The Legal 500

Bedell Cristin is a leading offshore law firm with an international focus. It is part of the Bedell Group, which has over 280 people operating from Guernsey, Jersey, London, Dublin, Geneva, Mauritius and BVI. Acting for a wide range of clients, ranging from financial institutions, multinationals, large corporates and high-net-worth individuals to regulatory bodies, government agencies and private investors, the firm has been providing expert legal advice to the offshore banking and finance industry since the 1960s.

The firm: Bedell Cristin’s size, international outlook and strategic positioning mean it is capable of handling legal advice for complex cross-jurisdictional transactions in key finance centres through Bedell Group, and providing related fiduciary services. The firm specialises in insurance funds, corporate banking and trusts.

The firm has an extensive blue-chip client base, including: ABSA Fund Managers, Bank of America, Bank of Nova Scotia, Barclays Bank, Barclays Capital, Barclays Global Investors, Bank of Ireland Securities Service, Bayerische Landesbank, Citibank, Close International Asset Management, Commerzbank, CSFB, Deutsche Bank International, DZ Bank AG, Egg, Kleinwort Benson Group, HSBC, MBNA, RBS 1, Lloyds, RBC, Santander, West LB, Aviva, State Street, Lombard Odier, IK and KFW.

Types of work undertaken: Insurance: the firm provides advice on all aspects of Guernsey insurance markets, including: insurance; reinsurance; captives; PCCs; ICCs; transformer vehicles and securitisation. This group has some of the leading practitioners in the field and regularly contributes to publications on cutting-edge changes to the law, as well as having considerable experience in advising leading companies in this sector.

Investment funds and private equity group: focuses on the establishment of pooled investment structures qualifying as public collective investment funds or non-public collective investment schemes and private equity funds. Sponsorship and listing services in connection with the Channel Islands Stock Exchange are available through Bedell Channel Islands Limited, which is a category 1 sponsorship member of the CSIX.

Banking and corporate: advice is provided to banks in Guernsey, and Guernsey law advice and legal opinions are provided to banks, investment houses and multinationals globally. The firm also advises on Guernsey elements of international merger and acquisition transactions, joint venture arrangements, shareholders’ agreements/arrangements, and acquisitions/disposals of Guernsey companies.

Capital markets and structured finance: the firm targets the structured finance sector and securitisation, with Bedell Trust able to provide a ‘one-stop shop’ for establishing SPVs in Guernsey.

Litigation: a new service offering introduced in October 2010 and headed by partner Alasdair Davidson, which complements the firm’s long-standing and top-tier ranked Jersey litigation team and enables Bedell Cristin a seamless Channel Islands-wide litigation service.

Bedell Trust: a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bedell Group providing fiduciary and company administration services to institutional and high-net-worth clients. Bedell Trust is regulated by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission under the Regulation of Fiduciaries, Administration Businesses and Company Directors, etc (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law 2000 for the purpose of carrying out trust company business.

Other offices: Jersey, London, Dublin, Geneva, Mauritius

Number of partners 28
Number of other fee-earners 176