The Legal 500 > Caribbean > Cayman Islands > Corporate and commercial

With a team of ‘quality, seasoned lawyers’, Maples Group has ‘unparalleled depth of expertise’ in Cayman corporate matters including domestic and cross-border M&A transactions, formations and constitution work, corporate restructurings, corporate governance practices and other general corporate and commercial advisory matters. The department focuses on assisting financial services, pharmaceuticals, media and energy clients and fields a dedicated Latin America group. Kieran Walsh, who co-heads the Latin America group, advised XP Inc. on the Cayman aspects of its $2.3bn IPO including handling the significantly complex shareholder arrangement negotiations. Managing partner Matthew Gardner leads the local corporate group, which includes M&A expert, Michael Johns, public company specialists Suzanne Correy and Daniel Lee, Simon Firth and regulatory practice head Christopher Capewell. Other names to note are Shari Seymour and Finn O’Hegarty.

With global financial institutions, corporations and private fund sponsors on its client roster, Mourant’s corporate team is ‘always very responsive on short notice, turns around documents quickly, and manages processes and requirements very tightly’. Led by managing partner Hayden Isbister, the department provides advice to clients on major M&A transactions, corporate restructurings, equity capital matters, joint ventures and regulatory issues. Neal Lomax has extensive experience advising on corporate transactions involving Cayman structures, while Alex Last specialises in work for private equity fund sponsors; he recently acted as Cayman counsel for CBRE Global Investment Partners on its acquisition of 25% of the interests in Cityhold Office Partnership from TIAA-CREF. Alexandra Woodcock and Ramesh Maharaj joined the team from Walkers in mid-2019. Catherine Pham and counsel Nathaniel Luker are further names to note.

At Walkers, the team advises major public and private companies across a wide range of sectors on the full spectrum of corporate and commercial law. M&A, restructuring work, joint ventures, shareholder arrangements and corporate restructurings are among the department’s key areas of strengths. In addition to Rob Jackson’s prominence in the corporate space, the team also includes David Collins, who has extensive experience advising financial institutions, hedge funds, private equity funds, corporations, issuers and institutional investors on corporate transactions. The firm has also seen continued growth in the CLO space; the practice is a key name for established managers as well as new entrants to the area. James Burch, Philip Paschalides, Paige Gaston-Thiery and senior counsel Justin Hart are the other names to note.

Alongside its insurance and reinsurance practice, Conyers has a notable reputation for offshore M&A transactions, regularly advising on cross-border matters involving the technology, mining, insurance, telecoms, financial, pharmaceuticals and oil and gas sectors. Following the retirement of Richard Fear, Matthew Stocker is now head of the corporate team while Kevin Butler remains as Cayman office head. Stocker's practice also encompasses corporate restructurings, preference share deals, aircraft and vessel registrations, and providing corporate advice to investment funds. Counsel Cora Miller is another name to note in the firm’s corporate practice.

Notably strong in the digital, blockchain and fintech industries, the multi-disciplinary corporate team at Ogier also acts for clients in the financial services, natural resources, energy, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing sectors. Handling an array of transactional and regulatory matters, the department is led by Bradley Kruger, who has a significant downstream M&A practice, handling private equity and cross-border public company transactions. Previously the firm’s global corporate and commercial head, Angus Davison is active in restructurings, mergers and reverse takeovers, while global funds finance practice head James Heinicke specialises in corporate reorganisations. Also active are Mark Santangeli and managing associate James Lydeard.

At Campbells, the corporate team has a notable track record in complex corporate reorganisations and international M&A transactions. Regularly instructed by multinational corporations and financial services providers, the group provides advice that is 'nuanced and commercial'. Managing partner John Wolf has extensive experience in the financial services sector, while corporate practice head Alan Craig receives instructions on a broad range of transactions. Richard Spencer regularly advises start-ups and established technology companies with corporate structuring and fundraising matters. Joint ventures and mining and natural resource transactions are further areas of focus for the team.

Carey Olsen has ‘assembled a team of experienced practitioners who seek direct engagement with their clients’, which includes many London Stock Exchange-listed corporations. Jointly led by managing partners Jarrod Farley and the ‘tremendously knowledgeable and approachable’ Nick Bullmore, the corporate department focuses on public and private M&A transactions, corporate restructurings, private equity transactions and specialist shareholder advice. Finance specialists Alistair Russell and Richard Munden are other names to note.

Instructed both by local corporations and international group subsidiaries based in Cayman, Bedell Cristin’s workload encompasses acquisitions, disposals, reorganisations, mergers and joint ventures across a range of sectors. Joss Morris, who recently joined from Collas Crill, is the corporate transactional lawyer to note in the jurisdiction.

Working in close conjunction with the firm’s Jersey and Guernsey offices, Collas Crill in Cayman advises stock exchange-listed companies on M&A and fields an additional technology and start-up practice, which has fintech, blockchain and cryptocurrency capabilities. Cayman managing partner Alan Desaram heads up the corporate, finance and funds department, which also has experience with corporate governance issues and includes senior associate Natalie Bell.

The corporate team at Stuarts Walker Hersant Humphries is particularly adept at handling company and investment fund incorporations, and also has experience in private equity matters, start-ups and disposals, joint ventures and group reorganisations. Managing director Chris Humphries, who also heads up the firm’s investments funds and digital, blockchain and fintech groups, acts for a range of financial institutions, investment managers and insurance companies. Senior associate Megan Wright is another name to note.