The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance, Mourant Ozannes is a first tier firm,

‘Responsive firm’ Mourant Ozannes advised Polyus Gold, Russia’s largest gold mining company, on the provision of a guarantee to VTB for a loan of up to £1.76bn. James Ruane heads the team, and Michael Williams is ‘particularly good’. Gareth Rigby is also recommended.

Within Commercial property, Mourant Ozannes is a first tier firm,

Mourant Ozannes’ ‘knowledge of the Jersey real estate market is second to none’. The team advised Channel Islands Property Fund on the purchase of an office block by share acquisition. Global property head Wendy Lambert ’s ‘experience and awareness of the local market and legislation is enormous’. Gavin Renault is practice area manager.

Within Corporate and commercial, Mourant Ozannes is a first tier firm,

Mourant Ozannes ‘works hard to get the right commercial answer for the client’. It acted as sole Jersey legal adviser to Glencore International on its London and Hong Kong IPOs, and to KazakhGold Group and OJSC Polyus Gold in the reverse takeover of Polyus Gold by KazakhGold. James Ruane is team head, and Robert Hickling is ‘good to work with and good at responding’. Jonathan Walker is ‘an effective lawyer who brings years of experience to solve complex legal issues’, and James Hill is an ‘excellent lawyer’.

Within Dispute resolution, Mourant Ozannes is a first tier firm,

Mourant Ozannes’ Jonathan Speck is ‘a formidable lawyer’, and Bruce Lincoln has ‘a fine intellect’. The practice is known for its contentious trusts work, but also specialises in regulatory litigation, through Beverley Lacey (the primary legal adviser to the Jersey Financial Services Commission), and in banking litigation, through Mark Temple. - Justin Harvey-Hills is ‘trusted by the court’.

Within Employment, Mourant Ozannes is a first tier firm,

Areas of increased activity for Mourant Ozannes include contentious matters, instructions from clients outside the financial services sector, and the establishment of offshore employment structures. Team head Helen Ruelle stands out for her ‘client approach’. Carla Benest is ‘pragmatic’.

Within Investment funds, Mourant Ozannes is a first tier firm,

Mourant Ozannes ‘gets things done effectively’. The team acted for CVC in relation to the first close of the CVC European Infrastructure Partners Fund. Practice area head Ben Robins ‘makes clients feel safe’; Jacqueline Richomme ‘can ’t be beaten for her Jersey investment fund regulatory knowledge’; Joel Hernandez is ‘an outstanding team player’; and Gareth Rigby is ‘thoughtful and thorough’. Edward Devenport , Daniel Birtwistle , Mark Chambers and Felicia de Laat are also experienced practitioners.

Within Regional review,

If Waitrose’s acquisition of Safeway was 2010’s deal of the year in Jersey, for 2011 it was Glencore International’s IPOs. Leaving Glencore valued at approximately $60bn and one of the largest companies on the FTSE 100 index, this was by far the largest transaction the island has seen in recent times, and was London’s largest fundraising on record. Mourant Ozannes acted as sole Jersey legal adviser to Glencore International on its London and Hong Kong primary and secondary listing, and Ogier was Jersey legal adviser to the underwriters. Other high-profile deals included the flotation of Jersey company Vallares on the main market of the London Stock Exchange.

Within Private client, trusts and tax, Mourant Ozannes is a first tier firm,

Mourant Ozannes advises on around 1,000 trusts per year. It is experienced in non-contentious trust/foundations drafting in Jersey, and especially noted for trust litigation mandates. The team advised on the first Jersey foundation for private, purpose and charitable uses. Giles Corbin has ‘excellent knowledge’, and Jonathan Speck ‘clearly has the ear of the court’. Former Chancery barrister Douglas Close joined the firm’s London office from Serle Court.

Within Structured finance and securitisation, Mourant Ozannes is a first tier firm,

Mourant Ozannes recently advised ETF Securities on the launch of its exchange-traded products for base metals, and assisted a number of international banks with credit card backed securitisation programmes. Alastair Syvret is highly rated by peers.