Appleby is the only multi-jurisdictional offshore law firm on the island and is therefore well placed to handle a large volume of polycentric mandates, particularly in the area of M&A, restructuring and complex private equity deals. Kyle Sutherland is qualified in both the Isle of Man and BVI and is an expert in both corporate and capital markets deals, particularly in relation to property investment. Juan Thornley is particularly active in financial services M&A, with further M&A expertise contributed by Garry Manley who is adept in cross-border mandates having previously worked in London, Hong Kong and New York - he has a track record of work for asset managers. Tom Brook, who is highly skilled in M&A and restructuring, was a June 2019 partner promotion. Senior associate Katherine Johnson, who 'provides solid advice on corporate matters', is also recommended.
Corporate and commercial in Isle Of Man
Appleby
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Kyle Sutherland; Juan Thornley; Garry Manley; Katherine Johnson
Testimonials
‘Juan Thornley is responsive, available, willing to assist. The team are very responsive, efficient and give very practical advice. We really appreciate the high quality of service they provide to us.’
‘Kyle Sutherland is one of our valued and trusted advisers. He always provides advice efficiently and pragmatically, and works very well with our team.’
‘Katherine Johnson was responsive, efficient and great to work with – she provides solid advice on corporate matters.’
‘Garry Manley is knowledgeable and responsive.’
Key clients
Playtech Plc
Ferrous Resources Limited
Santander
Thomas Miller Investment (Isle of Man)
SBTech (Global) Limited
Basalt Infrastructure Partners
Work highlights
- Advised RBS on the transfer of the Isle of Man Bank business to The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited, through a court-sanctioned transfer scheme.
- Acted as Isle of Man counsel to Basalt Infrastructure Partners on its acquisition of the entire issued share capital of AIM-listed Manx Telecom through a scheme of arrangement.
- Acted as Isle of Man counsel to SBTech (Global) Limited on its merger with DraftKings and Diamond Eagle Acquisition Corp. The deal value the combined business at £3.3 billion.
Cains
Cains is the largest independent firm on the island and 'offers City service and expertise' with 'a strong pool of experienced, talented and professionals'. Tristan Head jointly leads the team and has extensive experience in a range of deals, often focussing on the financial services industry. Fellow practice head Scott Leonard-Morgan has a similar focus on M&A, with a number of deals in both the technology and financial services sectors. Stephanie Chew, who adopts a 'clear, concise and no-nonsense approach' is also recommended. Turning to more junior lawyers, associate Matthew Wilkinson regularly advises on cross-border instructions. Richard Vanderplank is a consultant at the firm, whereas Andrew Corlett is now chairman of Nedgroup Trust.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Cains have a great company culture supported by a strong pool of experienced and talented professionals which makes them the number one choice on the IOM ‘
‘They are very responsive, deliver on our demanding requirements on local counsel and are able to understand the interplay between the various jurisdictions and transaction documents across a deal – not just the Manx law piece.’
‘Tim Shepherd is a pre-eminent partner and provides astute advice and support in corporate and commercial matters – particularly on the financing aspects.’
‘Matthew Wilkinson is very responsive and easy to work with. He is excellent at spotting the commercial issues and is on top of the local law requirements to make sure that the deal gets through the line – operates above his pay grade and definitely an associate to watch.’
‘Scott Leonard Morgan is an excellent corporate lawyer. Offers City service and expertise – that’s the differentiator against many of the other firms. The team at Cains are always very responsive, knowledgeable and pragmatic. ‘
‘Tristan Head has integrity as well as a commercial approach. They are a very commercially orientated team who are prepared to go the full distance to help a client with the provision of quality advice and guidance delivered in a joined up manner.’
‘Stephanie Chew brings a clear, concise and no nonsense approach, extremely dedicated and hard-working for the benefit of her clients.’
Key clients
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank PJSC
AIG Asset Management (Europe) Limited
Allied Irish Banks Plc
AMP Capital Investors
AngloGold Ashanti Holdings plc
ANZ Bank (Vietnam) Limited Over
Aviva Commercial Finance Limited
Banco Santander, S.A.
Bendura Bank
BNP Paribas
Brydg Capital
Cathay Pacific Aircraft Services Limited
Cedar Valley Bank Over
Cerberus European Investments
Champneys Health Spa Group
Chenavari Financial Group Ltd
Cheyne Capital Management
Clearbell Over
Comis Over
Credit Suisse AG Over
Danske Bank Over
Downtown Music Holdings Limited
Emirates NBD Bank PJSC
Eros International Plc
Europe Arab Bank plc
Exillion Energy PLC
Falco Capital Partners
First Names Group
Limited Over
Four Seasons Health Care
Grafton Group PlC
Heron and Brearley
Hoi Hup Realty
JTC Group Holdings Limited
Kings Park Limited
KPMG Audit LLC
Lamprell plc
Levine Leichtman Capital Partners
London Serviced Offices 3 Limited
Macquarie
Manx Telecom
Melford Capital
Myers Business Trust
National Bank of Kuwait
Nedbank Private Wealth Limited
Nomura International plc
Norwegian Cruise Line
Nua Healthcare Services
Office Space in Town
QIB (UK) plc
Republic Financial Holdings Limited
Svenska Handelsbanken
Svenska Petroleum
Exploration AB
The Law Debenture Trust
Corporation p.l.c.
The Prudential Insurance Company of America
The Stars Group (formerly Poker Stars)
Tullow Oil PLC
Urban Exposure Plc
Work highlights
- Advised Manx Telecom PLC in relation to an all cash acquisition of the company by Kelion Bidco Limited. The deal valued Manx Telecom at £255.9m.
- Advised Downtown Music on the $230 million acquisition of AVL Holdings Inc.
- Advised Vale S.A. in connection with its acquisition of Ferrous Resources Limited, a company that owns and operates iron ore mines closely located to Vale’s operations in Brazil.
Keystone Law
Real estate deals concerning Manx structures holding international assets are the standout strength of Keystone Law, with Geoff Kermeen and Sally Cranshaw particularly active in multi-jurisdictional matters concerning assets in the UK and beyond. Stephen Rodd also focuses on real estate deals but is also very active in the technology and gaming industries. William Margot has a track record of work including mergers and acquisitions in the corporate service provider space, among other deals inside and outside the regulated financial services industry.
Testimonials
‘An extensive framework of professionals covering a myriad of matters with experience to act beyond the local jurisdiction.’
‘Stephen Rodd is a please to work with, attentive and attuned to the specific needs of our business.’
‘Excellent team, with deep knowledge of local law relating to trusts/companies. ‘
‘William Margot has been very helpful, understands local company laws and very helpful with related issues.’
Key clients
Henley Investments and its subsidiaries
Manx Telecom Trading Limited
Greenridge Investment Management and its subsidiaries
Hill Robinson Management Limited
Ocorian
Rockpool Investments LLP / Boston Group Newco IOM
Fundamentum Social Housing REIT plc
Work highlights
- Acted as lead Isle of Man counsel on Ocorian’s acquisition of Estera.
- Advising Fundamentum Social Housing in relation to the structure and admission of up to 350,000,000 ordinary shares in Fundamentum Social Housing REIT plc on The International Stock Exchange.
- Advised Rockpool Investments LLP on the management buyout of Boston Limited.
DQ
DQ has revamped its corporate team with the arrival of new practice head Andrew Harding, who returned to the island from Appleby's Guernsey office. He is particularly strong in restructuring, corporate governance and private investment structures. Managing partner Mark Dougherty shares leadership of the team, handling a range of corporate and commercial mandates. Senior associate Adam Killip, who has worked on corporate issues concerning property , trusts and fintech, and Donna Matthews who advises on the commercial aspects of trusts and shipping, are also recommended.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘The DQ team are friendly, responsive and approachable. Their knowledge basis is extensive and there is always someone on hand to assist. Their data protection knowledge is second to none. ‘
‘They are super responsive to queries and give detailed assistance as and when required. Their friendliness and willingness to achieve sometimes short deadlines make them stand head and shoulders above some other competitors. ‘
‘Their combination of legal and regulatory expertise is particularly useful given the services typically required for clients operating in the jurisdiction.’
‘Andrew Harding is responsive, commercial and very bright. He is a trusted corporate adviser and has a strong expertise in investment funds.’
‘Adam Killip is very easy to deal with, extremely knowledgeable and always under promises and over delivers. Hos services are offered at a good market price and we completely trust Adam to do a great job for us. ‘
‘Adam always completes his work for us in. timely manner and we can always trust in his advice. Adam has built up a great reputation in the sector and is always our “go to” advocate for all nature of work.’
Key clients
GVC Group
H/2 Capital Partners
Cavendish Trust Company Limited
The Montreux Healthcare Fund plc
National Asset Management Agency
Nomura Securities International
Montreux Capital Management
BoyleSports
TLC Consolidated ULC
Addleshaw Goddard
SMP Partners Limited
Equiom (Isle Of Man) Limited
Cavendish Trust Company Limited
Turnstone (Isle of Man) Limited
Dohle Corporate and Trust Services Limited
Geodrill Limited
Baker Tilly
Work highlights
- Advising TLC on the Isle of Man aspects of the acquisition of The K Club in Ireland.
- Advising on Isle of Man aspects of the acquisition by BoyleSports of certain William Hill subsidiaries which are licensed bookmakers in Isle of Man, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland.
Long & Humphrey
For some, Long & Humphrey is 'one of the few independent offshore firms left in the market that is big enough to provide a full corporate service; they retain their personal touch and provide superb support and advice to clients.' Matthew Kinrade leads the practice and has broad expertise in corporate and commercial law, but is very active in advising tech startups on the island. He is supported by Eleanor Heywood Jones who 'can be relied upon time again to provide efficient timely advice'.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Long & Humphrey provide a very personal service and are extremely client focussed. Their staff are always available to help and are all knowledgeable and experienced in their fields. ‘
‘Long & Humphrey is one of the few independent off-shore firms left in the market that is big enough to provide a full corporate service; they retain their personal touch, are competitive on price (unlike a lot of off-shore peers) and provide superb support and advice to clients.’
‘The team at Long & Humphrey provide practical and pragmatic advice and will always work with their clients to deliver the optimum outcome.’
‘A very strong team who are always available and respond promptly with relevant and commercial opinions.’
‘Good knowledge of the difficulties involved with drafting Share Purchase Agreements. Matt Kinrade gives an excellent level of service, even out-of-hours, which is highly important to keep transactions on time scale – also good negotiating skills, too.’
‘Eleanor Heywood Jones has a keen eye for detail without losing sight of the bigger picture.’
Key clients
Manx Financial Group plc
Agronomics Limited
Flix Facilities
Work highlights
- Advised selling shareholder on the leveraged management buyout of a leading corporate service provider with offices in the Isle of Man, Malta and Dubai
- Advised upon a $77m company disposal and subsequent share buyback arrangement
- Advised Agronomics Limited upon the Isle of Man law elements of its placing of 90,000,000 new ordinary shares and their admission to trading.
Simcocks
Simcocks is adept in real estate transactions, M&A and corporate restructuring. Key members of the team include practice head Irini Newby, who is particularly strong in real estate transactions, and Alex Spencer, who focuses on M&A and general corporate work. Associate Kevin O’Loughlin is also recommended.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Charterhouse Lombard Limited
Schroders
MannBenham Advocates Limited
MannBenham Advocates Limited has been advising clients on a range of corporate matters, often involving advisory, compliance and licensing issues pertaining to emerging industries on island such as gaming, fintech and blockchain. Carly Stratton leads the team and works alongside name partner Miles Benham and senior counsel Paul Beckett.
Key clients
AceKing
Castletown Administration
IPSP
Isle of Man Government/Spark Impact
Manx Deaf Society
The Manx Credit Union
Tindle Newspapers
Work highlights
- Advised the Isle of Man Government in relation to its approved Enterprise Development Scheme.
- Obtained a licence for a company called AceKing to operate online poker sites in the Isle of Man.
- Advising blockchain companies on general commercial and regulatory issues.
Quinn Legal
Quinn Legal adopts a full-service model to clients and according to one, 'what makes them unique against other law firms is that no job has been too big or small'. Stephen Savage leads the team and advises on various regulatory, governance, licensing and structuring matters. Peter Cannell is another key name and stands out for his work advising charities and their governance. Data protection is another area of expertise.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘The team are very helpful, everybody you meet in Quinn Legal provides assistance at every level.’
‘We approached them for legal advice while we were in our startup phase and have continued to seek their guidance across a range of corporate matters as our company has grown.’
‘We have worked with them across a range of legal projects over the years, including everything from legal opinions on regulatory matters, the creation of an employee share incentive scheme, share capital restructuring, shareholders agreement and share sale to our drafting and providing internal training for our suite of GDPR policies following the regulation changes.’
‘Excellent knowledge of the options available in commercial situations, many of which have pitfalls .Flexible approach to deals.’
‘Stephen Savage was friendly, personable and professional, and mastered the brief I gave him extremely quickly when we met face to face. He clearly understood this area of law very well, and was able to give me some immediate high level advice.’
‘Peter Cannell has fantastic technical knowledge, and is excellent at presenting and training on legal topics.’
Key clients
Andreas Racing Association Limited
Bahamas Petroleum Company
Baker Tilly
CoinCorner Limited
Crogga Limited
Diabetes Isle of Man
Edgewater Associates Limited
Jessup Limited
IIC Partners Limited
IQEQ (ISLE OF MAN) Limited
LJ Skye Trustees Limited
MCH Psychological Services
Nasaleze Limited
Principal Contractors Limited
Robinsons Limited
Sentient International Limited
Seven Kingdoms Distillery
Work highlights
- Advised Crogga Limited with regulatory matters, refinancing, employment law and governance.
- Assisted MCH Psychological Services with changes required to core purposes, structure and merger with other charities.
- Assisted Sentient International Limited with internal corporate governance matters.