Bankside Chambers barrister obtains doctor of civil law degree in Oxford first

His practice in New Zealand encompasses banking, insolvency, company, equity and trusts, restitution, and contract law. In addition, he has been involved in international arbitrations.

Watts joined Bankside Chambers full time in 2017. He spent over 30 years as a member of the law faculty at the University of Auckland. He has also been a door tenant at Fountain Court Chambers, a Magic Circle chambers focusing on commercial disputes, in London since 2010. In addition, he is a senior research fellow at Harris Manchester College in Oxford and a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand (Te Apārangi).

According to Bankside Chambers, in awarding the doctor of civil law degree judges evaluate the evidence submitted according to criteria such as:

• if the evidence demonstrates excellence in academic scholarship
• if the evidence is of the absolute highest quality
• if the evidence is substantial in scale and in the contribution it has made to knowledge
• if the evidence is sustained over time and showing current and continued contribution to scholarship
• if the evidence is authoritative, being able to demonstrate impact on the work of others
• if the evidence is of global reach and international importance within the field
• if the evidence is of such breadth or covering such branches of knowledge appropriate to the field and in line with disciplinary norms and expectations.