Ian De Witt was born in Wales and obtained an honours degree in law in London. After qualifying as a solicitor in England and Wales in 1989, he joined and became a partner in a prominent London law firm where he worked for many years.

Throughout his career, Ian has concentrated on commercial litigation and insolvency matters, including debt recovery, asset tracing and the enforcement of judgments, pre-emptive actions such as injunctions, court appointed receivers, and the appointment of provisional liquidators; he has advised and acted in a wide range of commercial and contractual disputes, professional negligence claims, partnership and shareholder disputes, technology, copyright and trust litigation.

Ian is the retained counsel in Hong Kong for IATA (the International Air Transport Association) which groups together almost 270 airlines, and he has been involved in advising on a variety of regulatory and litigation matters. He is also the National Representative for the Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Law Newsletter published by the International Bar Association.

Additionally, he acts and advises in a variety of insolvency cases, acting for liquidators, receivers, creditors and directors.

• Acting in the opposition of a winding up petition and in seeking an Order for the presentation to creditors of an opposed scheme of arrangement under the Companies Ordinance, in a billion dollar debt restructuring in Hong Kong. This forms part of one of the largest ever debt restructurings in Asia.
• Acting for the leading Hong Kong case involving negligence against an independent financial advisor.
• Acting for a Hong Kong manufacturing company with valuable patents placed into Chapter 11 in the USA, whilst completing an informal restructuring in Hong Kong.
• Acting for directors and making an urgent application for the appointment of provisional liquidators over a construction company, in order to more effectively protect company assets (the benefit of contracts) and pursue a restructuring proposal with the benefit of protection afforded by the application.
• Acting for the directors in placing a well known Hong Kong architectural practice into voluntary liquidation, involving changing the structure of the company beforehand due to logistical and cross jurisdictional problems.

• Fellow of the Hong Kong Credit and Collection Management Association (HKCCMA)
• Institute of Travel and Tourism
• Restructuring and Insolvency Faculty ("RIF")
• RIF Technical sub-committee
• Insolvency Lawyers' Association
• International Bar Association (IBA)
• Law Society Insolvency Committee
• Institute of Financial Planners of Hong Kong
• Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA) Restructuring and Insolvency Faculty Editorial Team
• Mediator accredited by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre
• Foreign Correspondents' Club, Hong Kong
• St David's Society of Hong Kong
• Gold Coast Yacht and Country Club
• Classic Car Club of Hong Kong
• Gilbern Owners' Club
• MG Owners' Club
• Rotary Club of Admiralty

Over the last few years, Ian has given many talks and presentations, in Hong Kong and Asia, on the topics of insolvency and commercial litigation, including:

• The latest developments and updates in Hong Kong insolvency law
• Corporate Rescue
• Litigation Tactics
• Bankruptcy & Individual Voluntary Arrangements
• Winding Up Procedures
• IVA Practical Application in Hong Kong
• Provisional Liquidation: The Procedure, The Practice, And Its Link With Corporate Rescue In Hong Kong Winding Up Procedures
• Debt Recovery: How To Do It And Make It Pay
• Current Insolvency Issues in Hong Kong
• The Strategic Use of Litigation Procedures

Ian has written several articles covering aspects of insolvency, commercial litigation and tenancy law. He is also Contributing Editor for Sweet and Maxwell's Company Law in Hong Kong: Insolvency, released in December 2005.

Ian is listed as a leading individual for restructuring and insolvency in the Asia Pacific Legal 500 2009/2010 edition.

Asia Pacific Legal 500 2005/2006 notes that "De Witt receives high praise from clients, who appreciate his commercialism and 'great sense of realism and practicality'."

Ian is recommended in PLC Cross-border Restructuring and Insolvency Handbook 2007/08.