Dispute resolution in Isle Of Man

‘I consider Appleby’s Manx dispute resolution team to be unmatched for complex commercial litigation, particularly for disputes that involve multiple jurisdictions and cross-cutting issues. At both partner- and associate-level, they combine deep insight into the Manx legal system with really solid tactical instincts. There is a consistency in quality across all levels of seniority and a striking ability to scale up a team to handle urgent interim relief applications.’

‘Mark Holligon has extensive experience of offshore dispute resolution, and is a forceful advocate. He is very good at focusing on the important matters in a case and recognising what are subordinate issues. Whilst his associates tend to deal with matters on a day to day basis, he supervises them closely, and is always available to step in and give assistance and help direct the case.’

‘Their main strength is the quality and depth of talent that they have. They are super professional to deal with and highly responsive. They will leverage counsel to very good effect where necessary. They are thorough and willing to use technology innovatively. Definitely the firm to go to if you need to have a robust legal battle.’

‘Mark Holligon is an excellent litigator, particularly in the insolvency disputes field. He’s extremely responsive and easy to deal with. I always feel entirely confident referring my clients to him, knowing that he will provide a great service.’

‘I worked with Charles Davies and Erin Trimble-Cregeen. They are both excellent lawyers. Charles is very accurate in the legal analysis and also very clear in legal writing: it is impressive how he can explain in simple words very difficult legal issues. Erin is extremely brilliant and creative: it is a real pleasure working with her.’

‘Mark Holligon is a particularly impressive litigator. He has a practical, results-focussed approach that places a clients strategic objectives at the heart of any matter. He marries commerciality and shrewd legal tactics and has an uncanny knack of finding out-of-the-box solutions that work. He is skilled in fraud, asset recovery and insolvency work.’

‘Erin Trimble-Cregeen has remarkable eye for detail and is extremely hard working. Her trusts expertise is outstanding. A go-to private client and contentious trusts partner of the future.’

‘Mark Holligon is skilled and has seen it all before. This makes him unflappable in a tricky situation. He is also very client and user friendly which is really important in big offshore disputes. ’

‘First class lawyers in probably the most impressive and established commercial litigation firm on the Island. They have a depth of knowledge probably unrivalled on the island. ’

‘Lindsey Bermingham. Best lawyer I’ve ever worked with, she is brilliant, thorough and exercises excellent judgement. Calm in a crisis, she has immense experience of the financial regulatory world as well as commercial litigation. Her experience, given much of the business on the Island, is unrivalled.’

‘Cains provides a Rolls Royce service, with a powerhouse reputation – both on Island and Internationally.’

‘Lindsey Birmingham is a class act. Hard working, highly articulate and a legal tactician of the very highest quality. It is like playing chess with a grandmaster, knowing she will always be one step or more ahead of her opponents.’

‘Lindsey Birmingham is a superb advocate. Her attention to detail is second to none. A pleasure to work with and a leader in her field.

‘Robert Colquitt is personable and easily approachable whilst maintaining a professional approach. He delivers expert and pragmatic advice. He is a tough litigator and gives you the confidence that he has your back.’

‘Peter Clucas provides practical advice and is proactive in bringing changes of legislation to our attention that had an impact of the work we were doing with Cains.’

‘Alexander Armstrong is one of the best lawyers I have ever worked with in 20 years of working in the international litigation and business area.’

‘This is a well rounded firm with specialists in most key areas of commercial litigation. It has a youthful and energetic team, reflecting a desire to promote from within and attract new talent. ’

‘I have worked with Mark Emery, who adopts a pragmatic and solutions-based approach to litigation.’

‘The DQ team offer a personal service and invest time into developing and nurturing client relationships. It is evident that this service is underpinned by strong relations internally, with different departments working together to deliver meet client objectives.’

‘Alexander Armstrong adopts a considered approach to litigation. He is able to distil complex legal issues into clear and comprehensive advice. Additionally, Alexander brings specific knowledge and experience in property and probate related disputes’

‘If I were on the Isle of Man and needed legal assistance they would be the first firm I would turn to. ’

‘Leanne McKeown is exceptional. She is dynamic and knowledgeable – you would want her on your side.’

‘Mark Emery is superlative – easily one of the sharpest lawyers on the Island. He is confident and commercial, and a real pleasure to work with.’

‘We work closely with Mark Emery, who is a very pleasant and professional individual to deal with. He makes you feel like your matters are his priority and his attention to detail cannot be faulted. The DQ team are very good at providing the personal touch, which hasn’t remotely wavered despite the recent global pandemic making face-to-face contact a thing of the past for now.’

‘Andrew Marshall has had to deal with some complex and potentially stressfully situations in dealing with a difficult and potentially contentious estate. He has at all times been professional, available and thoughtful in his approach and his careful handling of personalities and scenarios has helped to avoid dramas turning into crisis.’

‘Andrew Marshall is absolutely focused on resolving each matter in the best way, deploying his very considerable knowledge of the law, his clear and detailed forensic analysis, his extensive tactical experience, and his practical common sense, to find the best solution to every problem and to provide his clients with exemplary outcomes. He is absolutely first rate.’

‘The Keystone team are all very approachable and easy to work with. Gill Christian in particular makes herself available to support us and always delivers in a timely manner on a cost effective basis. ’

‘Keystone is remarkable for its breadth of coverage and ability to find expertise in-house on specialist projects. The firm brings a fresh, youthful approach to litigation without being devoid of mature, experienced counsel.’

‘Andrew Marshall is a rising star in the Manx legal landscape. He is a beacon of hope for the future – bright, energetic and humble.’

‘There was no degradation of service during lockdown as Keystone were already geared up to work remotely. The other law firms I deal with all struggled to adapt and their client service suffered as a result.’

‘I have worked with Gillian Christian on a number of contentious matters over many years. Gill has always impressed me with her sensible and pragmatic approach to problems. Gill cares about clients and their issues and she gives sound, practical advice. Gill is excellent and I would always go to her first with any contentious legal matters.’

‘I have worked with Andrew Marshall. He has always been very attentive and helpful in his guidance and also very willing to explain legal terms and issues to me at length. Above all, I trust his counsel completely. He has always been at the end of the phone when I need to speak to him and in person should it be required. ’

‘The firm stands out due to its responsive, reliable and commercially sensible approach to general legal advice and litigation. ’

‘Oliver Helfrich is an approachable, out-of-the-box thinker and one can always rely on his solid legal advice.’

‘Chiva Samani is incisive, pragmatic and strong on commercial strategy. She is always on top of the case.’

‘Athena Law is a small practice that focuses on dispute resolution, a practice area where they deliver a consistently high level of service.’

‘Chiva Samani is an aggressive litigator – a real fighter. She is someone who is not afraid to get stuck in and give a matter a real fight.’

‘Athena Law delivers an professional service with integrity combined to a genuinely courteous interaction with its clients. Billing is transparent and provided with a detailed breakdown.’

‘Chiva Samani was instrumental in our firm instructing Athena Law and the quality of knowledge displayed when dealing with various calibres of lawyers internationally was quite frankly excellent. As a team member, she led the client’s case to a successful appeal and continues to provide good quality advice. We also had the opportunity of experiencing first-hand Chiva’s advocacy skills which were impressive.’

‘You get prompt personal service and queries are dealt with efficiently. Chiva Samani personally dealt with all problems and gave excellent advice and guidance. She had total knowledge of her brief and was very very impressive.’

‘Simcocks provides an exceptional service to its clients. ’

‘The firm combines non-contentious and litigation expertise. They work unusually well together and are able to provide a seamless service to clients as a result. Unusually collaborative with counsel and clients, and have made best use of technology as a result of the pandemic. Frequent video consultations involving contentious, non-contentious lawyers, clients and counsel have ensured very effective case-handling with an eye on the bigger commercial picture.’

‘Chris Brooks wears his expertise lightly, and is an able and effective team player. He clearly has an excellent rapport with clients who rightly trust him.’

‘Elizabeth Simpson has an excellent grasp of legal principle and a very logical mind. She is also readily available, responsive, and friendly with clients. She has a great ability to build a strong rapport at speed. In the small world of Manx advocates, I consider her to be a stand-out lawyer. ’

‘Elizabeth Simpson has substantial experience of acting for life assurance companies.’

‘Elizabeth Simpson is an experienced commercial litigator who is very good with clients, with shrewd judgement as to case strategy.’

‘Simcocks are clearly a market leader in offshore and financial services work in the Isle of Man legal market. They have strength in depth and a lot of individual specialists.’

‘I work with Elisabeth Simpson who is very diligent and hardworking and in command of the detail of local financial services law. She is an excellent litigator with strong commercial and strategic instincts. She is also very client-friendly and great to work within a team.’

‘A very focused, talented and experienced team who can handle anything a client is facing. With new premises, and an expanded team, this law firm is able to assist corporates or individuals. They provide a first class service for their clients. The lawyers within the firm are talented and constantly expanding their areas of expertise in order to provide the best service they can.’

‘Vicki Unsworth is a legal dynamo. She is comfortable across the civil, criminal and regulatory spheres. She has astonishing energy, and a very keen appreciation of what is and is not important to the client. I would recommend her wholeheartedly.

‘Darren Taubitz is a very wise head on very experienced shoulders. I rate his judgement and intuition highly. ’

‘Advocates Smith Taubitz Unsworth has a magnificent criminal and regulatory team, led by a man at the very top of his game, Darren Taubitz.’

‘Darren Taubitz is an absolute powerhouse of an advocate. Highly articulate and tactically brilliant, he fights incredibly hard for all his clients, and goes the extra mile every time. He is a first class and fearsome opponent. ’

‘I have been working very closely with Darren Taubitz who has been a pleasure to work with. Darren gets on extremely well with clients and is able to explain complex matters to clients in straight forward easy to understand terms. He is also extremely professional in the way he deals with matters and determined to do the best job possible for clients. ’

‘Vicki Unsworth is super smart, solution driven and commercial in all her work. Focuses on key issues and provides appropriate and relevant advice every time. Has helped my firm isolate the key issues time after time, thereby creating value and simplifying a lot of work on the client end. I have recommended Vicki repeatedly to peers and partners. ’