Masters of the Bench

William Godwin specialises in commercial and construction cases, often with a cross-border element, and sits as an arbitrator and adjudicator. He is a panel member of a number of arbitration institutions and has written and spoken widely on arbitration, commercial and construction law.
Before coming to the Bar, William read philosophy at UCL and at Oxford where he taught at two of the colleges. In 2021 he was appointed to a visiting senior research fellowship in philosophy at King’s College London. Later that year, and with the Inn’s great support, he started a group to organise discussions (which are qualifying sessions) of broadly philosophical questions that arise from the study and practice of law.
Between 2014 and 2021 William served on the board of the Great Britain-China Centre, a non-departmental public body established by the FCDO in 1974 to develop UK-China relations. Much of its focus is in the areas of legal reform, rule of law and good governance. An achievement of which the Centre is most proud is its contribution to reducing the use of the death penalty in China.