Twitter Logo Youtube Circle Icon LinkedIn Icon

United Kingdom > Guernsey > Private client, trusts and tax > Law firm and leading lawyer rankings

Editorial

Other

All countries

Index of tables

  1. Private client, trusts and tax
  2. Leading individuals
  3. Next generation lawyers

Next generation lawyers

  1. 1

Who Represents Who

Find out which law firms are representing which Private client, trusts and tax clients in Guernsey using The Legal 500's new comprehensive database of law firm/client relationships. Instantly search over 925,000 relationships, including over 83,000 Fortune 500, 46,000 FTSE350 and 13,000 DAX 30 relationships globally. Access is free for in-house lawyers, and by subscription for law firms. For more information, contact david.burgess@legal500.com.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE WHO REPRESENTS WHO SITE

Carey Olsen fields ‘one of the most extensive and technically excellent private client teams on the island’. Practice head Russell Clark is ‘at the top of his game from a fiduciary perspective; clients look to him when they have particularly complex matters that need resolving’. He handles a range of non-contentious work, including private trust company structuring, tax information exchange matters and trust restructuring, and is assisted by Natasha Kapp, who is ‘responsive, erudite and a pleasure to work with’, and at counsel level Leila Arstall, who is ‘very responsive and willing to help’ and Patricia Montgomery, who is ‘very strong on probate, estate planning and the technical aspects of wills’. Clients also single out the ‘approachable’ Konrad Friedlaender, for his ‘great knowledge’ of non-contentious matters as well as litigation. Trust company clients include RBC and Northern Trust.

Babbé LLP attracts praise for its ‘very good, efficient service, excellent turnaround times and in-depth subject matter knowledge’. Nicholas Donnithorne is ‘excellent – a source of practical and commercial advice delivered on a quick timescale’; his work includes family office establishment and private client trust structuring, as well as being ‘very good on pensions trust matters’. He often works with senior associate Anna Gray, who is ‘very easy to work with and understands where trustees are coming from, taking time to ensure that they and their clients know why things need to be done’. Managing partner Andrew Laws handles contentious and non-contentious work, while litigator Ian Swan handles heavyweight trust litigation.

Collas Crill is ‘technically astute and professional, while also being unstuffy and a delight to work with’. The firm advises a number of leading trust companies on various matters concerning private clients, and international employers on pension matters. Angela Calnan ‘sets the tone and is the driver of the firm’s approach’; ‘an acknowledged expert in Middle East-related trust matters’, she advised Louvre Group Dubai on its role as trustee of two Guernsey law trusts, including concerns about the trusts’ validity and the release of information to HM Revenue and Customs under the Liechtenstein disclosure facility. Joanne Seal, who heads the firm’s wills and estates team, ‘demonstrates excellent technical knowledge and applies it in a pragmatic way while communicating complex issues clearly’. Senior associate Kerrie Le Tissier handles work for Asia-based clients. Other clients include Equiom, which Calnan advised on the consequences of its trusteeship of a trust which borrowed money from its settlor, and the Public Trustee of Guernsey, which she advised on the winding down of two trusts, which were discovered to have been held as bare trusts, on top of a bungled attempt to change the beneficiaries which required remedying by the courts. Karen Farman, who was an of counsel in the team, is now in-house at Rothschild Trust.

Mourant Ozannes is ‘extremely good: its response times are very quick and its breadth and depth of knowledge is what you expect from a reputable firm’. The ‘responsive and pragmatic’ Matthew Guthrie, who heads the team, is ‘a go-to trusts lawyer –clients regularly test his technical and practical ability with very complex problems, and he delivers appropriate solutions every time’. His practice straddles non-contentious work as well as contentious work such as court applications. Other partners in the team include Gordon Dawes, who is recommended for trust disputes, and Robert Shepherd, who can ‘secure client confidence rapidly and work through the key points to get practical results’. The firm acts for leading trust companies including Butterfield Trust, Rothschild Trust, Intertrust and Credit Suisse Trust.

Ogier demonstrates ‘good technical knowledge’ and provides a ‘high level of partner-led service’. Marcus Leese is ‘extremely helpful and efficient, with invaluable international experience’. His work covers novel financial services trust structures, as well as wealth structuring matters for international high-net-worth clients, concerning both Guernsey and British Virgin Islands law. Simon Davies and Mathew Newman handle contentious work. Gavin Ferguson, a former managing partner of Appleby, is a recent key hire. William Simpson has retired.

Clients rate AFR Advocates for its ‘professionalism and knowledge, which helps bring things towards a satisfactory conclusion – the firm is there every step of the way, providing advice that goes over and above expectations’. In addition to handling non-contentious matters, the firm has strength in contentious probate work. Mark Ferbrache is praised for his ‘attention to detail and sense of doing what is fair and right, which is a rare quality – clients feel empowered to make decisions and he ensures the whole of the team answer queries’. His practice includes international cross-border disputes as well as some non-contentious work. Simon Geall and Paul Richardson handle heavyweight trust litigation.

Interview with...

Law firm partners and practice heads explain how their firms are adapting to clients' changing needs

CLIENT INTELLIGENCE REPORT

The world's largest client survey
  • NOW LIVE

Client Intelligence Report

Search News and Articles

Press releases

The latest news direct from law firms. If you would like to submit press releases for your firm, send an email request to

Legal Developments in Guernsey for Private client, trusts and tax

Legal Developments in Guernsey

Legal Developments and updates from the leading lawyers in each jurisdiction. To contribute, send an email request to

  • In re B; B v T (Court of Appeal, 11 July 2012)

    A trustee's duty of confidentiality has recently been discussed and to some extent clarified in the recent Guernsey Court of Appeal decision of In re B; B v T (Court of Appeal, 11 July 2012). This summary has been prepared to provide you with a summary of the case as well as the general issues raised, but is not intended to cover all matters or to provide commentary.   This summary does not constitute legal advice.
    - Ogier

  • The Company Administration Regime in Guernsey

    Introduction 
    - Ogier

  • Guernsey Image Rights Legislation

    The Image Rights (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Ordinance 2012 (the Ordinance) and The Image Rights (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Regulations, 2012
    - Ogier

  • Guernsey Foundations

    The Foundations (Guernsey) Law, 2012 (Law) is awaiting Royal assent, expected to be given by the end of the year or early next year. Whilst Guernsey is not the first jurisdiction to provide for foundations, the Law does provide a number of unique options for individuals wishing to take advantage of the benefits provided by foundations. The purpose of this note is to provide both a general summary of the features of a Guernsey foundation, as well as a summary of these unique options that will be available under the Law.
    - Ogier

  • Competitive Guernsey

    Guernsey has been considering the introduction of local competition law since at least 2005 and by bringing into effect The Competition (Guernsey) Ordinance, 2012 on 1 August 2012, has introduced an effective Competition Law regime, to regulate the same 3 core areas recognized in most competition regimes, namely the abuse of a dominant position, anti-competitive arrangements, and mergers and acquisitions.
    - AFR Advocates

  • Foundations in Guernsey

    On 25 July 2012 the States of Deliberation, Guernsey’s parliament, approved the project de loi The Foundations (Guernsey) Law, 2012 (the “Law”). Subject to Privy Council approval, the Law is expected to come into force in late 2012 or early 2013. This note is a brief summary of certain features of the new Law.
    - Carey Olsen

  • Friendly Rivalry? The Competition Laws of the Channel Islands

    • New Competition Law for Guernsey in force on 1 August 2012 • Jersey and Guernsey now both regulate the abuse of a dominant position, anti-competitive arrangements, and mergers and acquisitions • Key differences between the islands' competition laws • Overall, a pan-Channel Island approach to regulation
    - Ogier

  • Making a will in Guernsey May 2012

    On 2 April 2012 The Inheritance (Guernsey) law 2011 came into force which has replaced Guernsey’s forced heirship regime with a system of full testamentary freedom (accompanied by family and dependent provisions).
    - Carey Olsen

  • Listing Specialist Securities on the Channel Islands Stock Exchange

    The Channel Islands Stock Exchange LBG ("CISX") began its operations in October 1998. It is based in St Peter Port, Guernsey and provides a listing facility and bespoke trading platform.
    - Carey Olsen

  • Image rights laws to be introduced in Guernsey

    “Image is everything” - Andre Agassi once famously declared in an advert for camera brand, Canon.
    - Carey Olsen

Press Releases in Guernsey

The latest news direct from law firms. If you would like to submit press releases for your firm, send an email request to
© 2018 www.legal500.com