In the spotlight with David Draisey in eprivateclient
David’s Q&A was published in eprivateclient, 21 March 2025, and can be found here.
David Draisey, Partner and Head of our Litigation and Dispute Resolution department, is interviewed in eprivateclient, discussing his expertise and career journey.
In the spotlight - David Draisey, head of the litigation & dispute resolution department, Hunters
David Draisey is head of the litigation & dispute resolution department at Hunters.
He joined Hunters as a trainee in 2007 and has remained with the firm since qualification.
Throughout his time at Hunters, Mr Draisey's work has centred on helping a variety of trustees, beneficiaries, landed estate clients and city professionals navigate their way through a range of private wealth disputes.
Why do you specialise in this area?
What has always attracted me to private wealth disputes is the opportunity to help clients resolve issues which arising at particularly difficult moments in their lives, whether that be because of bereavement or the breakdown in family relationships. No two disputes are ever the same; the personalities and context are always different, and the resolution must always be tailored to the specific circumstances.
Why is dispute resolution so important to the industry?
One area in which effective dispute resolution can add real value to the private client sector is in the preservation of relationships, whether those be amongst family members, business partners or advisors. Whilst there will always be a time and place to take disputes to Trial, a dispute which can be concluded at an early stage gives the parties the possibility of maintaining relationships which would otherwise be potentially irreparably damaged by the process.
What are the main challenges facing dispute resolution?
Progressing claims through the Court system, particularly at lower levels, can be problematic and an issue which clients find difficult to understand and creates challenges for advisors in managing expectations. Simultaneously the costs of disputes are rising and pushing often meritorious claims to settle on less favourable terms than they might otherwise obtain. On a more positive note, delay and cost pushes litigants more firmly towards alternative dispute resolution methods at an early stage which, certainly in the context of intra-family disputes, is to be welcomed.
When’s the last time you failed spectacularly at something?
Surfing in Biarritz. Nothing should look so easy (when done well) but prove so utterly impossible to do.
Do you have pet(s)? What are they like?
An incredibly social cat, Mango, who, if the tracker on his collar is to believed, spends more time in our neighbours’ houses than our own.
What was your student job?
For a short while I had a job weighing paper for a printing company. Count out 200 sheets of paper, weigh it, fill the box, repeat!
Read the full article here [subscription required]: In the spotlight - David Draisey, head of the litigation & dispute resolution department, Hunters, (eprivateclient)
