Ernest Bickley

Associate

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Ernest Bickley is an Associate in the Hong Kong office of Conyers. He joined the Asia Disputes & Restructuring Group (“ADRG”) in 2021.

Ernest’s practice covers a range of contentious areas including restructuring and insolvency disputes, commercial litigation, trust disputes, fund disputes, shareholder disputes and other offshore company related matters in Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands.

Ernest was admitted as a solicitor of England and Wales in November 2023 and the British Virgin Islands in February 2024. In September 2024, Ernest was granted higher rights of audience in the Supreme Court of Bermuda and is registered as a Barrister and Attorney there.

Prior to qualifying in England and Wales, Ernest scored in the top 10% overall of candidates in his cohort on the Solicitors’ Qualifying Examination 1 and scored the highest mark on the criminal litigation advocacy module for the Solicitors’ Qualifying Examination 2.

Ernest’s focus is now on insolvency-related disputes arising out of the offshore jurisdictions and has represented clients in several high-profile commercial litigation and insolvency disputes.

Ernest also regularly advises clients on regulatory issues relating to Bermuda, British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands companies and their standing with the local companies registrars in those jurisdictions, including rendering assistance with company restorations (in and out of Court).

Ernest’s practice assists clients with the voluntary winding up of companies incorporated in Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands and the establishment of offshore trust structures and other private offshore wealth management vehicles.

Jurisdictions

Experience

Acted for the defendant in Minsheng Vocational Education Company Limited v Leed Education Holding Limited and ors in the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal CICA (CIVIL) APPEAL No. 0019 of 2023. The appeal concerned the granting of a quia timet injunction to prevent Minsheng Vocational Education from enforcing its security in shares granted to it pursuant to a series of share pledges granted by the applicant. The case created precedent in the Cayman Islands and other jurisdictions over the availability of interim injunctive relief in aid of foreign arbitration proceedings under section 50 of the Cayman Islands Arbitration Act. The case is pending an appeal to the Privy Council in London.
Acted for the defendant in Cithara Global Multi-Strategy SPC v Haimen Zhongnan Investment Development (International) Co. Ltd and its appeal to the British Virgin Islands Court of Appeal. The British Virgin Islands High Court rejected the ‘No-Look Principle’ and decided that an ultimate beneficial noteholder under a New York law governed indenture is a creditor for the purpose of an application for the appointment of liquidators under BVI insolvency legislation.
Acted for Bai Jun Tian Cheng Limited in its successful enforcement of a judgment debt in the Hong Kong Court of Appeal against Angola Group Holdings Limited (In the Matter of an Application to Set-Aside a Statutory Demand Served on Angola Group Holdings Limited. BVIHC (COM) 2023/0068). Angola’s application to set-aside a statutory demand was dismissed by the Court due to its lack of merit and any meaningful factual evidence in support.
Acted for the successful petitioner, I-Tiger Global Investment Management Limited in securing a winding-up order against Airstream Investment Ltd, a Cayman Islands company.
Acted for the successful applicant, I-Tiger Global Investment Management Limited, in its application to appoint receivers over a Cayman Islands segregated portfolio, the Premier Life Settlement Fund SP (a segregated portfolio of Aquam Funds SPC).
Acted for a major telecommunication network company in Mainland China in its successful resistance of a winding-up petition presented against it by redeeming investors.