Campbells > Hong Kong, Hong Kong > Firm Profile

Campbells Offices

Campbells
FLOOR 35, ROOM 3507
EDINBURGH TOWER, THE LANDMARK
15 QUEEN'S ROAD, CENTRAL HONG KONG
Hong Kong
Visit website 852 3708 3000

Profiles

Campbells > The Legal 500 Rankings

Hong Kong > Offshore law firms Tier 2

Campbells is noted for its ‘excellent’ disputes offering, which is ‘user-friendly and very knowledgeable about the legal issues and challenges arising from cross-border disputes between Hong Kong and all the Caribbean offshore jurisdictions’. Key to the firm’s success in the litigation arena is Shaun Folpp, who is ‘excellent to work with’ across a range of financial services, shareholder and trust disputes. In addition, Folpp also regularly secures engagements from office-holders in relation to contentious insolvency matters involving offshore entities. Drawing upon ‘detailed knowledge of Cayman/BVI laws, partnered with a lifelong learning of the Asian region’, Robert Searle has excellent credibility among fund managers, including in the impact investment space, where he provides ‘measured and capable’ advice on the establishment and restructuring of funds. Corporate partner Jenny Nip heads up the China practice and regularly acts as Cayman Islands counsel to Mainland issuers on HKSE IPOs.

Practice head(s):

Shaun Folpp; Jenny Nip

Other key lawyers:

Robert Searle; Jane Hale; Aleisha Brown; James McKeon

Testimonials

‘Campbells’ investment funds practice is very approachable, quick to respond and generally cost-effective for clients.’

‘Robert Searle’s detailed knowledge of Cayman/BVI laws, partnered with a lifelong learning of the Asian region, makes him an indispensable partner when working with offshore law in Asia.’

‘The disputes team in Hong Kong is excellent. They are user-friendly and very knowledgeable about the legal issues and challenges arising from cross-border disputes between Hong Kong and all the Caribbean offshore jurisdictions and can provide first-class support.’

‘Sean Folpp is excellent to work with. Great interpersonal skills and a great team player.’

‘Robert Searle leads the pack as the most experienced, measured and capable offshore lawyer in the Asia region.’

Key clients

Maso Capital

Oasis Capital

Deloitte

Pacific Andes Group

Alvarez & Marsal

New World Development Company Limited

The Wharf (Holdings) Limited

Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated

Agile Group

Sino Ocean Group

Akeso Inc

Sipai Health Technology Co Ltd

Pejia Medical Inc

Zhuhai Huafa Group Co Ltd

Fosun Group

Beauty Farm Medical Health Industry Inc

XD Inc

Minsheng Financial Leasing Limited

China Development Bank

Work highlights

  • Acted for a group of dissenters in 58.com, which is the largest litigation (by value) in the Cayman Islands to date under section 238 of the Companies Act (appraisal rights litigation).
  • Advised Tree Line Asset Management on the establishment of the sidepocket to deal with certain illiquid assets. The deal was complex due to the large value and also being asked to work under a compressed timeline.
  • Acted as BVI counsel to CMHI Finance (BVI) Co., Ltd on its issuance and listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange of $500m 4.00 per cent bonds.

Campbells > Firm Profile

The firm

Campbells is a leading full service offshore law firm established in 1970.  From our offices in the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands and Hong Kong we provide comprehensive corporate and litigation advice and services to clients worldwide in relation to Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands law. We are regularly trusted to advise some of the most prominent names in finance, investment and insurance and we are frequently involved in the largest and most complex transactions, disputes and insolvencies in both jurisdictions.

Our legal team is internationally recognised for its expertise by leading directories and trade publications and we are also proud to be actively involved in the development of legislation, sitting on critical government legislative committees. Campbells is a member of the international legal networks Meritas and World Law Group.

Areas of practice

Arbitration & Mediation: Campbells is at the forefront of arbitration and mediation in both the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands. They have a number of attorneys with highly specialised international arbitration and mediation experience gained onshore in major arbitration and mediation centres.

Banking & Structured Finance: Campbells has extensive experience advising on debt, equity, credit-linked and asset backed securities, derivatives and other structured products, working with professional advisors and leading financial institutions worldwide; in addition to advising on syndicated lending and related security structures and advising on the establishment and licensing of financial institutions in the Cayman Islands and their on-going legal and regulatory requirements.

Blockchain & FinTech: Campbells’ blockchain and fintech practice is recognised as holding a leading position in the market. They have advised many high profile and innovative international businesses in this space, including crypto exchanges, token issuers and investment funds.

Compliance & Regulatory: Campbells advises both local and international banks, insurers, company managers, trust companies, investment managers, administrators and directors on regulatory and compliance matters.

Corporate & Commercial: Campbells has considerable experience in all areas of offshore corporate and commercial law and has worked on some of the most important and innovative cross-border transactions undertaken in the Cayman Islands. They have a strong reputation and particular expertise in the following areas: M&A; restructuring; joint ventures; investment funds; insurance and reinsurance, including captives and insurance-linked securities; capital markets; debt and equity listings; banking and structured finance; asset acquisition and finance, including shipping and aircraft finance; vessel and aircraft registration and mining and resources.

Fraud Litigation & Asset Recovery: Campbells’ specialist fraud and asset recovery team is a market leader in bringing and defending fraud claims and has a wealth of experience in taking urgent steps to identify, preserve and recover assets located within and outside the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands and the Marshall Islands. They also have extensive experience in claims and issues arising out of financial fraud, white collar crime, economic sanctions and government corruption involving offshore entities and assets.

Insolvency & Corporate Restructuring: Campbells acts for local and overseas insolvency and restructuring professionals, creditors, investors, minority shareholders, directors, investment managers and other professional service providers in connection with all aspects of the restructuring and winding up of companies, investment funds, limited partnerships and structured finance entities.

Insurance & Reinsurance: Campbells is recognised as holding a leading position among law firms in the insurance/reinsurance sector in the Cayman Islands and heads the market in both contentious and non-contentious insurance matters. Their practice includes corporate and regulatory work for insurers and reinsurers, whether captive or otherwise; advising local insurers on domestic insurance law matters; assisting in dispute resolution; and advising special purpose insurance companies, such as catastrophe bond issuers and finite risk vehicles.

Investment Funds: Campbells’ investment funds practice works with many of the leading onshore attorneys and investment managers on both hedge fund and private equity/venture capital matters, ranging from start-up manager to managers in the >US$1 billion AUM category. They have extensive expertise of all key structures, including master-feeder structures, multi-class funds and segregated portfolio company structures, as well as experience advising on investment fund financing, the use of derivate products and related matters. They have a reputation for being at the forefront of emerging issues and working with advisors in other jurisdictions to devise cutting-edge responses. They are also recognised for their excellent advisory capacity, particularly for fund corporate governance and distress scenarios.

Litigation: Campbells is widely recognised for the strength of its litigation practice. They have one of the largest specialist litigation teams, and routinely act in the most significant, high-value and complex disputes in both the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands. They provide a full suite of litigation and dispute resolution services to a diverse, international client bases from their offices in Cayman, BVI and Hong Kong. Campbells has a wealth of experience spanning a broad range of disputes, with particular expertise in investment fund disputes, trust litigation, asset tracing, shareholder disputes and dissenting shareholder fair value petitions. Their clients range from large international, financial and trading organisations to liquidators and trustees in bankruptcy of international and local entities, participants in investment and trust structures, family offices and government agencies. Litigators at the firm regularly appear before the Grand Court, Court of Appeal and Privy Council.

Private Equity & Venture Capital: Campbells has extensive experience advising on the formation of private equity and venture capital funds and all stages of the life-cycle of investments made by such funds, including implementing the investment structures utilised for underlying investments and listing and M&A transactions in respect of portfolio investments. They are regularly involved in the establishment and maintenance of fund vehicles for numerous high profile investment managers and investment/financing transactions related to underlying entities, with a particular focus on investments in information and environmental technology and investment into Brazil, China and India.

Real Estate & Local Practice: Campbells handles all aspects of property transactional work from sales and purchase to conveyance and related residential and commercial financing both for individuals and corporations. They work with developers, financial institutions, relators and property managers from initial stages of purchase, planning, development, financing projects (either for lending institution(s) or developer) to the ultimate completion of the transaction.

Shipping & Aviation: Campbells advises some of the world’s principal shipping companies, airlines, financial institutions and lessors. They have considerable expertise in all areas of asset finance, specialising in securitisation transactions and ship and aircraft financing (involving the establishment of special purpose offshore companies and other vehicles, such as exempted limited partnerships).

Support Services: Campbells Corporate Services Limited (CCSL) holds a trust licence issued by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority and provides a full suite of entity administration, regulatory and trustee services.

Trusts: Campbells has wide ranging experience in all aspects of commercial and private trusts including: trust formation and advising on the regulatory requirements and operational requirements related thereto; trust structures for the purposes of taking security or securitisation; pension trusts; STAR trusts; fixed interest and discretionary trusts; reversed power trusts; removal of trustees; recertification of trusts and the establishment of private trust companies.

Main Contacts

Department Name Email Telephone
Corporate Alan Craig acraig@campbellslegal.com +1 345 914 5864
Litigation, Insolvency & Restructuring Guy Manning gmanning@campbellslegal.com +1 345 914 5868

Lawyer Profiles

Photo Name Position Profile
Shaun Folpp photo Mr Shaun Folpp Partner View Profile
Jenny Nip  photo Mrs Jenny Nip  Partner, Head of PRC Group View Profile
Robert Searle photo Mr Robert Searle Partner View Profile

Staff Figures

Number of partners : 15
Number of fee earners : 27

Languages

Afrikaans
Cantonese
Dutch
English
French
German
Italian
Mandarin
Spanish

Memberships

Meritas
World Law Group (WLG)

Campbells > Firm Profile

Campbells is a leading full service offshore law firm established nearly 50 years ago. With offices in the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands and Hong Kong the firm provides comprehensive corporate and litigation advice and services to clients worldwide in relation to Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands law. The firm is regularly trusted to advise some of the most prominent names in finance, investment and insurance and are frequently involved in the largest and most complex transactions, disputes and insolvencies in both jurisdictions. Campbells’ legal team is internationally recognised for its expertise by leading directories and trade publications and it is also proud to be actively involved in the development of legislation, sitting on critical government legislative committees. Campbells is a member of the international legal networks Meritas and World Law Group.

Areas of practice
Banking and finance: Campbells has extensive experience advising on banking and structured finance transactions, including commercial syndicated lending, Islamic finance, export credit agency financing, structured leasing, trade finance, distressed debt, security enforcement, derivatives, securitisations and other structured products. Clients include other law firms, global financial institutions, arrangers, security agents, trustees and leasing companies, with whom Campbells works across a multitude of jurisdictions on a wide range of projects. The firm has significant experience in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and frequently advises on cross-border products and structures involving Cayman and BVI vehicles and assets.

Corporate and commercial: Campbells has considerable experience in all areas of offshore corporate and commercial legal practice and has worked on some of the most important and innovative cross-border transactions undertaken. The firm has particular expertise in mergers and acquisitions, restructurings and joint venture structuring. The firm has been involved in listings on exchanges worldwide and are a listing agent for the Cayman Islands Stock Exchange.

Insolvency and restructuring: Campbells’ litigation, insolvency and restructuring group is widely recognised as a market leader. The firm acts for insolvency professionals, creditors, investors, directors and other professional service providers in connection with all aspects of the restructuring and winding up of companies, investment funds, limited partnerships and structured finance entities. The firm has extensive experience of coordinating cross-border appointments, obtaining injunctions, assisting with gathering evidence and obtaining recognition and assistance from overseas courts.

Investment funds: Campbells works with leading onshore lawyers and investment managers globally, from emerging managers to established institutional managers; in addition to advising sponsors and investors. The firm advises on fund formation, seed capital arrangements and their subsequent investment cycle, and on the restructuring of investment fund structures. The firm has extensive expertise in fund establishment including master-feeder structures; multi-class funds; hybrid funds; segregated portfolio company structures; exempted limited partnership structures; and unit trusts. The firm has a reputation for being at the forefront of emerging issues and working with advisors in other jurisdictions to devise cutting-edge responses; and have in-depth experience advising on AIFMD and FATCA/ CRS related matters.

Litigation: Campbells is widely recognised for its litigation strength and has particular expertise in investment funds disputes. Clients range from large international, financial and trading organisations to liquidators and trustees in bankruptcy of international and local entities, participants in investment and trust structures and government agencies.

Venture capital and private equity: The firm has extensive experience advising on the formation of private equity and venture capital funds and all stages of the life-cycle of investments made by such funds, including implementing the investment structures utilised for underlying investments and listing and M&A transactions in respect of portfolio investments. In addition, the firm advises institutions considering investment in such funds and coinvestment opportunities. The firm is regularly involved in the establishment and maintenance of fund vehicles for numerous high profile investment managers and investment/financing transactions related to underlying entities.