Nov 2019
The strength of Conyers’ legal practices in Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands has been recognised by The Legal 500 directory 2020. Fifty-nine Conyers lawyers have been ranked in the Caribbean directory.
Director and Chairman, Christian Luthi said: “I am delighted to see that once again we have received such excellent rankings. To be recognised for our work efforts in each jurisdiction is testament to the quality of our lawyers and the professionalism and expertise they have demonstrated in serving our clients over the course of the past year.”
The Legal 500 rankings highlight the practice area teams who are providing the most cutting-edge and innovative advice to corporate counsel. Research is based on feedback from 250,000 clients worldwide, submissions from law firms and interviews with legal private practice lawyers and a team of researchers who have unrivalled experience in the legal market.
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Bermuda
Recognised lawyers:
32
Conyers is highly rated for its expertise in M&A, IPOs, insurance, securitization, shipping and aircraft financing and corporate restructuring. The directory says: “Conyers has both the technical expertise and local connections to make the Bermuda aspect of any transaction run smoothly”.
The firm is the only Bermuda firm ranked Tier 1 for Dispute Resolution. Conyers’ litigation and restructuring team is frequently involved in leading commercial litigation work. It has “an exceptional team of offshore lawyers, who regularly appear in the largest cases and have a strength in depth across a range of disciplines”.
The only Private Client & Trust practice in Bermuda ranked Tier 1, the team attracts praise for its assistance with the creation of private trust companies, cross-border restructurings and the modification and variation of trusts. The team also has a “robust contentious trust practice”, which handles the protection of family wealth from divorce and other litigation.
Conyers’ Real Estate & Property group “typically handles complex residential and commercial real estate acquisitions and sales, leases, property financing work, and real estate disputes and arbitrations”.
British Virgin Islands
Recognised lawyers:
13
Conyers is recognized for its consistent involvement in large and complex M&A deals, banking, finance and capital market transactions in the BVI. Conyers’ BVI team also comprises “senior funds specialists” who advise on the day-to-day operations of funds from initial fund formation and structuring to subsequent restructuring issues and the winding up of funds.
The BVI Dispute Resolution team is described as “a go-to firm for high-value, BVI-based litigation” and “’a pre-eminent boutique dispute resolution practice”. The group acts in commercial litigation, shareholder disputes and emergency interim relief work, as well as insolvency and restructuring matters involving schemes of arrangement, liquidation and asset tracing.
Cayman Islands
Recognised lawyers:
14
Conyers’ is recognised for its “extensive experience across lending work, asset and fund finance transactions, private equity capital call financing matters and related security packages, structured finance issues and capital markets mandates”. The firm’s “significant advancement” in the insurance sector is highlighted, with “notable expertise in insurance-related M&A, regulatory advisory work, transfers by way of continuation to Cayman, catastrophe bond structures, insurance litigation and insurance financing matters”.
The Cayman team receives high praise for “a strong culture of responsiveness, pragmatism and collegiality that ensures nothing gets in the way of providing elite client service”. The firm’s counsel is “based on comprehensive knowledge of the applicable legal and regulatory landscape, combined with real world expertise that is invaluable.”
The litigation and restructuring team fields specialists in domestic and cross-border insolvency and restructuring proceedings, complex contract and commercial disputes, multi-party contentious trusts and estates matters, and a broad range of local litigation.
The Private Client & Trust practice assists high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients with the design and restructuring of family trust structures and the related management and maintenance work. The team also has notable contentious trust expertise.