Victoria Watson

Associate Advocate

A developing litigator with real courtroom experience.

Victoria is an Associate Advocate who has developed her career within Advocates Smith Taubitz Unsworth Ltd and now works across the firm’s contentious practice, with a particular focus on civil and commercial litigation.

She joined Advocates Smith Taubitz Unsworth Ltd when undertaking her undergraduate degree and progressed through placements, paralegal work and Articles before being commissioned as a Manx Advocate in 2024.

Victoria passed the Manx Bar examinations at the first attempt, with distinction and the highest mark in her cohort, receiving the President’s Award.

Since qualification, she has continued to build practical litigation and advocacy experience, including involvement in substantial proceedings and appellate work.

Experience is built by doing.

Civil & commercial litigation

Victoria is developing a broad civil and commercial litigation practice.

Her work includes contractual and commercial disputes, general civil claims, employment matters and other contentious proceedings.  Victoria has had success in a number of high value and complex medical negligence and personal injury matters, as well as resolving very contentious construction disputes.  Victoria has also recently assisted on insolvency cases and proceeds of crime matters, developing a real understanding of the commercial decision making that sits alongside the legal rationale that clients are having to balance.

She works both on matters for which she has day-to-day responsibility and alongside senior Advocates Smith Taubitz Unsworth Ltd Advocates on larger and more complex cases.

That combination allows her to develop independent judgement while drawing upon the experience of the wider team.

Advocacy

Courtroom experience has been part of Victoria’s development from an early stage.

As a Manx Advocate, she is developing both sides of the fused profession: preparing and advising on cases and appearing in court to argue them.

Her experience includes contentious hearings and appellate work.

Advocacy also informs the way she approaches preparation.  A lawyer who expects to have to explain and defend an argument in court learns quickly to test it before it gets there.

Progression at Advocates Smith Taubitz Unsworth Ltd

From placement student to Associate Advocate.  Victoria’s career with Advocates Smith Taubitz Unsworth Ltd has developed progressively.

She gained experience with the firm before completing her Graduate Diploma in Law, worked as a Paralegal, completed her Articles, passed the Manx Bar examinations and qualified as an Advocate before progressing to Associate.

At each stage, her responsibility has increased alongside her experience.

Victoria’s progression reflects Advocates Smith Taubitz Unsworth Ltd’s approach to developing lawyers: junior Advocates need appropriate supervision, but they also need the opportunity to do the work.

Working with Victoria

Victoria brings careful preparation, energy and a developing strategic approach to her cases.

She is building a practice through direct experience of litigation rather than waiting for seniority before taking responsibility.

That experience is supported by close collaboration with the firm’s more senior Advocates.

Give talented lawyers real responsibility. Support them properly. Let them develop.