The ‘extremely responsive and proactive‘ team at Maples Group routinely advises on the largest and most high-profile corporate and commercial deals involving Cayman entities. Managing partner Matthew Gardner steers the corporate group, which has an enviable track record in multijurisdictional and domestic M&A, share capital issues, joint ventures, corporate reorganisations, corporate finance projects, regulatory considerations and corporate governance work, among other general corporate and commercial advisory issues. Notably, the practice also fields a dedicated Latin America group, which is jointly headed up by Kieran Walsh and Simon Firth, both of whom possess wide-ranging corporate practices. Elsewhere within the wider department, Suzanne Correy specialises in the full life-cycle of public company work, from start-up to IPO; Michael Johns takes the lead on many SPAC deals; and Daniel Lee, Shari Seymour and Finn O’Hegarty are all trusted names in the market for high-value corporate and commercial transactions.
Corporate and commercial in Cayman Islands
Maples Group
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Suzanne Correy; Daniel Lee; Kieran Walsh; Simon Firth; Michael Johns; Shari Seymour; Finn O’Hegarty
Testimonials
‘They are consistently helpful and responsive. Their work product is excellent and very useful. They fully understand the issues and help resolve them (rather than simply raising issues without a potential solution). We have worked together on many transactions and I am always satisfied with the experience.’
‘Stand out attorneys are Matthew Gardner and Michael Johns. Each has proven to be an excellent partner for our transactions.’
‘They are the standard in the Caymans. Very commercial and helpful. My go-to firm.’
‘Extremely responsive and proactive.’
Key clients
Altimar Acquisition Corporation
Fidelity National Financial
Francisco Partners
LCM Asset Management
Katerra
Kohlberg & Company
Noble Corporation
Patria Investments Limited
TPG Pace
Valaris plc
Vitru Limited
Work highlights
- Advised Noble Corporation on its comprehensive financial restructuring whereby its debtor affiliates emerged from Chapter 11 with a new parent company organised under the laws of the Cayman Islands.
- Advised Patria Investments on the Cayman Islands aspects of its $588.4m initial public offering.
- Advised Vitru Limited, a Brazilian distance learning education group company, on the Cayman Islands aspects of its initial public offering of 6m of its newly-issued common shares.
Mourant
Praised as an ‘absolute pleasure to collaborate and work with‘, the corporate offering at Mourant, which is overseen by Hayden Isbister, handles the full gamut of corporate and commercial work, from major M&A and joint venture transactions to complex regulatory issues, large-scale corporate restructurings and governance issues. Noteworthy names operating within the group are Neal Lomax, who is retained by an assortment of large multinational corporations and international banks; private equity specialist Alex Last; corporate finance expert Alexandra Woodcock; and Ramesh Maharaj, who is noted for his extensive experience handling M&A and finance matters emanating from the precious metals and resources sectors. Additional key practitioners are Catherine Pham and counsel Andrew Grant.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Ramesh Maharaj; Neal Lomax; Alex Last; Catherine Pham; Alexandra Woodcock; Andrew Grant
Testimonials
‘The team has deep knowledge and is accessible and commercially minded.’
‘Our reason for Mourant is Ramesh Maharaj. We find him friendly, approachable and someone we can properly explore an idea with. He has great experience and normally has a solution to meet a client’s specific needs. I highly recommend him.’
‘The team is extremely responsible and flexible. Always available with practical business solutions.’
‘Hayden Isbister is great to work with. They are well tuned in to industry practice and developments, and are an absolute pleasure to collaborate and work with.’
Key clients
Kuehne + Nagel
Endeavour Mining
L Catterton
Work highlights
- Advised Kuehne + Nagel Management AG on an auction purchase of Apex Logistics, one of the largest M&A deals in Switzerland in 2021.
- Acted for Endeavour Mining Corporation in connection with its C$1bn public acquisition of SEMAFO Inc. by way of plan of arrangement.
- Advised leading private equity company, L Catterton, on the establishment of a special purpose acquisition company that aims to raise approximately $250m for targets in Asia.
Ogier
The team at Ogier has the ‘ability to provide legal support across all areas of Cayman law and has proven to be proactive in the ever-evolving regulatory landscape‘. It frequently advises clients, most of which are present in the financial services sector, on high-value acquisitions and disposals involving Cayman structures or businesses. Practice head Bradley Kruger and Angus Davison possess noteworthy downstream M&A practices, handling private equity transactions along with SPACs and transactions involving international public companies. Other standout names include global funds finance practice head James Heinicke , who is regularly instructed in corporate reorganisations and international M&A; structured financing expert Mark Santangeli ; and ‘very helpful and resourceful‘ senior associate Michael Robinson, who, alongside Kruger, sits as a member of the digital, blockchain and fintech group – a key sectoral area of growth for the firm.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
James Heinicke ; Angus Davison ; Mark Santangeli ; James Lydeard; Michael Robinson
Testimonials
‘Ability to provide legal support across all areas of Cayman law and has proven to be proactive in the ever-evolving regulatory landscape. Strong communication and guidance allows us to operate efficiently and stay ahead of changes to Cayman law.’
‘Angus Davidson is extremely responsive and has provided strong technical advice across multiple areas of Cayman law.’
‘Michael Robinson is very helpful and resourceful. Provides great client service as a legal point person on many of our day-to-day Cayman operations.’
‘Michael Robinson is very smart and upfront. He was always ready to have a chat and to help in solving the many major problems we faced to close one of the deals (everything always on short notice). It was a great experience in general.’
Key clients
Advent International Corporation
Perceptive Advisors LLC
Nexo Capital Inc.
Expro Group Holdings International Limited
Borr Drilling Limited
Li-Cycle Corp.
Giga Energy Inc.
BTG Pactual Group
Angelo Gordon & Co LP
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
Work highlights
- Advised Yunhong International and Giga Energy Inc on a proposed share exchange, in a deal valued up to $7.35bn.
- Advised Advent International Corporation on the cash-and-stock sale to NuBank of its controlling stake in EasyInvest.
- Advised ARYA Sciences Acquisition Corp II on its business combination with Cerevel Therapeutics, Inc.
Walkers
Walkers is retained by high-end investment funds, alongside FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies drawn from a wide range of industries. As well as seeing an upswing in Special Purpose Acquisition Companies matters, the group also handles the full spectrum of traditional corporate and commercial law work, particularly M&A, strategic joint ventures, shareholder arrangements, corporate restructurings and commercial contracts. David Collins has a proven track record in advising financial institutions, funds, corporations, issuers and institutional investors on corporate transactions; Rob Jackson regularly advises on share acquisitions and disposals; and Caroline Williams displays knowledge of the sale and purchase of portfolio investments and secondary transactions; while Rolf Lindsay has extensive experience advising on the structuring, formation and management of general partners. In July 2020, both Hugh Anderson and Justin Hart were promoted to the partnership.
Practice head(s):
Rob Jackson; David Collins; Rolf Lindsay ; Caroline Williams
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Walkers’ emphasis on exceptional client service, knowledge of the client’s business and the regulatory requirements surrounding it, and their commitment to always providing an appropriate team for the situation, has stood out among my experiences with them and in comparison to other firms we work with.’
‘Whether a partner or associate, I received their immediate attention with respect to requests regardless of the complexity. The team stays on top of project status whether they are directly involved or just looped in and worked very efficiently to keep costs and time to a minimum — organisational skills are superb.’
‘Top-notch Cayman counsel. Professional, cordial, responsive and always available to assist.’
‘They are very responsive, efficient and truly kind and enjoyable individuals to work with.’
Key clients
Apollo Global Management
BlackRock
Cerberus
Hellman & Friedman
CVC Capital Partners
Oaktree Capital Management
The Blackstone Group
The Carlyle Group
Oakhill Advisors
First Reserve Corporation
Work highlights
- Advised the founding partner of Colle Capital Partners I, LP on all aspects of the incorporation and listing of a SPAC.
- Acted as Cayman Islands legal counsel to Apollo Global Management Inc. in respect of the establishment and listing of its $750m special purpose acquisition company, Apollo Strategic Growth Capital, on the NYSE.
- Advising Vector Capital on all aspects of Cayman Islands law with respect to the formation of the SPAC, drafting the constitutional documents, shareholder approvals and board approvals for the NASDAQ listing, reviewing the S-1 and all other transaction documents.
Appleby
Appleby’s corporate work, which is carried out for a diverse range of FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies, primarily concerns international M&A, corporate restructurings, joint ventures and corporate issues for investment funds. Simon Raftopoulos leads the local corporate practice group, which fields a number of highly-rated practitioners. Structured finance specialist Benjamin Woolf, asset finance expert Liesl Richter and corporate finance specialist Jacob MacAdam are key practitioners of note. At counsel level, Dean Bennett shines in a wide variety of corporate, securities and finance transactions.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Caroline Barton ; David Bulley; Jacob MacAdam ; Dean Bennett; Liesl Richter
Testimonials
‘Confident in the quality of their advice and responsiveness.’
‘I’ve worked with Jacob MacAdam for over 10 years and he’s my first choice. Advice is always on point and he’s way more responsive than other offshore lawyers I’ve come across.’
‘Strong corporate lawyers. Ben Woolf is my contact there and is a superb lawyer.‘
Key clients
Barclays Bank Plc.
Harriman Park CLO, Ltd.
Artisan Acquisition Corp.
Exantas Capital Corp. 2020-RSO9, Ltd.
PACEfunding 2020-1
Toorak
HERO Funding 2020-1
JFIN Revolver
Whitehaven Holdings
JPMorgan Chase Bank
CIFC Funding 2020-I, Ltd.
Deerpath Capital CLO
Jamestown CLO
Marble Point CLO
Monroe Capital
Signature Bank
JPMorgan Chase Bank
Société Générale
Morgan Stanley
First Republic Bank
Marvell Technology Group
Work highlights
- Acted as Cayman Islands legal counsel to Harriman Park CLO, Ltd., an issuer of collateralised loan obligations.
- Acted as Cayman Islands counsel to Barclays Bank Plc and the other initial purchasers in a private offering of $850m in principal amount of senior secured notes offered by two newly-formed Spirit subsidiaries and guaranteed by Spirit Airlines, Inc.
- Acted as counsel to JP Morgan in relation to a credit facility to Tiger Global Private Investment Partners XI, a subsidiary of Tiger Global Management to fund investments and operating expenses.
Campbells
At Campbells, the corporate team demonstrates ‘impressive technical skills’, applied by lawyers who ‘approach complex problems and transactions by providing sound advice’. The department, which is spearheaded by Alan Craig, is noted for handling cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate reorganisations, as well as insurance matters. Cited for his ability to ‘tackle technical and complex issues well’, Richard Spencer most notably assists start-ups and established technology companies with corporate structuring and fundraising issues. Promoted to partnership in September 2020 and April 2021, respectively, the ‘first-rate and approachable‘ Damien Magee and ‘very good lawyer‘ Charlie Pywell are other standout practitioners. Kristy-Anne Leith, who is a senior associate, plays a crucial supporting role in many deals.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Richard Spencer ; Damien Magee; Charlie Pywell; Kristy-Anne Leith
Testimonials
‘Campbells has impressive technical skills and a lot of experience coordinating demands from shareholders in different jurisdictions.’
‘I work more frequently with Charlie Pywell and Alan Craig. Alan is the relationship partner, always readily available to provide assistance. Charlie is a very good lawyer with impressive technical knowledge.’
‘The Corporate Team at Campbells is outstanding, response times are very good and the lawyers approach complex problems and transactions with sound advice.’
‘Richard Spencer is very good and tackles technical and complex issues well.’
‘My contact is Damien Magee. He is first-rate, approachable, with a great legal ability combined with significant market knowledge and awareness.’
Key clients
Liberty Latin America / Cable and Wireless
Genworth Financial
Fidelity Bank
Barrick Gold
Phillips 66
Avon Cosmetics
United Therapeutics
L Brands Inc.
Rand Group
Zimmer Biomet
Work highlights
- Advised Nubank on its Series G financing round, which cumulatively raised $1.15bn from investors including Berkshire Hathaway.
- Acting as funds and litigation counsel to Deloitte which is a liquidator of Abraaj Investment Management Limited.
- Advised Fairfax Africa Holdings Corporation on the Cayman aspects of a transaction in which it acquired limited partnership interests in a Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership.
Conyers
Conyers’ corporate team handles high-value offshore M&A transactions from an array of sectors, including the technology, mining, insurance, telecoms, financial, pharma and oil and gas industries. Recently, the group has exhibited knowledge of cross-border business combinations that use special purpose acquisition companies, which are a key area of expertise for counsel Alex Davies , who joined from Mourant in 2020. Practice lead Matthew Stocker also specialises in corporate restructurings, IPOs, preference share deals, aircraft and vessel registrations and investment funds-related corporate advice. Venture capital expert Nicholas Pattman and Cayman office head Kevin Butler are further names to note.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Very knowledgeable on the legal side but also find practical solutions for clients. Extremely responsive and quick to deliver.’
‘High level of trust and willingness to work together as a team. The quality of the work and speed of delivery are outstanding.’
Key clients
Roivant Sciences Ltd
IFM Global Infrastructure Fund
Chrysaor
DeepGreen Metals Inc.
Despegar
Crescera and Vulcan Capital
Recruit Holdings
Work highlights
- Advising Roivant Sciences Ltd. on Cayman Islands and Bermuda law aspects on its corporate restructuring and IPO via business combination with Montes Archimedes Acquisition Corp. (MAAC) to create publicly traded Biopharma and Health Technology company.
- Advised IFM Global Infrastructure fund on the Cayman Islands aspects of its proposed acquisition of a 22.7% stake in Naturgy, a Spanish multinational natural gas and electrical energy utilities company, valued at $6.13bn.
- Advised Chrysaor, the UK’s leading independent North Sea oil and gas group, on its merger with Premier Oil plc through a reverse takeover which included the reorganisation of Premier’s existing debt and cross-currency swaps.
Bedell Cristin
Bedell Cristin’s corporate team advises a mixture of local and international clients on corporate and commercial matters. Among the key areas of strength are M&A deals, joint ventures and group restructurings. Joss Morris leads the group, which in 2020 saw the arrival of Stephen Nelson from Collas Crill as well as the retirements of Sophia Harris and Nick Reid .
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Carey Olsen
Noted for its track record in representing London Stock Exchange-listed companies, Carey Olsen’s corporate team primarily handles public and private M&A transactions, corporate restructurings, private equity transactions and specialist shareholder advice. It is particularly active in the private equity space, where it advises on M&A, fundings, recapitalisations and divestments which involve Cayman Island incorporated companies. Managing partners Nick Bullmore and Jarrod Farley , as well as finance specialists Richard Munden and Alistair Russell , all have vast experience in this area.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘I find the team to be top drawer for corporate work. Highly detailed. Overall the practice takes a very collegiate approach which is very unusual at offshore firms but it means that as a client we always feel highly supported.’
‘Richard Munden is excellent in terms of technical ability, is highly responsive and quick to spot the relevant issues. He is our go-to for anything complex. ’
Key clients
Evonik Industries
Dart group
Emergent Capital
Gympass
Kavak
Konfio
London Stock Exchange
Maximus Technologies
Nothing
Nuvemshop
Ray Lab
Take Blip
Work highlights
- Advised the London Stock Exchange group on its public acquisition of Refinitiv.
- Advising the Dart group of companies on its participation in the first public-private partnership (PPP) transaction in the Cayman Islands.
- Advised Mexican online used vehicle platform Kavak on its successful Series D funding round of $485m, which valued the company at $4bn.
Collas Crill
Presided over by Alan de Saram, Collas Crill‘s team regularly acts for multinational clients, including large sovereign wealth funds, investing either via Cayman structures or into local companies, joint ventures and funds. As well as being particularly active in the fintech, blockchain and cryptocurrency spaces, it also has capabilities in mandates involving capital markets, including SPACs. Promoted to partner in 2020, Natalie Bell also advises on M&A, joint ventures and corporate reorganisations.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
WeDoctor
Axiom Asia
Abu Dhabi Al Islami UK
Work highlights
- Advised a medical health technology platform, in readiness for an IPO, on the restructuring of various Cayman holding companies and on general corporate law issues.
- Acting for the borrower, an Asian-based investment manager, on two fund finance facilities, reviewing the lending documents from a Cayman law perspective.
- Acted for a Middle Eastern bank in respect of a major financing.
Stuarts Walker Hersant Humphries
At Stuarts Walker Hersant Humphries, the corporate practice mainly assists clients with company and investment fund incorporations, regulatory issues, private equity matters, disposals and group reorganisations. Managing director Chris Humphries , in particular, is singled out as ‘very knowledgeable and helpful on matters related to investments generally and also general corporate and commercial matters‘. Another practitioner to note is senior associate Megan Wright.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Responsive, strong local knowledge.’
‘Very responsive.’
‘Stuarts possess a wide range of skill sets which we like to employ on various Cayman law-specific matters. They have provided valued support on both commercial and contentious matters over the years. Service level is consistently good and prompt. The team is very personable and very broadly knowledgeable about current affairs in Cayman.’
‘Chris Humphries is very knowledgeable and helpful on matters related to investments generally and also general corporate and commercial matters.’
Key clients
Citibank
Goldman Sachs Asset Management
Banco Bradesco
IndusInd Bank Limited
Kensington Management Group
WM Partners LP
CTMH Hospital
Jetstream Aviation Capital
International Infrastructure Finance Company
Cerberus Business Finance, LLC
Work highlights
- Advised Lion Capital on bringing its Cayman Islands entities into compliance with the new Private Funds Law and registration of the entities with the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority.
- Advised 12 Peers Capital Markets, a Cayman Islands exempted company registered with the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority, on becoming a registered person under the Securities Investment Business Act.
- Acting for Goldman Sachs Asset Management on a large credit facility.