Matthew Watson is a Bermuda disputes specialist based in Asia, with a practice focused on major commercial litigation, appraisal actions, trust disputes and insolvency/restructuring matters with Hong Kong and wider regional nexuses.  

He has acted on many of Bermuda's largest cases in recent history. In particular, he recently appeared in two landmark Privy Council judgments in Jardine Strategic Limited v Oasis Investments II Master Fund Limited v 80 others [2025] UKPC 33 and [2025] UKPC 34 that arose out of the acquisition of minority shareholders’ interests in Jardine Strategic Holdings Limited. The decisions address standing of dissenting shareholders in mergers/amalgamations and revisits legal advice privilege in the company/shareholder context, re-evaluating 140 years of case law. He has also had a leading role in one of the largest contentious offshore trust/estate cases arising from the founders of Formosa Plastic Group in Taiwan together with involvement in many other leading trust cases concerning applications to remove trustees, blessing applications and trust restructuring.  In addition, he has an active practice acting in connection with Bermuda incorporated Hong-Kong lised companies in both solvent and insolvent situations. 

Watson is the only Partner in Asia who exclusively specialises in Bermuda law, having lived and practised in Bermuda for eight years and he continues to appear before the Bermuda courts. His on-the-ground presence in the Asia time zone provides seamless connectivity to Carey Olsen’s Band 1 ranked Bermuda office, and his cases—often among the largest in Bermuda and long-running by nature—continue to attract high-quality work to the firm. 

Watson's recognitions include Top 12 Offshore Litigators by Asia Legal Business in 2024 and 2025, rankings in Chamber and Partners and Legal 500, and client praise as “an absolute delight to work with: incredibly hard-working, excellent commercial brain, superb attention to detail and a first-rate lawyer.”