Mourant > St Peter Port, Guernsey > Firm Profile

‘Responsive and prepared to think laterally when solving problems.’

‘A high-calibre outfit who have a thorough and detailed understanding of all legal issues, and who take the time and the trouble to really understand the needs and specific requirements of their client so as to ensure that their advice is properly tailored and considered, rather than off-the-shelf advice which sits on the fence and doesn’t offer a view.’

‘John Rochester and his team are always very responsive and flexible in terms of timing requirements.’

‘Responsive and friendly team providing good support on banking matters.’

‘They were very dedicated and cared about our transaction.’

‘Responsive team, looks for solutions and advises on risks. Commercial view on client relationships and fees.’

‘Strong client service and in-depth knowledge of the law.’

‘John Rochester is superb. He is a great manager of clients and always delivers top-notch service and does it fast.’

‘Alana Gillies is a machine on a transaction. It is like having an extra player on your team. Her deal stamina and positive attitude shines through during the slog of a long transaction.’

‘Mourant has a strong corporate practice in Guernsey, and is the firm we tend to call first when we have a financial services matter. I tend to use them for insurance matters, and find that they are well versed on both the law and market practice.’

‘I have worked with John Lewis, Helen Wyatt and Andrew Grant. All are strong corporate lawyers, who have delivered a good service on some complex matters.’

‘Responsive and knowledgeable.’

‘The team has a great blend of technical legal skills and personal skills.’

‘Darren Bacon is both a very strong lawyer technically and highly experienced in the local market.’

‘Alana Gillies has great potential in the industry, she is very engaging with a real entrepreneurial drive and external relationship focus whilst still delivering a great day-to-day legal service.’

‘Gordon Dawes and Iona Mitchell are 100% committed to trying to get the best result for the client. As a relatively small jurisdiction, it is obviously important in Guernsey to be known and respected in legal circles.’

‘Gordon Dawes has a passionate commitment to getting the best result for the client.’

‘Iona Mitchell is extremely hard orking and has astute legal analysis and judgement.’

‘A top-quality Guernsey practice. One of the leading lights in the jurisdiction.’

‘Mourant is a terrific, full-service provider.’

‘Abel Lyall and Greg Coburn are creative in exploring options.’

‘It was great to witness Abel Lyall in the courtroom fighting our case. Abel also handled communication to our board of directors very well in a calm and consistent matter, accepting the highly distressed state of the board members and the challenges they faced in understanding the legal technicalities.’

‘Very experienced and tactical – Mourant’s dispute team is deserving of the highest respect in Guernsey.’

‘Sarah Huelin and Jula Le Cornu have been fantastic to work with. They are responsive and efficient and provide sensible solutions when problems arise. They have a deep knowledge of the market. They are approachable and have been a pleasure to work with.’

‘Mourant has a strong corporate practice in Guernsey, and are the firm we tend to call first when we have a financial services matter. I tend to use them for insurance matters, and find that they are well versed on both the law and market practice. They seem to be the go-to firm for insurance portfolio transfers in Guernsey, and worked on a number of high-profile transfers last year.’

‘The team has good strength in depth and excellent market knowledge and profile. They are contactable, resource matters appropriately and go the extra mile to meet demanding client timescales.’

‘Mark Chambers is exceptional.’

‘It was really good working with Jon Woolrich. He and his team were responsive with helpful advice that enabled our transaction to run smoothly.’

‘Market-leading service levels and expertise.’

‘Gareth Rigby: a go-to Jersey lawyer for finance.’

‘The Mourant banking and finance team is commercial, technical, practical and they always deliver on a project.’

‘I would highlight the team’s responsiveness and positive, can-do attitude. From our experience of working with them we know that they will not let us down when we need them to help us meet urgent client demands or work to challenging deadlines.’

‘As to partners, I would say that James Hill and Amy Demetriou really stand out. James and Amy have been very helpful on fee quotes and in helping us put together joint responses to RFPs, which have been a positive factor in helping us win work from clients.’

‘Excellent market knowledge and accessibility. Very user friendly and responsive service.’

‘We work regularly with the Mourant capital markets team on mandates for mutual clients. We deal principally with Jon Woolrich. He leads a team of experienced, pragmatic lawyers who deliver an expert client service.’

‘The stand-out individual for us is Jon Woolrich. Responsive, available, experienced, pragmatic- he has all the characteristics we look for in our Jersey counsel.’

‘Highly responsive, commercial and pragmatic, and with the bench strength needed to respond to short deadlines and large transactions.’

‘Jon Woolrich and Laura Dauny are both very responsive and have a can-do attitude. They have always accommodated our business needs and I really enjoy working with them as they are so straightforward and easy to deal with. They get the job done with minimal stress.’

‘Mourant is one of the clear market leaders in Jersey. The service we have received from the firm is first rate, in particular from Jon Woolrich.’

‘Jon Woolrich is the stand out for us – pragmatic, experienced, available and responsive – all the characteristics we need from Jersey counsel.’

‘Mourant are my go-to firm for offshore work in the Channel Islands. The team there is bright, experienced and offers superior Jersey advice and service. I would always look to work with them on Jersey/Guernsey matters.’

‘Market leading in terms of levels of service, technically sound advice and a commercial approach to matters.’

‘Paul Martin is exceptional – responsive, technically sound and very commercial – all things being equal, typically my first choice.’

‘Paul Martin is the epitome of technical quality used to determine commercial needs, in the context of getting the right solution for each client and each project.’

‘This firm has an abundance of seasoned dispute resolution professionals who have invariably worked on the largest cases in the Channel Islands.’

‘Bruce Lincoln – his integrity and professionalism shine through in his case management. His care and attention throughout matters yields very good results for his clients.’

‘Jonathan Speck – clearly a leader in the field.’

‘Exceptionally hardworking team with a diverse set of abilities.’

‘Justin Harvey Hills – tenacious advocate, unflappable under pressure. Luke Olivier is a thoughtful counsel with real tactical insight.’

‘Jonathan Speck and Stephen Alexander are very experienced and highly effective advocates, specialising in contentious trusts matters and cross-border disputes.’

‘Good strength in depth across the team with strong partner group supported by excellent associates and senior associates – team depth amongst the strongest for insolvency and restructuring in the Channel Islands.’

‘Stephen Alexander is an innovator in the restructuring field – identifying unique solutions to challenging issues whilst being approachable and easy to work with.’

‘The team is a joy to work with and is the biggest hitting and specialist financial services regulatory team in the Channel Islands.’

‘They provide focused and succinct advice on complex compliance and regulatory matters. They are specialists in their field. Key individuals include Simon Gould (extremely personable and technically brilliant) and Sarah Huelin (extensive knowledge and safe pair of hands).’

‘In addition to their depth of technical knowledge it is their ability to listen and understand the issue or query so they can ensure their advice and guidance is appropriate and accurate. Their willingness to engage, discuss and debate means their clients fully understand the issue and resolution being put forward.’

‘This team are a cohesive group who clearly work effectively together, in a modern and effective manner. They are innovative and forward thinking and seek to bring their experience and their learning from other relevant departments to bear in their regulatory and white-collar crime work.’

‘Matthew Cook leads the contentious regulatory side, and has become the go-to person in Jersey for businesses and individuals facing regulatory or financial crime issues. I have experience of him dealing with matters raised by the JFSC, the Attorney General or directly by clients. He provides reassuring and commercial advice to identify the multiple risk issues which may arise. He guides his clients through the best way to tackle each issue to achieve the best outcome.’

‘Simon Gould and Sarah Huelin lead the non-contentious side of the team. They have genuine expertise in financial services regulation built up over many years. They have been involved in the development and implementation of a number of key pieces of financial services regulation over the years and I know they have been instrumental working with government and the regulator in that regard.’

‘Mathew Cook is a well-rounded partner who gives commercial and pragmatic advice. He is proactive and sensible and steers the client through the sometimes uncharted waters of the regulatory space.’

‘A reliable, responsive and supportive employment law team who work with you to understand the people challenges, where the business wish to go and collaborate to find the right way forward.’

‘Laurie Childs has provided outstanding support on a number of complex employee relations issues. Laurie can be trusted to provide a sensible, down-to-earth, pragmatic approach to emotive and challenging people situations. He always considers different options and approaches to get to the right outcome taking into account the potential risks and exposures that the actions could bring. Lastly Laurie shows a good sense of humour – he takes the work very seriously but himself less so.’

‘Part of the success of the Mourant team is that they are always accessible and respond in a timely manner when consulted for advice. Correspondence will include all team members which ensures that any current matter can be picked up by more than one team member and also demonstrates how they collaborate within the team.’

‘The individuals that we work with are professional, knowledgeable, honest and provide an excellent service. As we have worked with Mourant for a number of years they have built a sound understanding of our business which provides a known platform for us to enter into any new discussions relating to employment matters.’

‘Laurie Childs is a particular stand out in the Mourant employment team. He is always very approachable and has been a pleasure to deal with over the years.’

‘Each person on our team believes in and cares about what we do, why and how we do it.’

‘The Mourant employment team are a great combination of highly technical, but also commercial, approachable and personable. Rather than just citing the legislation, they translate it and offer commercially viable options to clients in an accessible, but never condescending, way.’

‘Carla Benest and Laurie Childs are a formidable team in the Jersey employment arena.’

‘A team with longstanding and dedicated investment funds expertise across all asset classes but particularly real estate and private equity. Consistently responsive and technically excellent with strong transaction management skills.’

‘I mainly work with Felicia de Laat. Felicia is very experienced, technically excellent, calm under pressure and always available to talk through solutions.’

‘I’m very comfortable recommending them to clients looking to set up structures in Jersey as, in my experience, they provide an excellent level of service.’

‘Alistair Horn is always available for pragmatic, solutions-based advice and goes the extra mile where required.’

‘Daniel Birtwhistle is also absolutely outstanding.’

‘Alex Henderson is an excellent senior associate. He has a head for both client’s commercial concerns, as well as funds technical drafting. This means that he can handle both Jersey law and wider funds concerns with ease. He is also very organised and great at communicating his availability and how quickly things will run.’

‘Ben Robins is a giant of the Channel Islands funds scene. There is nothing he hasn’t seen and handled adeptly before.’

‘Capable, competent, knowledgeable and experienced.’

‘Several of their lawyers play leading roles in the development of Jersey law and hence, both know the law as it is and where it’s going.’

‘Edward Devenport and William Burnell are responsive, creative, technically skilled and business-minded.’

‘Great technical level of expertise, but also pragmatic and commercial.’

‘Carly McIver has great pensions experience and is thoughtful and commercial about the advice she gives.’

‘They are strong technically, responsive and creative to find solutions to client problems.’

‘The team has a good reputation in Jersey and has knowledgeable lawyers who partner well with larger firms from the UK. They are strong when it comes to litigation matters and protecting the trustee.’

‘Our instruction was time critical and the Mourant response time from the initial contact to finalised advice was outstanding. In particular, Rachel Guthrie understood the key issues very quickly and with the minimum of fuss and drafted her advice accordingly.’

‘Highly professional, yet always friendly and approachable.’

‘The team were very responsive, efficient, helpful and diligent throughout.’

‘The Mourant team leads with counsel Rachel Guthrie and senior associate Hana Plsek. They have junior support but the offering is powerful because of the presence of two senior people who know the law inside out but are commercially minded and pragmatic.’

‘What marks Rachel Guthrie and Hana Plsek out is that they are unafraid to tell you what to do and what your risks are. They advise where others can be fearful. Hana is super-available and energetic and engaged in her advice.’

‘They can put themselves into your position. They aren’t afraid to challenge your reasoning and help steer you in the right direction. They are empathetic.’

‘They are very solid in the listed investment company sector and a safe pair of hands on any deal.’

‘Darren Bacon is excellent. Responsive, technically excellent and commercial.’

‘The funds team have great experience in the sector and are one of the strongest in their field.’

‘Darren Bacon is both technically strong and highly experienced. He has successfully advised some of the biggest names in the local market.’

‘I consider them a forward-thinking firm.’

‘Professional, transparent and a pleasure to deal with.’

‘Alexander Hawkins – in terms of associates, a stand-out talent and up there with one of the most gifted associates I’ve worked with.’

‘The important thing for us about this team is that we have developed a good working relationship with certain trusted key individuals who know and understand our unique business and interests.’

‘Georgina Cook is our trusted ‘go-to’ property lawyer. She is responsive and achieves the results we need in a systematic and organised way.’

‘My experience has primarily been with Carol Doherty. What makes her stand out is that she treats me as a person not just a client. She has been kind as well as efficient. She has also been very fair and not taken advantage of my lack of knowledge.’

‘Excellent team diversity; thoroughly experienced and dynamic team.’

‘Georgina Cook and Julie Melia; both long-serving, highly regarded, top-tier lawyers. Excellent in their field. Thorough, attentive and commercial.’

‘A well-respected property team in Guernsey.’

‘The commercial property team at Mourant are very approachable and always make themselves available to discuss any issues. Between them, they have a wealth of experience both locally and in the UK.’

‘The team provides a good, personal service.’

‘I work principally with Alison Wood and Laura Bougourd. They are both very personable and pragmatic in their approach.’

‘Everyone is friendly, from reception through to assigned partner.’

‘The fund finance team are excellent. Their knowledge and ability is top level.’

‘Marianne Wilson is excellent. She is always responsive and available, even at short notice. The level of her advice is of the highest calibre, even regarding an extremely complicated matter without much warning.’

‘Having an approachable and collaborative team providing offshore legal advice out of a London-based office makes our job as onshore counsel much easier. It is an added bonus when dealing with Cayman and BVI-related matters. Being able to be responsive to onshore counsel then makes the deal run smoother which only benefits the client.’

‘Working with Marianne Wilson on Cayman-related matters over the past few years has been great. The responsiveness of Marianne and the Mourant team is a real highlight. Chasing local counsel is something I never need to do with Mourant.’