Bedell Cristin

Jon is a Partner in the Litigation & Dispute Resolution team. Jon is highly rated for his presence in court. He advises institutions, law firms and in-house teams worldwide across the range of international financial services litigation. He has a close interest in cross-border enforcement and asset recovery and has received particular recognition for his work in the fraud arena, with freezing injunctions and related orders. Jon began his legal career in 1999 as a barrister in the chancery and commercial group at leading UK set No. 5 Chambers. He returned to his home island of Guernsey six years later and was admitted as an Advocate of the Royal Court in 2006.

Kate Ovenden leads our Financial Services Law team in Guernsey, focusing on Banking & Finance matters. Kate joined the firm in 2006, after ten years as a corporate and financial services lawyer at leading City firm Withers LLP. Prior to that, she gained extensive experience as a trust and company administrator in Guernsey. Kate acts for local fiduciaries, licensees and banks, as well as multinational companies, intermediaries, private owner-managed businesses and high net worth individuals. She specialises in advising on banking and finance matters, the establishment and administration of all types of investment funds and related structures, financial services and regulatory issues, as well as having a significant corporate and commercial practice.

Alasdair Davidson

Alasdair is a partner and the head of the litigation team and the international private client practice in Guernsey. He has been in practice for over 25 years and, before qualifying in Guernsey, not only practised as a barrister in England but also spent several years working in the Caribbean. He is instructed by law firms and institutional clients based worldwide and has acted for most of Guernsey’s leading fiduciaries, fund providers and banks. Alasdair has a genuine depth of experience having handled a great variety of contentious and non-contentious matters covering most corporate, insolvency and fiduciary fields including appearing before a wide variety of courts and tribunals worldwide. He has particular expertise and established track record in conducting complex high value cross-border work both in Guernsey and the BVI. Alasdair is also a Guernsey Notary Public.

Elena is a Group Partner in the International Private Client practice based in Guernsey. Elena has extensive wealth planning experience in designing and establishing bespoke asset holding structures, including trusts, foundations and private trust companies for private and business assets. Much of her work has an international element and she works closely with families to develop governance crucial to their structures. Her clients include individuals, trustees, government bodies, international financial institutions and family offices. She has particular experience acting for clients from Russia and the CIS. Elena advises trustees on complex trust matters and regulatory issues. In addition, she has particular expertise in advising multi and single family offices and investment offices on establishment, governance and regulatory issues. In recent years she has established a number of single family offices in Guernsey for international families. Elena has worked in Guernsey and the City of London for some of the world’s leading international legal practices specialising in wealth planning. She was also the Head of Legal of a single family office.

Elena has extensive wealth planning experience in designing and establishing bespoke asset holding structures, including trusts, foundations and private trust companies for private and business assets. Much of her work has an international element and she works closely with families to develop governance crucial to their structures. Her clients include individuals, trustees, government bodies, international financial institutions and family offices. Elena advises trustees on complex trust matters and regulatory issues. In addition, she has particular expertise in advising multi and single family offices and investment offices on establishment, governance and regulatory issues. In recent years she has established a number of single family offices in Guernsey for international families.

Rob has more than 20 years’ experience practising law in Guernsey with a wide range and depth of experience in general and commercial litigation. He represents banks, other lenders, trust companies and fiduciaries in a wide spectrum of matters as well as assisting private individuals. Rob is well known for his debt recovery work and his extensive experience in the enforcement of judgments both domestically and internationally.

John is a Guernsey Advocate and advises on Guernsey investment funds and corporate transactions, as well as regulatory and general corporate matters. He has a wealth of experience advising on the establishment, management and regulation of investment funds investing in private equity, venture capital, real estate, infrastructure and hedge funds. In addition, he has expertise in significant corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, stock exchange listings, equity investments and joint ventures. He also advises on corporate governance, shareholder rights and the conduct of regulated businesses. John trained at the London office of City-based international firm, Simmons & Simmons, where he qualified into the Corporate Group in 2008. Prior to joining the Guernsey corporate department of another leading firm in 2012, he spent a number of years in the Simmons & Simmons’ Corporate team in the Middle East.

Tom is recognised in the primary legal directories for his client care and transactional skills and has significant experience with private funds and joint ventures. He has substantial experience in a wide variety of transactions including: the establishment of Jersey structures for holding and acquiring real estate; borrower side advice for property (and other asset) financings; the sale and purchase of Jersey asset holding structures; and corporate transactional and advisory work. Tom works closely with the City’s prominent law firms and with many of the offshore corporate administration firms. He regularly presents training seminars to onshore law and accounting firms on Jersey real estate structures and is the current chairman of the IPF Next Generation Committee. He is also the firm's primary liaison with the Association of Real Estate Funds. Tom works in in the financial services law group based in our London office and has worked at Bedell Cristin since 2013.

Ian joined Bedell Cristin (formerly Solomon Harris) in 2008 and became a partner in 2012. Prior to this he worked for a number of onshore law firms, including Eversheds. He also worked for another leading offshore law firm in the BVI for four years where he focused on banking and corporate law as well as Caribbean property matters. Ian's main area of expertise is all types of real estate, with significant experience in hotel transactions. He is also highly experience in banking finance, conveyancing, development work and commercial and residential leasing. Ranked in band 1 by Chambers and partners, Ian leads a highly efficient and client-focused team that was responsible for the largest real estate deal in the history of the Cayman Islands. The team has acted in six of the last eight major hotel transactions, including the first acquisition of a hotel in the Cayman Islands by a Japanese REIT.

Daniel offers a full private client service covering every aspect of immigration, residency, trusts and wealth structuring, estate planning, probate and family law. He advises high-net-worth individuals and companies on a variety of immigration issues and has extensive experience of assisting persons of independent means, families and businesses with relocation to the Cayman Islands, where he has lived since 2013. Daniel handles every type of immigration matter including applications for long term and permanent residence, Cayman Islands and British citizenship, the right to be Caymanian (Cayman Status) and all related appeals. Daniel also advises high-net-worth individuals, families and institutional clients on a range of non-contentious trust and wealth structuring matters. He is experienced in the preparation of Wills and regularly submits applications for grants of probate, letters of administration, resealing of foreign grants and guardianship. Daniel has considerable expertise in family law and offers a broad practice covering contentious and non-contentious divorce, pre and post-nuptial agreements, separation, financial and ancillary relief and all Children Law matters including residence, contact, custody, relocation and removal from the jurisdiction.

Michael Sharvin

Michael acts for HNWs, overseas funds, property companies and a wide range of corporates across many industries including the shipping, aviation, insurance, telecoms, energy and retail sectors. Michael has significant experience in all aspects of residential and commercial real estate including: commercial leasing, high value residential and commercial acquisitions and disposals, investment, development and real estate finance work. Michael has also gained significant experience advising on real estate aspects of large corporate M & A deals.

Jonathan Stroud

Before joining Bedell Cristin in January 2022, Jonathan trained and practised at a leading commercial law firm in its Cardiff office. Jonathan is an experienced commercial litigator and is regularly instructed to advise on corporate insolvency and restructuring, complex contractual disputes, director/shareholder and partnership disputes, claims arising from M&A, judicial reviews and procurement litigation. Whilst his experience has mainly been in litigation conducted in the England and Wales and Cayman Islands jurisdictions, Jonathan also has experience of international arbitration under both the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). He also has experience using alternative dispute resolution including mediation, expert determination and early neutral evaluation, and completed the completed the INSOL International Foundation Certificate in International Insolvency Law in 2024.

Edward is a Partner in the International Private Client team. With his 30 years' experience advising local and international clients on all aspects of trusts, foundations and related corporate structures, including having held numerous trustee and board positions, Edward has an extraordinary knowledge on the establishment, restructuring and ongoing administration of structures holding a variety of assets located around the world. He is in particular demand helping and supporting beneficiaries navigate the complexities of wealth transfer and as a leading figure in the 'Next Generation' movement Edward is frequently called upon to commentate on the topic. Edward has become a trusted advisor to internationally wealthy families who value his discretion and thorough understanding of the complexities of next generation wealth planning. Edward is also a Jersey Notary Public.

Nancy is head of Bedell Cristin's International Private Client practice in Jersey. Nancy has extensive experience in a wide range of offshore matters in both the private client area as well as the corporate sphere. In the private client context, Nancy advises ultra-high net worth families, family offices and intermediaries on all aspects of private client structuring including the use of trusts and foundations, as well as related corporate law issues (including where such vehicles are used for philanthropic purposes). She has considerable experience with high value and complex structures which enable the clients to retain a degree of control over their family assets and achieve effective succession planning. In the corporate area, Nancy is one of the only Jersey lawyers with specific experience in pensions and employee incentive arrangements (having previously worked for Ashurst in London). She is the chairperson of the Jersey Pensions Association and is working closely with the Jersey government to enhance Jersey's offering of end of service gratuity plans and international savings vehicles. Nancy also has considerable experience in regulatory matters affecting offshore vehicles and service providers, including FATCA, the common reporting standard (CRS) and economic substance.

Edward Drummond

Edward is a Partner in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution team. Edward is an experienced commercial litigator and a qualified Jersey advocate. He is a partner in the Jersey litigation team and co-head of the firm's regulatory and compliance team. Edward has extensive experience of commercial litigation, contentious insolvency and regulatory matters (including investigations), acting for financial institutions, trustees and beneficiaries, insolvency office-holders, hedge funds, insurance companies (and insureds), employers and employees, and other entities, both onshore and offshore. Edward has appeared before the Courts of Jersey, England, the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands. Having obtained an MA in Jurisprudence at Oxford University he began his career at Norton Rose in London in 1999, qualifying as a solicitor-advocate, before moving to the Cayman Islands office to Maples and Calder to practise Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands law. Edward moved to Jersey in 2008 and qualified as a Jersey advocate in 2011.

Rob is head of Bedell Cristin's litigation team. He is a very experienced commercial litigator and insolvency specialist. On the litigation side he is involved in a broad range of commercial litigation, particularly disputes involving trusts and is regularly involved in assisting with applications by trustees and beneficiaries including in relation to rectification, mistake and the rule in Hastings-Bass. On the insolvency side he also works closely with insolvency practitioners in Jersey and elsewhere. He regularly advises companies, directors, shareholders, creditors and insolvency office holders on all aspects of contentious and non-contentious insolvency and restructuring work, particularly where there is a cross border element. Current or recent insolvency work includes acting for liquidators in the court winding up of a Jersey corporate group owning valuable real estate in Jersey; acting on a novel and contested letter of request application; acting for the company and thereafter the liquidators of a significant listed Jersey technology company; acting on a novel application to restore a company to the register and convert its status from summary winding up into creditors' winding up. Rob joined the firm in 2006 from a leading Caribbean firm, where he was involved in a wide range of commercial litigation, corporate recovery and restructuring projects in both the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands.

Alasdair Hunter

Alasdair is a Partner in Bedell Cristin's team covering Banking and Finance, Capital Markets and Corporate law advice team. Based in Jersey, Alasdair practises both Jersey and British Virgin Islands law. His practice includes structured finance, high yield, banking, corporate, debt and equity listings on The International Stock Exchange (TISE) as well as insolvency, restructuring and security enforcement with a particular focus on distressed CMBS transactions. Alasdair is an experienced finance lawyer having spent five years at Allen & Overy in London and Hong Kong and five years at another Jersey law firm before joining Bedell Cristin in 2008.

Martin is head of the Funds and Investment Structures group. He has considerable offshore finance experience, particularly in relation to real estate and private equity funds and related investment structures, including a specialist Sharia finance practice. His practice area also encompasses regulatory advice, finance and general commercial work. Martin is noted for blending his considerable technical expertise and experience with in depth commercial understanding and insight, derived from many years assisting clients in the sector.

Tim is the Global Managing Partner. Tim joined the firm in 2003 from City law firm Theodore Goddard, bringing considerable onshore and offshore corporate, commercial and private client experience. Since then he has continued to extend his expertise across all areas of corporate and finance law - particularly banking, real estate finance, real estate funds, corporate and commercial, corporate finance and regulatory work. He regularly acts for multinational companies and large international banks as well as investment funds, promoters, intermediaries and high-net worth individuals. In recent years he has played a key role in leading some of our highest-profile corporate finance and real estate acquisition transactions.

Guy heads our Jersey Corporate Law team. He specialises in corporate and commercial matters with a focus on mergers and acquisitions but has also worked extensively on corporate and project finance and restructuring mandates. He has considerable experience of international investment transactions using a variety of onshore and offshore structures. Guy has advised on a range of international transactions, often alongside major international clients and law firms, and he frequently advises on the regulatory aspects of corporate transactions, including in connection with competition and financial services laws. Prior to joining the firm, Guy worked with Eversheds and Vinson & Elkins in London and in-house with Mubadala Investment Company in Abu Dhabi. Guy brings a wealth of deal experience across a variety of sectors together with a commercial perspective and a strong appreciation of client requirements.

Richard Le Liard

Richard is a partner in the funds and investment structures team based in Jersey, and also supports the Cayman Islands practice on a number of matters. Richard specialises in establishing and advising investment funds and fund services businesses and also has a strong regulatory practice. He is sought after to advise on all areas of financial services regulation, data protection, international tax compliance (including economic substance) and the local AML/CFT regime. He also has considerable experience in matters of corporate and commercial law. Richard participates in local industry groups and regularly presents on matters of funds and regulation.

Jeff is a Partner and Head of the Jersey Property team. Jeff joined Bedell Cristin from another Channel Islands firm, having previously spent 12 years with Pinsent Masons in the UK. Jeff brings considerable commercial property experience to the team having acted for a significant number of multinational clients including investors, developers, lenders and private clients on a wide range of complex and high-value instructions. He has particular expertise in acquisitions and disposals, landlord and tenant, property finance and energy.

Robert Christie

Robert is a Partner in the Litigation & Dispute Resolution team. Robert is a Jersey Advocate, and an English and BVI barrister, specialising in trusts, company, commercial and insolvency litigation. Robert has extensive experience of acting for and advising clients in high-value commercial matters in particular involving breach of trust claims, directors’ breach of duty claims, trust disclosure and other administrative proceedings in relation to trusts, enforcement of foreign orders in relation to trusts, actions to remove trustees and protectors, unfair prejudice claims, freezing injunctions and insolvency procedures. He has acted for beneficiaries, shareholders and other individuals in disputes with larger institutions such as trust companies, banks and other lenders. He is experienced in obtaining litigation funding where necessary for impecunious clients. Robert also acts for some major trust companies, and advises trustees and directors on their duties, including in insolvency situations. In November 2020 Robert was named IFC Partner of the Year at the Citywealth Future Leaders Awards in recognition of the results achieved for his clients over the previous few years.

Sevyn is a Partner and Jersey Advocate in Bedell Cristin's International Private Client team, based in Jersey. Sevyn is a private wealth specialist, experienced in advising corporate trustees, settlors, beneficiaries, high-net-worth individuals and intermediaries on matters relevant to Jersey trusts and foundations. Amongst other matters, he regularly advises on the establishment and administration of (and the provision of ongoing advice to) both family offices and private trust company structures, and he has considerable expertise in advising on complex cross-jurisdictional trust and corporate restructuring matters. Sevyn is also regularly instructed by high-net-worth families and their family offices to coordinate their offshore interests. As part of his practice, Sevyn works alongside colleagues from Bedell Cristin's Corporate & Commercial team on large transactions where there are trust or foundation elements, and also assists Litigation & Dispute Resolution colleagues with contentious and semi-contentious matters.