Ellie Crespi > Collas Crill > Tortola, British Virgin Islands > Lawyer Profile

Collas Crill
125 MAIN STREET
P.O.BOX 144, ROAD TOWN
TORTOLA
British Virgin Islands

Work Department

Corporate, Finance and Funds

Position

Managing Partner, Head of Corporate, Finance and Funds in BVI.

Ellie practises BVI and Cayman laws and advises on all elements of corporate, capital markets and banking transactions as well as restructurings. Her clients include leading onshore law firms, private equity investors, major international financial institutions, listed and private companies and British Virgin Islands statutory and public bodies. 

Ellie has been practising since 2006 and has built a global client base, advising on top-ticket corporate, finance and capital markets transactions in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Her experience practising and living in Western Europe, the CIS, Asia and the Caribbean brings a nuanced cultural understanding to complex, cross-border transactions with global stakeholders.

Career

Trainee, CMS Morgan McKenna, 2006-2008, London
Associate, Allen & Overy, 2008-2012, Moscow, Hong Kong
Partner, Harneys, 2013-2021, Hong Kong, BVI

Ellie joined Collas Crill in 2021.

Languages

German, Russian, French

Memberships

BVI Bar Association
Law Society of England and Wales

Education

College of Law, PgDL, Law, 2003-2004
Oxford Institute of Legal Practice, LPC, Law, 2004-2005
Oxford University, Master of Arts (MA) English Language and Literatuire/Letters, 2000-2003

Lawyer Rankings

British Virgin Islands > Corporate and commercial

Collas Crill in the BVI fields a dedicated team with a proven track record in handling an extensive spectrum of cross-border M&A, debt restructuring work, and investment fund mandates. The practice operates in close collaboration with both its Guernsey and Cayman offices, leveraging the firm’s global network. The ‘commercially excellent’ Ellie Crespi leads the team and frequently advises on multi-jurisdictional transactions; she is supported by associate Aliki Skelton-Lettsome, who is experienced i corporate finance issues. The firm further extended its cross-border finance offering with the June 2023 hire of Greg Boyd from Harneys, as well as associate Annabel Bishop, who made the transition from the firm’s Guernsey office in 2022.

British Virgin Islands > Banking, finance and capital markets

Praised as a ‘very versatile practice’, Collas Crill houses a robust team equipped to advise international banks and financial services companies on all aspects of asset and real estate finance issues, debt restructurings and insolvencies, and shipping finance work. Ellie Crespi heads up the practice and is noted for being a ‘secured lending specialist’, while associate Annabel Bishop, who ‘provides excellent support‘, notably focuses on cross-jurisdictional matters. Greg Boyd recently joined the team from Harneys, adding expertise in capital raising rounds and IPOs. Aliki Skelton-Lettsome is a further key name to note at associate level.