Firm Profile > Mourant > St Peter Port, Guernsey
Mourant Offices
ROYAL CHAMBERS
ST JULIAN'S AVENUE
ST PETER PORT
GY1 4HP
Guernsey
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Mourant > The Legal 500 Rankings
Banking and finance Tier 1
Mourant has expertise in fund finance, acting for both managers and banks, as well as real estate finance, including structured deals and work for non-bank lenders. M&A acquisition finance and shipping finance are more niche areas in which the firm has handled deals. Caroline Chan has a track record of handling sensitive restructurings as well as real estate finance, while Darren Bacon and John Lewis are active in fund financing transactions for well-known borrowers. Helen Wyatt focuses on banking sector transactions against highly complex regulatory backdrops. Frances Watson also acts for borrowers and lenders, including non-bank lenders, with John Rochester particularly active in UK real estate deals. Dylan Latimer, previously a counsel at the firm, is now a partner at Bedell Cristin.
Testimonials
‘I found the team really helpful; they were happy to turn things at the last minute and followed up with us on the transaction to make sure they were available when needed.’
‘The team have been particularly helpful with their detailed knowledge of local practice.’
Capital markets Tier 1
Mourant's corporate practice handles capital markets work, ranging from the Guernsey elements of cross-border IPOs, listed funds work, debt capital markets and public M&A, among other matters. Darren Bacon handles listed fund share issuance mandates, while Caroline Chan's work include note listings, with John Rochester also handling note issuances. Frances Watson's practice includes, among other matters, equity capital markets. Blockchain is another area of expertise for the firm.
Testimonials
‘The team has a good grasp of the markets, how they work and what is needed, without over-complicating issues.’
‘Very good for listed funds.’
‘Frances Watson is very responsive and gives practical advice.’
Key clients
Chenavari Capital Solutions
Funding Circle SME Income Fund
John Laing Infrastructure Fund
LondonMetric Property
Investec World Axis
Corporate and M&A Tier 1
Mourant covers the range of Guernsey corporate work, from Guernsey corporate structures holding UK real estate through to locally significant deals with assets on-island. Darren Bacon's practice includes Guernsey elements of heavyweight UK real estate deals, as well as public M&A. John Lewis is another notable for real estate work. Helen Wyatt has expertise in corporate service provider deals, and handles work for leading names in private equity and their portfolio companies. John Rochester is also active in heavyweight deals in highly regulated sectors, including public M&A, as is Frances Watson. Counsel Alex Davies has a track record in doing public M&A, as has senior associate Alana Gillies.
Testimonials
‘The Mourant team is great to work with, they are very knowledgeable, but at the same time friendly and they work well under time pressure’.
‘Alana Gilles and Helen Wyatt are very talented, responsive and have a vast knowledge of the legal landscape in Guernsey. They understand client needs and provide clear and concise advice. I have worked with them for the past 3 years and they are my go-to counsel for Guernsey advice’.
Key clients
Brockton
Brookfield
European Forest Resources Holding
Goldman Sachs
John Laing Infrastructure Fund
LabTech Investments
Link Administration
Pallinghurst Resources
Sky Bet
Dispute resolution Tier 1
The practice at Mourant acts on the full range of instructions from its roster of multinational financial institutions, trustees and liquidator clients. Recent highlights saw the team acting in a number of highly-publicised, multi-jurisdictional insolvency instructions as well as complex trust litigation, breach of contract claims, regulatory disputes, fund litigation and corporate crime matters. The team, which includes industry-leading litigators such as Gordon Dawes, Jeremy Wessels, Robert Shepherd, Abel Lyall and the firm's managing partner Jessica Roland, also represents a number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals concerning challenges to Tax Information Exchange Agreements (TIEAs), negligence claims and beneficiary disputes. Dawes and counsel Chantel Barrett handle insurance work for, among others, the Medical Protection Society. Roland is scheduled to take the role of Deputy Bailiff, a senior full-time judicial post, in May 2020.
Testimonials
‘One of very few leading dispute resolution teams in Guernsey, with strength and depth beyond its jurisdictional boundaries.’
‘Jeremy Wessels is simply the best.’
‘Chris Edwards is able, sensible and personable.’
‘Abel Lyall is able by name and nature.’
‘Rob Shepherd is tremendous with clients.’
‘A broadly based stable of capable litigators in both Jersey and Guernsey coupled with a wider offshore presence.’
‘Jeremy Wessels, Gordon Dawes, Abel Lyall and Chris Edwards are all very responsive and technically sharp experienced court litigators.’
Key clients
Bank Julius Baer
Bank of New York Mellon
Butterfield Bank
Butterfield Trust
Credit Suisse
Deloitte
EFG Private Bank
Grant Thornton
HSBC
Insurance Corporation of the Channel Islands
Investec
Kleinwort Hambros
KPMG
Lloyds Bank
Macquarie Bank
Praxis
Royal Bank of Canada
Royal Bank of Scotland
Sir David Barclay
Saudi British Bank
Employment Tier 1
Mourant regularly handles the employment aspects of significant corporate transactions for global banks, funds administrators and other financial services institutions. Specific mandates involve redundancy programmes, pension issues, data protection and executive exits. The team is led by Jessica Roland, who also acts on contentious issues such as unfair dismissal and allegations of criminal activity and harassment, as well as strategic-level non-contentious work. Roland will take the role of Deputy Bailiff effective May 2020.
Testimonials
‘The team always ensure that they have a comprehensive understanding of our organisation so they can advise appropriately.’
‘Senior associate Rachel Guthrie always has a calm approach, no matter what the situation.’
Insurance Tier 1
Mourant has a particular strength in handling long-term insurance policy transfers, with the team being instructed by leading insurance companies on some of the most significant recent deals. John Lewis and Helen Wyatt are recognised as leading lawyers in the insurance field, regularly advising on the structuring and acquisition of captive insurance vehicles, insurance-linked securities and regulatory elements of corporate transactions. The client list is comprised of multinational insurance companies and locally-held captive insurance companies, while Gordon Dawes and Chantal Barrett are the names to note for insurance-related litigation.
Key clients
Alternative Risk Management
Artex Risk Solutions
Aon Insurance Managers (Guernsey)
Aviva
Axa Wealth
Barbican Reinsurance
Canada Life
Charles Taylor
Equitable Life
Equity Insurance (ERS)
Generali Worldwide Insurance Company
Insurance Corporation of the Channel Islands
Islands Insurance
Legal & General
Marsh Management Services Guernsey
NFU Mutual
Prudential
Rothesay Life
Scottish Equitable
States of Guernsey
The Medical Protection Society (including Dental Protection Limited)
The Medical Defence Union
The Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland
Willis Towers Watson Management (Guernsey)
Commercial property Tier 2
Mourant enjoys a strong flow of commercial property mandates from domestic and international lenders, developers, buyers and utilities companies. Mark Torode leads the team on regular high-value property sales and purchases, lettings, construction contracts and planning matters. Another regular seam of work sees the team, with associate Laura Bougourd often assisting, handling the property aspects of corporate acquisitions and disposals by way of share purchase agreements.
Testimonials
‘Mourant Ozannes is responsive, diligent and always approachable on any transaction.‘
‘Mourant Ozannes is always prepared to go that extra mile.‘
‘Mourant has an excellent commercial property team. They are all very approachable and commercially minded. They work with client to find solutions to problems to keep the deal on track.’
‘Laura Bougourd is one member of the team who particularly stands out as being proactive, responding quickly to enquiries and being willing to work with clients within their timeframes.’
Key clients
Healthspan Group
Vista Groups
HSBC Bank
Guernsey Electricity
Investec (Channel Islands)
Lloyds Bank International
McAulay (Market Buildings)
Red Carnation Group
Sarnia Properties
The Royal Bank of Canada
Investment funds Tier 2
Mourant handles a range of work, including complex mandates relating to leading listed funds. Caroline Chan has listed funds expertise, as does Darren Bacon; in private funds, Frances Watson also handles billion-dollar fundraisings, as well as complex work concerning open-ended funds. Senior associate Alana Gillies is active in advising leading private equity firms. Dylan Latimer is now at Bedell Cristin.
Testimonials
‘The team has a thorough grasp of the sector and issues affecting listed funds, with advice delivered in an efficient manner.’
‘Frances Watson is very calm but clearly on top of all the issues, without over-complicating the points.’
‘Excellent on listed funds.’
‘Frances Watson gives excellent practical advice and is extremely user-friendly.’
‘One of the leading firms for funds work.’
‘Darren Bacon is responsive, commercial, easy to deal with and very strong across a broad range of fund types.’
‘For funds work, the three leading firms are Mourant Ozannes, Carey Olsen and Ogier. To be a top funds practice in Guernsey, you need to be a team that knows when to be hands-off (ie letting lead counsel in London run the deal) and when to be hands-on, and a team that is able to come up quickly with good solutions to problems that arise. Ideally, you also need to be strong at both private funds and listed funds. The Mourant team is very good because it has all these key characteristics’.
Key clients
Aberdeen Asset Management
Actis Capital
AXA Investment Management
Blackstone
HgCapital
Investec
Norvestor
OpCapita
Pantheon
SQN Capital
Private client, trusts and tax Tier 2
Mourant works seamlessly with its global presence to offer an international-focussed service to an expansive client roster of private client, trust companies and multinational financial services companies. Practice head Matthew Guthrie and Mark Torode handle non-contentious matters including the establishment of significant trust, foundation and underlying corporate structures, multi-jurisdictional restructuring exercises and the sale of businesses held within trust structures. The team has further expertise in developing, maintaining and winding-up pension schemes and employee-benefit trusts, and can call upon a strong disputes team for trust litigation. Senior associates Catherine Moore and Chris Duncan play a significant role in a substantial list of non-contentious and contentious issues respectively.
Testimonials
‘The team combines various levels of seniority and experience to ensure that work is generally carried out at the right level. Matthew Guthrie and Catherine Moore are accessible, friendly and knowledgeable.’
‘The preeminent Guernsey team for non-contentious trusts matters.’
‘Of all the offshore law firms, Mourant really understand private wealth. Their team has strength in depth and breadth and the quality of their lawyers is second to none.’
‘Matthew Guthrie is professional, client-centred, creative, pragmatic and talented. He understands the law, and more importantly partners with us to apply it in novel ways to meet our client requirements. He is available whenever we need him.’
‘Matthew Guthrie is significantly technically ahead of his competition and his team benefits from that expertise.’
‘Matt Guthrie is the standout lawyer in Guernsey. He combines excellent intellect with superb client handling skills and great commerciality.’
Key clients
Albany Trust Company Limited
Albecq Trust Company Limited
Butterfield Trust (Guernsey) Limited
Credit Suisse Trust Limited
Deutsche Bank
Intertrust
Julius Baer
Nerine Trust Company Limited
Northern Trust
PraxisIFM Group
Rothschild Trust (Guernsey) Limited
Royal Bank of Canada
Saffery Champness
St Peters Trust
Trident Trust
Trust Corporation International
Mourant > Firm Profile
Mourant Ozannes is one of the leading offshore law firms, advising on the laws of the BVI, the Cayman Islands, Guernsey and Jersey.
The firm: The firm has 59 partners and over 500 staff in six offices, spanning Asian, American and European time zones; and is the exclusive Lex Mundi member firm for Guernsey and Jersey. Lex Mundi is an exclusive worldwide network of top-tier independent law firms that provides for the exchange of professional information about the local and global practice and development of law; facilitates and disseminates communications among its members; and improves members’ ability to serve the needs of their respective clients.
Types of work undertaken: Banking and finance: the partners working in this area are experts in their field with practices that span the full range of offshore banking and finance work. The team acts for lenders, borrowers, arrangers, issuers, managers, trustees and other finance parties and advises 80% of the world’s top 50 banks (Bankers Almanac, 2015). The firm is regularly appointed as listing sponsor to debt securities listed on the International Stock Exchange.
Corporate: the firm’s corporate lawyers bring their expertise, versatility and problem-solving approach to bear on a full range of corporate transactions, whether small or large in scale. Known internationally for its work on the most complex and demanding transactions, the firm advises more FTSE 100 & 250 companies than any other offshore law firm (Corporate Adviser Rankings Guide, 2016).
Employment: the team provides specialist employment law advice. The team of highly experienced lawyers predominantly advises large and medium sized employers and the offshore operations of many global financial institutions. The firm has the largest dedicated employment team in Guernsey.
Financial services and regulatory: the firm’s financial services and regulatory practice draws together expertise on the conduct of regulated financial services, insurance and banking business in Guernsey. the firm provides highly commercial and focused legal advice in relation to a full range of offshore regulatory issues and problems that arise for financial service providers, regulators and governments.
Funds: the funds team has an international reputation as one of the leading investment funds practices in Guernsey. Advising on the formation, structuring and regulation of investment funds and providing ongoing legal advice to funds and fund managers. Mourant Ozannes is regularly appointed as listing sponsor to funds listed on the International Stock Exchange.
Insolvency and restructuring: involved in the largest and most high-profile insolvency-related cases in Guernsey, often cross-border in practice, the firm provides efficient co-ordinated advice on all aspects of complex corporate restructurings.
Insurance: the firm advises on the establishment, regulatory compliance and business operations of insurance and reinsurance companies and advises insurance managers and brokers based in Guernsey, as well as client companies seeking to carry on insurance business or transact business with locally-based insurers.
International trusts and private client: the international trusts and private client team contains some of the most experienced and well regarded trust and private client advisers, litigators and draftsmen in the offshore world. Their overriding aim is to provide exceptional client service through a substantial, integrated team covering both contentious and non-contentious matters in each jurisdiction.
Litigation: involved in some of the most high-profile disputes in Guernsey and international cross-border cases, the litigation team has experience advising on substantial multi-jurisdictional freezing orders; three-way disputes between funds, investment managers and custodians; breach of confidentiality, international succession disputes; insolvency and all manner of heavy commercial, common law and civil litigation.
Property: Mourant Ozannes’ highly skilled and experienced Guernsey property law team is focused on providing expert commercial and residential property advice. As one of the largest property law teams in Guernsey, the firm has the strength, depth and experience clients can rely on to assist them with all of their property needs.
Other offices: BVI, Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Jersey, London
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global managing partner | Jonathan Rigby | ||
| Senior partner | Robert Shepherd | ||
| Managing partner, Guernsey | Jessica Roland | ||
| Banking and finance | Darren Bacon | ||
| Banking and finance | Caroline Chan | ||
| Banking and finance | John Lewis | ||
| Banking and finance | John Rochester | ||
| Banking and finance | Helen Wyatt | ||
| Banking and finance | Frances Watson | ||
| Corporate | Darren Bacon | ||
| Corporate | Caroline Chan | ||
| Corporate | Gavin Farrell | ||
| Corporate | John Lewis | ||
| Corporate | John Rochester | ||
| Corporate | Helen Wyatt | ||
| Corporate | Frances Watson | ||
| Employment | Jessica Roland | ||
| Employment | Robert Shepherd | ||
| Financial services and regulatory | Abel Lyall | ||
| Financial services and regulatory | Caroline Chan | ||
| Financial services and regulatory | Christopher Edwards | ||
| Financial services and regulatory | Darren Bacon | ||
| Financial services and regulatory | Jeremy Wessels | ||
| Financial services and regulatory | John Lewis | ||
| Financial services and regulatory | Robert Shepherd | ||
| Financial services and regulatory | Helen Wyatt | ||
| Financial services and regulatory | Frances Watson | ||
| Funds | Darren Bacon | ||
| Funds | John Lewis | ||
| Funds | Caroline Chan | ||
| Funds | Helen Wyatt | ||
| Insolvency and restructuring | Abel Lyall | ||
| Insolvency and restructuring | Christopher Edwards | ||
| Insolvency and restructuring | Jeremy Wessels | ||
| Insolvency and restructuring | John Lewis. | ||
| Insolvency and restructuring | Caroline Chan | ||
| Insolvency and restructuring | Helen Wyatt | ||
| Insolvency and restructuring | Frances Watson | ||
| Insurance | John Lewis | ||
| Insurance | Helen Wyatt | ||
| Insurance | Frances Watson | ||
| Intellectual property | Jessica Roland | ||
| International trusts and private client | Abel Lyall | ||
| International trusts and private client | Christopher Edwards | ||
| International trusts and private client | Jeremy Wessels | ||
| International trusts and private client | Jim Edmonson | ||
| International trusts and private client | Matthew Guthrie | ||
| International trusts and private client | Robert Shepherd | ||
| Litigation | Abel Lyall | ||
| Litigation | Christopher Edwards |
Lawyer Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
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Darren Bacon | View Profile | |
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Caroline Chan | View Profile | |
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Gordon Dawes | View Profile | |
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Christopher Edwards | View Profile | |
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Matthew Guthrie | View Profile | |
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John Lewis | View Profile | |
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Abel Lyall | View Profile | |
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John Rochester | View Profile | |
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Jessica Roland | View Profile | |
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Mr Robert Shepherd | View Profile | |
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Mark Torode | View Profile | |
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Frances Watson | View Profile | |
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Jeremy Wessels | View Profile | |
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Helen Wyatt | View Profile |