The Legal 500

Appleby is a leading provider of offshore legal, fiduciary and administration services, with offices around the world. Its Isle of Man office has particular expertise in corporate and commercial work, litigation and insolvency, private client and trust work, and commercial property.

The firm: The quality of work undertaken by Appleby is reflected by its client base, which includes international financial institutions, trust companies, multinational businesses, FTSE and AIM-listed companies and high-net-worth individuals.

The Isle of Man office can draw on support from Appleby’s unparalleled global presence, with offices in eight key offshore jurisdictions and three financial centres. Appleby is also the only offshore provider with a presence in the three British Crown Dependencies of Guernsey, Isle of Man and Jersey. This dominant presence in key jurisdictions provides greater resources and wider choice for clients.

Types of work undertaken: Banking and asset finance: advising on the full spectrum of banking and asset finance, including project finance structures, joint ventures, security arrangements, asset sales, financing structures for ship-owning companies, the registration of vessels, financing of aircraft, acquisitions (including cross-border tax-based leasing structures) and the registration of aircraft.

Corporate finance: advising on the full spectrum of issues relating to offshore finance and corporate transactions, including capital markets transactions involving debt and equity, as well as corporate restructurings, financings, and mergers and acquisitions of both public and private companies.

Funds and investment services: advising on the establishment and restructuring of retail, private equity, property and hedge funds, including advice on the establishment and operation of limited and general partnerships, as well as on derivative structures and ISDA Master Agreements entered into with counterparties.

Islamic and structured finance: advising on a wide range of structured finance matters, including securitisations, repackaging, CDOs and other structured products, bond issues and Islamic financing and capital market sukuks, securitisations and bank debt financings of all types whether Shari’ah compliant or conventional.

Insurance: advising insurance and reinsurance companies, insurance managers and brokers, as well as companies seeking to do business with insurers, on a broad array of insurance issues including regulatory, compliance, captive formations, capital raising, segregated cell structures, re-domiciliation, policies and procedures.

Private client and trusts: advising on the establishment, restructuring and winding-up of private, charitable, purpose and commercial trusts for individuals, families and businesses. This includes corporate trust administration, international estate planning, pension and other employee benefit programmes.

Litigation: handling a wide variety of disputes and complex cross-border cases, including major commercial litigation, fund disputes, insurance/reinsurance issues, banking, trust and shareholder disputes, money laundering, intellectual property issues, and property disputes. Work often includes carrying out judicial review, the enforcement of overseas judgements and arbitration awards, as well as urgent interlocutory relief.

Insolvency and restructuring: specialising in insolvency work, asset recovery and constructive trust proceedings, with experience in liquidating all types of companies and partnerships, both on conventional insolvency grounds and as a consequence of governmental or regulatory action.

Property: advising on a wide range of property matters, including commercial property development and redevelopment, and the purchase, sale, leasing, mortgage and transfer of residential or investment properties.

Employment: updating employers and employees on existing and changing employment laws, drafting employment contracts, policies and procedures, as well as unfair dismissal and redundancy.

Other offices: Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Jersey, London, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zurich.

Number of partners 11
Number of other fee-earners 29