Neil Ashton is based in StoneTurn’s London office and has approximately 25 years of experience working in practice, in industry and in expert witness and litigation support work.

He acts in complex domestic and international litigation, arbitration and mediation and has worked as an expert witness, adviser or expert determiner for clients in a wide range of industry sectors.

Neil has significant experience in the evaluation and quantification of damage due to breach of contract or business interruption. He is commonly involved in post-acquisition matters and the valuation of businesses in a dispute context and he has also led, and testified in, engagements involving allegations of fraud and corruption and investigating the financial consequences. Neil has given oral testimony both in Court and before arbitral panels on a variety of matters, including large-scale multi-$100m proceedings. He has given evidence via witness conferencing as well as traditional cross-examination.

Neil has been recognised by Chambers as Band 2 for Forensic Accountants UK-wide in the 2024 Litigation Support Guide. Chambers noted Neil’s two decades of experience in the industry supporting clients in arbitration and mediation, as well as in litigation, and as an expert witness. Clients note, “Neil can always be relied on to deliver. He is extremely client focused and turns around work to a high standard and quickly.”

In addition, Neil has been regularly recognised for his expertise by Who’s Who Legal, where he has been highlighted as a Thought Leader since 2021 and a Global Leader since 2022. Who’s Who Legal has recognised Neil as a top expert witness (since 2019) and an expert in Quantum of Damages (since 2021). He is cited by clients as “a renowned expert in the quantification of damages and a specialist in post-M&A cases,” clients noted “his ‘great efficiency’ and ‘thoroughness of his preparation’” and commented on him as being “extremely knowledgeable” and “a real asset on any case.”  His performance under cross-examination is also regularly cited, for example: “his oral evidence is exceptional and a true testament to his knowledge base.” Clients also note that Neil “is solution oriented, and not only good on paper as he can support his views under cross examination” and in a particular case “in commercial court he withstood rigorous cross examination by opposing leading counsel.”

Neil’s sector experience includes:

• Financial Services
• Hospitality, Leisure and Entertainment
• Communications Technology
• Commodities
• Retail
• Residential and social care
• Oil and Gas
• Power and Energy
• Defence
• Professional Advisory
• Construction
• Property and real estate

Neil commenced his career in the audit department of a Big Four accounting firm. He subsequently spent 18 months setting up and running the finance department of a charitable company in central London before joining Grant Thornton’s Forensic and Investigation Services practice, also in London. Neil is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and is a practising Member of the Academy of Experts.