The Legal 500

Within Corporate and commercial, Maples and Calder is a first tier firm,

Maples and Calder 'always meets deadlines and the advice is commercially useful'. The team recently advised KKR with a non-rated $400m CLO transaction with several unusual features, such as the issuer entering into a $300m senior lending facility with a third party service lender to provide the bulk of the funding for the transaction, instead of issuing rated senior notes to investors. The practice also acted for ABN AMRO Bank in the sale of Prime Fund Solutions' hedge fund administration business to Credit Suisse. Alasdair Robertson heads the finance group and Cayman managing partner Paul Lumsden is corporate head. Also widely praised for finance are Mark Matthews, Dale Crowley, Wanda Ebanks, John Dykstra and Joannah Bodden Small. Other key contacts on the corporate side include Simon Firth, who 'has a wide breadth of expertise in any matter dealing with corporate finance and Cayman finance regulatory law'. Nick Evans, Jason Allison, Matthew Gardner and Nicola Stradling are also well regarded practitioners.

Within Dispute resolution, Maples and Calder is a first tier firm,

Maples and Calder's 'first-rate practice provides service levels equivalent to the largest and best onshore law firms'. The team acted for Ernst & Young as liquidators of Freerider in connection with the cross-border liquidation of a joint venture vehicle following a dispute between its principals. The firm also assisted Bank of America/Merrill Lynch as trustee in an international trust, fraud and bankruptcy dispute, marking the first time a Cayman trusts dispute was referred to the Privy Council in the last 10 years. Team head Aristos Galatopoulos 'has the wonderful gift of conveying complex legal issues in everyday language', and Mac Imrie, Colin McKie and Matthew Crawford are 'excellent litigators'.

Within Insurance/reinsurance , Maples and Calder is a first tier firm,

Maples and Calder houses specialists in alternative risk transfer such as catastrophe bond vehicles and other insurance-linked products, as well as captive insurance vehicles. The team is experienced in establishing insurance companies, insurance management and broker operations, and the litigation team advises insurers in disputes. The practice acted on the acquisition of two Cayman insurers. Tim Frawley is recommended.

Within Investment funds, Maples and Calder is a first tier firm,

'Consistent across the board', Maples and Calder 'has very knowledgeable and experienced lawyers who are also business savvy and practical in their approach to problem solving'. The practice acted on the Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund VII Global, the third largest private equity fund launched in 2010, and the firm also acted in connection with the launch of Siraj Palestine Fund I, the first private equity fund dedicated exclusively to investing in companies operating in Palestine. The 'highly thought of' Jon Fowler and the 'great' Iain McMurdo are team heads. McMurdo is 'incredibly responsive and very thoughtful'.

Within Legal market overview,

For some clients, Maples and Calder is 'without question the best law firm in the Cayman Islands', with international offshore practices Appleby, Conyers Dill & Pearman, Ogier Mourant Ozannes and Walkers all aggressively chasing. Campbells is, overall, the strongest of the local firms, with Solomon Harris also a serious contender.

Within Real estate , Maples and Calder is a first tier firm,

The 'pragmatic and commercial' Maples and Calder advised Vista del Mar Development in relation to the formation of a legal structure for the various phases of a prestigious gated waterway community in Grand Cayman, including assisting in relation to the structure of restrictive covenants, marina berth agreements and navigational and vehicular rights of way. The practice also advised ABN AMRO Fund Services Bank (Cayman) in relation to the transfer of various Cayman Islands real estate assets. Real estate finance partner Alasdair Robertson, and strata title expert and senior associate George Loutas are recommended.

Within Trusts/private client, Maples and Calder is a first tier firm,

Maples and Calder 'provides prompt responses, even at short notice'. Work highlights included acting for financial institutions on standard trust precedents and related contractual documentation, including their standard terms of business, in addition to advising them on the establishment of structures for specific clients. On the contentious side, the practice acted for trustee BoA/Merrill Lynch in an international trust dispute. Justin Appleyard heads the team, Nigel Porteous is highly regarded, and Colin McKie spends a substantial amount of his time on trust disputes.