Collas Crill > Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands > Firm Profile
Collas Crill Offices
Floor 2, Willow House Cricket Square
PO Box 709
Grand Cayman KY1-1107
Cayman Islands
Collas Crill > The Legal 500 Rankings
Cayman Islands > Real estate Tier 2
Praised by clients for offering ‘exceptional value with high-quality legal services in real estate’, Collas Crill fields a team with impressive bench strength and routinely advises leading banks and high-net-worth individuals on a wide range of real estate transactions. The practice is led by Gina Berry, who is noted for her ‘outstanding track record’ in advising international and local financial institutions on complex security transactions. Alistair Wade is sought out by major commercial landlords and also has expertise in real estate litigation.Practice head(s):
Gina Berry
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Collas Crill offers exceptional value with high-quality legal services in real estate, dealing with varied and complete leases and property acquisitions. Their international experience offers unique solutions to local problems and processes.’
‘Gina Berry and Alistair Wade are the most responsive attorneys we have ever worked with. The combination of local experience and relationships, along with attention to detail, proactive advice and expertise is exceptional.’
‘The team is well-led by Gina Berry who has an outstanding track record in this space.’
‘I work with Gina Berry and her team. Gina is exceptional in her ability to understand clients’ needs and possesses a consistent commitment to delivering on their expectations. Her comprehensive knowledge of the real estate market, what banks require and the legal processes involved, makes her the attorney of choice for real estate matters. Her integrity is of high repute and she is highly regarded in the legal fraternity and financial services sector. Her professionalism is never in question.’
‘The people and relationships built – high level of competence.’
‘Speed of service and willingness to assist’
‘Responsible and knowledgeable’.
‘Highly knowledgeable in their area of expertise and they absolutely go over and above the call of duty as far as their client service and response time. They always find a solution.’
Key clients
Cayman National Bank
Cricket Square Group
Scotiabank Group
Royal Bank of Canada Group
Butterfield Bank
Public Service Pensions Board
National Commercial Bank
CICSA Co-operative Credit Union
Proven Bank
Work highlights
- Advised a high-net-worth client via a foreign LLC on the re-registration, structuring, financing, acquisition, and development of units in a new upscale residential strata development in South Sound, Cayman.
- Advised the Cricket Square group of companies on all aspects of its expansion, property acquisitions, service agreements and leasehold arrangements.
- Advised the Public Service Pensions Board on all aspects of its leasehold properties in Cayman Brac and at the Appleby tower in Grand Cayman.
Cayman Islands > Dispute resolution Tier 3
Recognised for its 'excellent strength in depth and ability to take on complex, high-value, multi-jurisdictional cases', Collas Crill‘s practice continues to act in high-profile and complex multi-jurisdictional insolvencies and restructurings. Widely regarded for his expertise in high-value shareholder merger appraisal litigation, especially against multi-billion dollar Chinese companies, Rocco Cecere routinely appears before the Court of Appeal. Matthew Dors is particularly noted for representing liquidators and stakeholders in contentious insolvencies and restructurings, while Jennifer Colegate regularly handles cross-border workouts and liquidations. Office managing partner Stephen Leontsinis leads the department and is active in multi-jurisdictional liquidations; he also leads the arbitration practice.Practice head(s):
Stephen Leontsinis
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Excellent strength in depth and ability to take on complex, high value, multi-jurisdictional cases. Fantastically responsive and reliable, giving you complete confidence.’
‘Stephen Leontsinis is a fantastic leader of his team, a great advocate for the firm, and an excellent technician.’
‘Rocco Cecere is a star – the best in the business when it comes to s. 238 proceedings in the Cayman Islands.’
‘Matthew Dors is one of the best advocates in Cayman. His ability to react and re-formulate arguments to combat opponents, on his feet is something i haven’t seen other lawyers do.’
‘Collas Crill stand outs in terms of sophistication, clarity of purpose and efficient work product in the Cayman litigation contact.’
‘Rocco Cecere is the most knowledgeable lawyer in the Cayman Islands when it comes to s. 238 litigation in particular and he is also the most pleasant, reliable, ethical and user-friendly person to work with, so for us there really is no alternative.’
‘Stephen Leontsinis is superb – the best litigator in Cayman.’
Key clients
Interpath (formerly Kalo Advisors)
FTI Consulting
Ernst & Young
FourWorld Capital Management
RH Restructuring (Cayman) Limited
Elliott Advisors
Millennium Management LLC
Bank of New York Mellon
Development Specialists Inc,
Athos Capital Limited
Cooley LLP
HBK Fund
Quantuma
Alpine Partners
Palliser Capital Master Fund Ltd
Corbin Capital
QVT Family Office
Kite Lake Capital
Boothbay Capital
Hudson Bay Capital
Work highlights
- Acted for Royal Park Investments as the assignee of claim rights of the structured credit portfolio of Fortis Bank, in a $5bn claim against certain Standard & Poor’s entities for loss suffered as a result of fraudulent credit ratings being ascribed to certain collaterised debt obligations.
- Advised sovereign wealth fund GIC Private Limited, as a creditor pursuing a $190m claim against a gas exploration company and the guarantor of a convertible bond.
- Acted for a group of private equity funds in a merger appraisal case against 58.com, following 58.com’s $8.7bn take private deal.
Cayman Islands > Trusts/private client Tier 3
Collas Crill‘s private client and trusts team handles complex trust litigation work and high-value cross-border wealth structuring matters. The practice is chaired by Andrew Peedom, whose expertise spans trust litigation before the Privy Council and the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands and general commercial advisory work. Senior associate Sally Peedom acts for institutional trustees and high-net-worth individuals, including clients from the Bahamas, Switzerland, and the UK.Practice head(s):
Andrew Peedom
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘The team is capable, highly prepared and knowledgeable about the relevant issues. They are effective and respond very quickly.’
‘Andrew Peedom and Sally Peedom are excellent. They know the subjects, they are extremely capable and their treatment is impeccable.’
‘A strong team in Cayman gaining an excellent reputation locally and internationally. Also has the assistance of the teams in other Collas Crill offices which means its offering can span several jurisdictions as required.’
‘Andrew Peedom and Sally Peedom are first class both in terms of technical knowledge and ability and in knowing how best to deploy it. They attract a wide range of work, both contentious and non-contentious, and are equally adept at both.’
‘Andrew Peedom is fantastic in delivering straightforward and practical legal advice.’
‘The partners can be counted on to provide accurate advice and respond in a timely fashion.’
‘Andrew Peedom and Sally Peedom – Very professional with human qualities, efficient and proactive in bringing solutions to solve family issues.’
Key clients
Hugill & Ip
Taylor Wessing LLP
Aleman, Cordero, Galindo & Lee (and its fiduciary)
Crowe Mexico
Cayman National Corporation
Enyo Law LLP
Sterling Trust (Cayman) Limited
The R&H Trust Co. Ltd
Trident Trust Company (Cayman) Limited
Zedra Trust Company (Cayman) Limited
Zedra Trust Company (Suisse) SA
Jasmine Trustees Limited
Work highlights
- Advised a former billionaire and family members in respect of a claim in excess of $500m asserted against Cayman trust assets of which they are the settlor and beneficiaries, allegations of fraud and joinder of the trustee to English High Court proceedings brought by two Russian banks.
- Established a $470m philanthropic STAR trust for an ultra-high-net-worth US family.
- Restructured a $50m Cayman trust with US domiciled beneficiaries including constituting a Family Committee and underlying corporate entities for the two branches of the family.
Cayman Islands > Corporate and commercial Tier 4
Collas Crill provides corporate, regulatory and commercial advice to a range of clients spanning sovereign wealth funds, local businesses and multinational corporate groups. Practice head Natalie Bell routinely advises on all aspects of Cayman corporate and commercial law including M&A, joint ventures and corporate reorganisations, while associate Chantelle Day, who joined in early 2023, focuses on various corporate matters, including SPACs, and fintech mandates, as well as handling CIMA enforcement matters for corporate service providers. Alan de Saram retired.Practice head(s):
Natalie Bell
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Excellent team with fast response times and extremely commercial practice. Understands the clients needs and will work within client’s resources.’
‘Natalie Bell is extremely professional and has excellent response times. She is extremely commercial in her approach to the client’s requirements and needs.’
Key clients
Tripledot
Switch Technology Holdings
Corporate Electric Services Ltd.
T2TKN
Kalo Caribbean
Tristar Acquisition I Corp
Green Economy Development Limited
Work highlights
- Acted as Cayman counsel to UK games studio Tripledot.
- Advised Switch Technology Holdings (to be rebranded as the LVL group) on its series A financing and corporate reorganisation.
- Acted as offshore counsel to the selling shareholders of Kalo Caribbean during its acquisition by Interpath Advisory.
Cayman Islands > Investment funds Tier 5
With expertise spanning the entire fund lifecycle, Collas Crill is equally proficient in handling formation and licensing, financing and restructuring mandates, as well as assisting with the resolution of issues, including suspensions and sanctions. The team is particularly noted for its focus on emerging markets and managers, particularly those from the US and Asia. Natalie Bell is the key senior contact.Practice head(s):
Natalie Bell
Other key lawyers:
Chantelle Day; Laura Oseland
Testimonials
‘Responsive and commercial.’
‘Natalie Bell and Laura Oseland: clever lawyers with an in-depth knowledge of Cayman regulations.’
‘Collas Crill has an offshore global reach, with an extremely close and professional approach to its clients. The flexibility to meet client’s requirements has been paramount in terms of costs efficiency and a personalised service.’
‘Working with Natalie Bell, partner at Collas Crill Cayman, has been a total positive experience. She has been diligent, open minded and creative when addressing our out of the box requirements and concerns, given the international nature of our business amalgamated with specific local regulations.’
‘Natalie Bell has been the partner we have worked with. She is extremely well prepared and has been crucial in (i) finding creative ways to resolve complex requirements and (ii) meeting extremely tight deadlines. We would very much recommend her, and we will continue having her as our legal counsel.’
Key clients
Kingsmead Asset Management Pte. Ltd
Vista Global Opportunities Fund SPC
Parhelion
Holdun Family Office (Bahamas) Limited
World Arbitrage Fund
Movchans
Harvest Private Wealth Thematic Fund SPC
Raffles Fund 5 Limited
Velox Arbitrage Fund
Aestus Capital
New Alchemy
BPBI
Work highlights
- Advising Harvest Private Wealth Thematic Fund SPC on the establishment of several new sub-funds, in the form of new segregated portfolios.
- Instructed as local counsel by a Bahamian multi-family office and discretionary wealth management firm, advising on restructuring and migrating funds and assisting with redemptions.
- Advising Velox Arbitrage, a Canadian manager, on the creation of a new $250-300m crypto fund employing arbitrage trading and investment strategies within decentralised finance.
Cayman Islands > Banking, finance and capital markets
Collas Crill > Firm Profile
Collas Crill is an offshore firm with offices in BVI, Cayman, Guernsey, Jersey and London. With 40 partners and directors, and 86 other lawyers and legal professionals, Collas Crill delivers a comprehensive range of legal services to clients locally and around the globe.
Clients include some of the world’s leading financial institutions, international businesses, trusts and funds, as well as HNW individuals and families, alongside an established network of independent and trusted partners.
The firm is committed to the local communities in which it operates and to the wellbeing of their people, and seeks to build and develop a reflective CSR programme.
Practice areas
Banking and finance: Collas Crill’s banking and finance teams in Guernsey, Jersey, BVI and Cayman act on both borrower and lender side for banks, funds, institutional and private investors, government linked organisations and global development corporations. They are on the panel of and work for leading retail banks including RBS, HSBC, Santander as well as private banks such as Investec, Coutts, Rothschild and Arbuthnot Latham and Islamic banks (namely ABC, BLME, ADIB, QIB, Gatehouse and Al Rayan Bank).
The firm has particular expertise in –
- real estate finance (in financing investment in office buildings, luxury apartments, warehouses, co-living and co-working accommodation, and leisure facilities to name a few)
- Islamic finance transactions
- acquisition and leveraged finance
- structured finance, note issues
- fund finance
- debt restructuring
It is able to advise on BVI and Cayman finance matters from the Channel Islands in a UK time zone.
Capital markets: Collas Crill’s global capital markets team acts on a broad range of debt, equity and derivative capital markets transactions on all of the major exchanges in the UK, Europe and the US. We are typically instructed by an array of issuers, banks, brokers, underwriters, sponsors and other advisors in respect of initial applications, secondaries, M&A transactions (including by scheme of arrangement), warrant and option programmes, EBTs and general continuing obligations, and we have significant experience in acting for activist shareholders. Through our in house listing agents, we also provide a comprehensive legal and advisory service to international companies listing securities on The International Stock Exchange and the Cayman Islands Stock Exchange.
Commercial and residential property: Collas Crill’s full service property team in the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Guernsey and Jersey is recognised by clients for its responsive, friendly and commercially aware approach. The firm’s property specialists have the local knowledge and expertise to not only offer top quality advice on all residential and commercial property transactions, but to give meaningful opinions and anticipate challenges and opportunities at every stage of the process. The firm is consistently recognised as a leader across the Channels Islands and the Cayman Islands.
The firm acts for landlords and tenants, private individuals, banks, corporates and investments funds and works with the islands’ largest property developers of both residential and commercial property. Across the jurisdictions, the firm is known for advising on complex real estate transactions, boasting one of the largest and most experienced property teams.
In the Channel Islands, the firm also established a UK real estate and real estate finance team advising international clients investing in and financing UK real estate.
In the Cayman Islands, the firm has secured highly-coveted panel positions as preferred attorneys for most of the Class A Banks.
The team routinely is involved with negotiations with government authorities with respect to acquisitions, commercial activities, licencing and all regulatory matters.
Corporate and commercial: With offices in Guernsey, Jersey, BVI and Cayman, Collas Crill’s corporate team advises a broad range of banks, trust companies, private equity, listed and unlisted corporates, HNWs and families, their directors, and shareholders, with particular expertise in the energy, utilities, digital assets, medical, transport, licensed premises and real estate sectors. Work includes –
- complex international M&A, especially in relation to regulated parties
- corporate structuring, joint ventures, PE investment and fund vehicles, SPVs, SPACs and associated listing of vehicles on TISE
- IPOs, secondary offerings and structured products
- a top regulatory practice advising clients on a host of risk and regulation issues including investigations and disciplinary hearings, aspects of corporate governance, directors duties, AML, data protection, competition law and economic substance
- restructuring, insolvency and migration of corporate vehicles
- commercial agreements, distribution, outsourcing, technology and licensing contracts . The team also works closely with its top ranking litigation teams in each jurisdiction in relation to complex insolvencies and shareholder disputes.
Dispute resolution: One of the largest and most experienced teams in the Channel Islands, the Cayman Islands and the BVI, we handle –
- commercial and financial services litigation including complex shareholder disputes and activism, Section 238 fair value proceedings, professional indemnity claims, contractual and investment fund disputes, fraud, asset tracing, enforcement actions and freezing injunctions
- insolvency and restructuring, advising voluntary, provisional and official liquidators, liquidation committees, directors, creditors and investors, companies and shareholders in relation to liquidations, schemes of arrangement and compromise, restructuring strategies, and reduction of share capital petitions
- contentious trusts and probate, acting for trustees, beneficiaries, settlors and protectors as well as parties to divorce proceedings impacting on offshore trusts and,
- regulatory disputes, claims and investigations, including utilities regulation, TIEAs, enforcement action and breaches of sanctions, AML, data protection and money laundering laws and financial crime.
Investment funds: Collas Crill’s fund specialists offer advice on all aspects relating to the establishment, authorisation and structuring of funds and related investment vehicles. The firm has particular expertise acting for emerging managers who are building their business and acting for institutional investors, including acting for private equity funds and sovereign wealth funds on joint venture and fund investments, as well as planning their internal corporate structures.
International private client and trusts: We work with wealthy individuals, family controlled businesses and entrepreneurs to manage and protect wealth across generations, and to succession plan. We represent trustees, settlors, protectors and beneficiaries and have extensive experience of private wealth structuring including pensions, foundations and trusts, and we have particular experience of shariah compliant structuring. We work closely with our corporate and litigation teams in respect of corporate structures within family trusts, trust issues arising from divorce or family disputes, and contentious and semi-contentious trusts matters including mistake applications, and variations.
We also have a specialized team to assist in all aspects of wills, estate planning and administration, succession planning, probate, guardianship and powers of attorney.
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group Managing Partner | Jason Romer | jason.romer@collascrill.com | +44 1534 601696 |
| Managing Partner; Head of Dispute Resolution | Stephen Leontsinis | stephen.leontsinis@collascrill.com | +1 345 914 9605 |
| Partner; Head of Property | Gina Berry | gina.berry@collascrill.com | +1 345 914 9654 |
| Partner; Dispute Resolution | Rocco Cecere | rocco.cecere@collascrill.com | +1 345 914 9630 |
| Partner; Dispute Resolution | Jennifer Colegate | jennifer.colegate@collascrill.com | |
| Partner; Dispute Resolution | Matthew Dors | matthew.dors@collascrill.com | |
| Partner; Corporate, Finance and Funds | Natalie Bell | natalie.bell@collascrill.com |
Lawyer Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
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Janeen Aljadir | Associate. Janeen has more than 15 years of experience in the financial… | View Profile |
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Kirsten Bailey | Associate. Kirsten is an Associate and currently on secondment from our Jersey… | View Profile |
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Natalie Bell | Partner. Natalie advises on all aspects of Cayman corporate and commercial law… | View Profile |
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Gina Berry | Partner and Head of the Property Team in Cayman. Gina’s breadth of… | View Profile |
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Mark Burrows | Senior Associate. Mark has a broad practice covering all aspects of civil and… | View Profile |
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Rocco Cecere | Partner. Rocco is an experienced offshore commercial litigator, specialising in international insolvency… | View Profile |
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Jennifer Colegate | Partner. Jennifer is a commercial litigator specialising in cross-border insolvency and restructuring .… | View Profile |
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Matthew Dors | Partner. Matthew is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution department in the… | View Profile |
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Zachary Hoskin | Counsel. Zachary is an experienced offshore litigator with significant experience in trusts… | View Profile |
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Jo Hossack | Senior Associate. Jo has a wide range of experience in several jurisdictions,… | View Profile |
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Stephen Leontsinis | Stephen is Managing Partner and head of the Dispute Resolution department in… | View Profile |
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Dawn Major | Associate. Dawn is an Associate in the Dispute Resolution team in Cayman,… | View Profile |
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Ronan O'Doherty | Senior Associate. Ronan is a Senior Associate in the Dispute Resolution department… | View Profile |
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Laura Oseland | Associate. Laura assists clients in developing their business when it comes to… | View Profile |
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Andrew Peedom | Counsel. Andrew has a broad range of commercial litigation experience and frequently… | View Profile |
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Sally Peedom | Senior Associate. Sally specialises in both contentious and non-contentious international trusts and… | View Profile |
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Annalisa Shibli | Senior Associate. Annalisa has a broad practice covering commercial litigation, cross boarder… | View Profile |
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Natascha Steiner-Smith | Counsel. Natascha has a wide range of experience in commercial litigation and… | View Profile |
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Alistair Wade | Senior Associate. Alistair is a real estate lawyer providing both commercial and… | View Profile |
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Charlotte Walker | Senior Associate. Charlotte is a commercial litigator, specialising in cross-border commercial litigation… | View Profile |
Staff Figures
Partners : 6 Other legal staff : 16Diversity
We continually strive to make Collas Crill a firm where brilliant people are proud to work. Key to this is creating a culture where everyone feels that they belong, feels valued and can work to their full potential, regardless of their background, identity and circumstances. Achieving this not only creates a more supportive and stimulating workplace, it’s also good for business – it allows us to make more rounded, inclusive business decisions and better represent our clients.
Over the last year, we have delivered diversity and inclusion (D&I) awareness training to everyone within the firm. The training sessions explored different types of bias and outlined practical steps to help build and reinforce a diverse and inclusive workplace. The Strategy Board and business leaders received more in-depth training on managing D&I in the business and we put D&I champions in place to support our initiatives and activity as well as being local contact points for colleagues. We will be rolling out further training in 2023 to support behavioural change.
We have made some tangible changes to our people processes, including updating our promotions criteria to make things more objective and transparent, and improving our recruitment processes to ensure we are attracting a range of candidates, eg avoiding stereotyping in our use of images, ensuring a diverse interview panel and trialling anonymisation of applications for work experience.
We are also developing local work experience initiatives in some of our jurisdictions that help those from diverse backgrounds gain experience of working in professional services.