Michael Padarin > Carey Olsen Hong Kong LLP > Hong Kong SAR, Hong Kong > Lawyer Profile
Carey Olsen Hong Kong LLP Offices
Suites 3610-13, Jardine House
1 Connaught Place
Central
Hong Kong SAR
Hong Kong
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Michael Padarin
Work Department
Corporate; Investment Funds
Position
Michael’s practice concentrates on the formation, operation and restructuring of offshore private investment funds, across the alternatives spectrum including private equity, venture, credit and secondaries funds, and their related fund sponsor vehicles. He specialises in Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands and Bermuda law. Michael is highly regarded for his breadth of experience advising across the spectrum from emerging managers to the most sophisticated global institutional players.
Michael also represents early and later stage companies in a range of industries, including fintech, blockchain, life sciences and technology, in relation to private financings, listings, cross-border investments and other M&A transactions. He is regularly instructed by leading international firms as specialist Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands counsel on complex corporate transactions.
Michael lived and worked in the Cayman Islands before returning to Hong Kong and has a wealth of experience dealing with inbound and outbound China deals. During his time in the Cayman Islands Michael acted for some of North America’s largest private equity houses on both fund formation and downstream transactional work. He is one of the most experienced offshore private equity specialists in the Hong Kong market.
Career
Prior to joining Carey Olsen, Michael was a partner in the global investment funds group of another offshore firm based in the Cayman Islands for seven years, having previously spent over four years in its Hong Kong office.
Michael was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 2002, a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 2012, a solicitor of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court of the British Virgin Islands in 2012, as an attorney-at-law in the Cayman Islands in 2012 and is enrolled as a registered associate in Bermuda.
Lawyer Rankings
Hong Kong > Offshore law firms
(Leading partners)Hailed as a ‘first class legal team with an unrivalled international network‘, Carey Olsen Hong Kong LLP is noted for its strong dispute resolution offering and its deep knowledge of private equity driven corporate mandates. Michael Padarin heads the corporate and investment funds group, and acts for a varied range of clients from the US and Hong Kong in the full spectrum of transactional mandates. Jeremy Lightfoot leads the growing disputes group, regularly handling corporate and commercial cases, and restructuring and insolvency issues under BVI, Cayman, and Bermuda law. ‘Excellent insolvency and disputes lawyer‘ Tim Haynes is recommended for his longstanding experience in shareholder, management, and corporate restructuring disputes, while Bermuda law specialist Matthew Watson routinely appears before the Privy Council on behalf of Hong Kong listed Bermuda companies. Tiffy Wan is a key contact for Asian clients seeking advice on US and Hong Kong IPOs and secondary securities offerings, and Dhanshuklal Vekaria is well-versed in fair valuation disputes, and cases concerning private client trusts. James Webb left the firm in July 2024.
Foreign-based expertise > Leading firms
(Leading partners)With offices located in London, Hong Kong, and Singapore, Carey Olsen is very well-positioned to advise on a wide range of Caribbean-based matters surrounding Bermuda, BVI, and Cayman law. In Carey Olsen LLP’s London office, managing partner Jasmine Amaria is notable for her expertise in the BVI and Cayman law aspects of corporate, finance, and investment funds matters, including fund formation, M&A transactions, and joint ventures. Richard Brown, also in London, focuses his BVI practice on dispute resolution, litigation, and insolvency-related cases, which includes complex fraud and asset tracing cases. Carey Olsen Hong Kong LLP‘s practice is home to managing partner Michael Padarin, who is notably active in the formation, operation, and restructuring of private equity and venture capital funds, while Jeremy Lightfoot leads the disputes team, which also includes Tim Haynes and Matthew Watson. Haynes is particularly skilled in representing Asia-based clients in commercial disputes, while Watson is a Bermuda law specialist. In Carey Olsen Singapore LLP, managing partner Anthony McKenzie leads the corporate group for Asia with notable expertise in Cayman Islands, BVI, and Bermuda law, frequently handling corporate, investment funds, and finance transactions. James Noble sits at the helm of the litigation, insolvency, and restructuring department, and head of funds Tom Katsaros is another notable presence in the team, as is litigation specialist Helen Wang.