Corporate and commercial in Cayman Islands

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 .

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.

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.

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.