man”, which is available to read here.