The Legal 500

Work Department

Investment funds, structured finance and real estate.

Position

Michael is a partner within the business and trust law group in Jersey. He became a partner in 1996 and he specialises in investment fund and structured finance transactions and has been involved with the set up of complex finance vehicles for several years. He has particular experience with real estate, private equity infrastructure and other types of alternative assets, as well as with issues of mezzanine and hybrid securities. Key transactions include: ICG European Fund (a €2.25bn pan-European mezzanine investment fund sponsored by Intermediate Capital Group plc); a US$6bn regionally diversified global real estate investment fund sponsored by a leading European bank; Standard Life Retail Parks and Shopping Centre unit trusts (a £2.5bn unitisation of commercial real estate assets); and Associated British Ports (instructed by Goldman Sachs in connection with £2.8bn takeover of AB Ports). After training with Dundas & Wilson in Edinburgh, Michael qualified as a lawyer in England, Hong Kong, Bermuda and Jersey. Michael has been named as a leading individual for corporate/commercial by Chambers Global and a leading individual for banking and finance by The Legal 500. He has also been recognised in the IBA Who’s Who Business Lawyers for Private Funds and Banking. The firm: Ogier offers legal and fiduciary services from BVI, Cayman, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Jersey and London. Ogier has fiduciary services offices in Bahrain and Ireland, and a representative office in Tokyo. In 2010 Ogier established a Channel Islands practice at its Hong Kong office to offer Guernsey and Jersey legal services to clients in the Asian time zone, in addition to the BVI and Cayman services already on offer there.

Career

Trained Dundas & Wilson, Edinburgh; qualified solicitor Scotland 1984; solicitor Hong Kong 1986; barrister Bermuda 1989; solicitor England and Wales 1991; Jersey solicitor 1994; partner Ogier 1995. Publications: ‘Current issues in Securitisation’; ‘The Use of Protected Cell Companies in Securitisation’.

Languages

French.

Member

Society of Writers to Her Majesty’s Signet; Law Society of England and Wales; Jersey Law Society; IBA.

Education

University of Dundee (LLB); University of Exeter (LLM).

Practice Areas

International capital markets; Investment funds; Private equity