Ben Adamson is a Director in the Bermuda Dispute Resolution practice. Ben specialises in contentious trust, commercial, employment and regulatory. Ben frequently appears in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, as well as tribunals. He has been recognised as a Tier 1 practitioner in Dispute Resolution by Chambers & Partners since 2016.
Ben has appeared in many of the leading trust cases in Bermuda and regularly advises and acts for trustees and beneficiaries in trust disputes. Ben is ranked as a leading practitioner in this field by Chambers & Partners’ High Net Worth directory for Offshore Trusts and Global Elite’s Private Client.
As regards his commercial practice, Ben is regularly instructed in large commercial disputes with a particular focus on enforcement.
Ben has a broad regulatory practice and regularly advises employers and government quangos on all aspects of employment and administrative law. Ben has been involved in many of the leading employment and public law cases in Bermuda.
Ben was educated at Cambridge University (Gonville & Caius) and practiced as a barrister at Devereux Chambers in London before joining Conyers in 2003.
Ben sits on the Insurance Appeals Tribunal and Mental Health Review Tribunal. He is a former chair of the Bermuda branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a former Human Rights Commissioner.
Jurisdiction
Experience
Trusts and Family Wealth:
- Acting for beneficiaries in contested PTC v Cooper application Re XYZ Trusts [2022] SC 10 Civ
- Acting for trustees in contested PTC v Cooper application Re Trusts [2021] Bda LR 81
- Acting for trustees in contested PTC v Cooper application Re R Trusts [2019] SC Bda 36
- Acting for trustees in contested PTC v Cooper application Re Trusts [2018] Bda LR 72
- Acting for trustees in s. 47 application A Ltd v C [2022] SC 9
- Acting for trustees in s. 47 application Re E Trusts [2018] Bda SC 38 Civ
- Acting for trustees in s. 47 application Re C Trust [2016] SC Bda 53 Civ
- Acting for trustees to establish confidentiality principles, Re BCD Trust (Confidentiality Orders) [2015] SC Bda 83 Civ
Commercial Litigation:
- Acting for law firm resisting an injunction, MJM v Apex Fund Services Ltd [2020] SC Bda 17 Com
- Acting for creditor to defeat misrepresentation/illegality claim, Caletti v DeSilva [2017] Bda LR 102Ac
- Acting for fund in dispute over sanctions, Cornhill Fund v Libyan Investment Authority [2016] Bda LR 9, Com
- Acting for claimant in dispute over arbitration, Cockwell v Flatt [2014] Bda LR 89
- Acting for reinsurer in reinsurance dispute, Mutual Holdings v Matsen [2014] Bda LR 67
- Acting for debtor to set aside petition, Agrenco v Credit Suisse [2014] Bda LR 3
Regulatory/Employment:
- Acting for Commissioner of Police in contempt action, Sannapareddy v Commissioner of Police [2022] SC Bda 83
- Acting for Director of Public Prosecutions in judicial review, Bell v Attorney General [2021] Bda LR 46
- Acting for Director of Public Prosecutions in judicial review, Director of Public Prosecutions v Clarke [2019] Bda LR 46, CA
- Acting for charity to judicially review planning decisions, BEST v Minister of Public Works [2019] SC Bda Civ 16
- Acting for Commissioner of Police to defend search warrant, Law Firm v Commissioner of Police [2018] Bda LR 27
- Acting for employer in employment dispute, Whiting v Torus Insurance [2015] Bda LR 17
- Acting for employer in employment /shareholder dispute, Thomas v Fort Knox [2014] SC Bda 70
Qualifications
Professional Background
- Barrister, Devereux Chambers, London
Education
- City University, London, Dip Law, 1997
- Cambridge University, B.A. (First Class), 1994
Bar Admissions
- Bermuda, Barrister, 2004
- England & Wales, Barrister, 1999 (not currently practising)
Awards & Accolades
- Recognised in the 2024 edition (and since 2016) of Chambers Global (dispute resolution – band 1)
- Recognised in the 2024 edition (and since 2016) of Legal 500 Caribbean (dispute resolution)
- Recognised in the 2022 edition of Chambers HNW (offshore: trusts)
- Recognised in Legal Week’s The Private Client Global Elite 2024
Associations
- Insurance Appeal Tribunal
- Mental Health Review Tribunal