Firm Profile > Conyers > Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Conyers Offices
SIX, 2ND FLOOR, CRICKET SQUARE
PO BOX 2681
GRAND CAYMAN, KY1-1111
Cayman Islands
Conyers > The Legal 500 Rankings
Insurance/reinsurance Tier 1
Led by Derek Stenson, the dedicated team of insurance specialists at Conyers is instructed on a substantial portion of the region's major reinsurer establishments, mergers, and migrations. With close ties to leading insurance firms in the US and the firm’s Bermuda office, the group advises on alternative risk transfers, catastrophe bonds, insurance-related M&A, regulatory advisory mandates, insurance litigation and insurance financing matters. Key clients include insurers, reinsurers, captive owners, insurance managers and insurance consultants. Counsel Rob Humphries and associate Philippa Gilkes are further names to note; elsewhere, Alex Potts QC joined the department from Kennedys' Bermuda office and is now contentious insurance and reinsurance practice head.
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Key clients
Controlled Risk Insurance Company (CRICO)
Ivy Re Limited
Royal Bank of Canada
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)
Knighthead Annuity
Oxford Risk Management Group
Specialty Insurance Company SPC
Maple Leaf Insurance SPC
Y-Bridge Insurance SPC
United Health Group
Aetna
Dispute resolution Tier 2
Following the relocation of former practice head Paul Smith to the firm's Bermuda office, Alex Potts QC joined Conyers from Kennedys' Bermuda group to head up the local litigation and restructuring practice and is considered ‘a tremendous addition’ to the firm. The team handles a variety of commercial and regulatory disputes, including cross-border insolvency and restructuring proceedings, fund disputes, trust claims and insurance matters. The team counts among its key lawyers insolvency specialist Ben Hobden, who regularly appears before the Grand Court and the Court of Appeal, as well as Jonathon Milne, who joined in 2019 from Mourant. Promoted to partner in 2020, ‘outstanding lawyer’ Erik Bodden receives a steady flow of section 238 dissenting shareholder appraisal cases. Robert Lindley, who leads the private client and trust group in Cayman, handles contentious trust matters.Practice head(s):
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Testimonials
‘Conyers’ Cayman Dispute Resolution team offers an all round first rate service. They cover all of the bases with no weaknesses.’
‘Alex Potts QC is a tremendous addition to the Conyers Cayman team.’
‘Erik Bodden is an outstanding lawyer. He combines technical excellence with commercial understanding and fantastic judgement. He is also delightful to work with, very engaging and great with clients.’
‘Ben Hobden is a first rate litigator, with very good sense who fights hard for his clients. A great person to have on your side and very easy to work with.’
‘Jordan McErlean is a rising start who will go far.’
Key clients
Torchlight GP Limited
PAG Quantitative Strategies Trading Limited, PAG Asia Alpha LP, PAG-P Asia Fund LP
Augusta Healthcare
Failed subscribers and investors in TCA Global Credit Fund.
Arnage Holdings Ltd. et al
LL Finance LLC
Luckin Coffee Inc
Great Simplicity Investment Corporation
Corporate and commercial Tier 3
Alongside its insurance and reinsurance practice, Conyers has a notable reputation for offshore M&A transactions, regularly advising on cross-border matters involving the technology, mining, insurance, telecoms, financial, pharmaceuticals and oil and gas sectors. Following the retirement of Richard Fear, Matthew Stocker is now head of the corporate team while Kevin Butler remains as Cayman office head. Stocker's practice also encompasses corporate restructurings, preference share deals, aircraft and vessel registrations, and providing corporate advice to investment funds. Counsel Cora Miller is another name to note in the firm’s corporate practice.
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Key clients
IFM
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)
Aquiline Capital Partners
Y-Bridge Insurance SPC
Investment funds Tier 3
In Conyers' corporate department, investment funds is a notable area of focus; fund formations, compliance work, terminations and restructuring mandates are particular areas of strength for the team. Craig Fulton and Nicholas Pattman’s practices focus on hedge, private equity, venture capital and other investment funds. Kevin Butler leads the Cayman office, which also includes well-regarded associate Michael O’Connor.
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
IFM Global Infrastructure Fund
Lazard Asset Management
EIG Asset Management
Axiom Asia
IFM U.S. Infrastructure Debt Fund
Highfields Capital
Iconiq Capital
SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc
Harbour Energy
Trusts/private client Tier 3
Dividing his time between Conyers’ BVI and the Cayman offices, Robert Lindley - who was made partner in 2020 - advises on an array of contentious and non-contentious trust and private client matters. Praised as ‘very collaborative and approachable’, the department primarily assists high-net-worth clients with family trust structures, estate planning issues, estate administration work and the establishment of private trust companies. The group also has a track record in contentious trust mandates. Associate Wesley O’Brien also specialises in regulatory issues which arise in the private client and trusts space.
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Testimonials
‘The team is very collaborative and approachable. They are always open to receiving questions, discussing questions on an informal basis. I think this separates them from other firms.’
‘I enjoy working with Robert Lindley as I have found him to be very pragmatic, a good reader of people and technically sound. His approach is collaborative, he listens well and works well with all parts of a transaction. I also enjoy working with Wes O’Brien who is always affable, friendly and prompt with advice and thoughts.’
‘The Trust and Private Client team at Conyers, Cayman Islands are very pragmatic in their approach. Understanding the competing considerations of family dynamics and a trustees fiduciary responsibility providing their advice in a clear and concise manner.’
‘Robert Lindley leads with his pragmatism and approach to contentious matters.’
Banking, finance and capital markets Tier 4
Led by Matthew Stocker, the corporate and financing team at Conyers handles a range of banking, finance, and capital markets mandates, and is particularly active across lending work, asset and fund finance transactions, structured finance issues and capital markets work. A key member of the team is counsel Cora Miller, who assists corporate partners with a variety of financing transactions in the BVI. Corporate finance specialist Richard Fear retired in 2020.Practice head(s):
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Testimonials
‘The Conyers team is very responsive, highly knowledgeable and provides comprehensive advice.’
‘First-class service from Matthew Stocker. Very knowledgeable, responsive and practical practitioner.’
Key clients
GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS)
PagSeguro Digital Ltd.
Itaú Unibanco
Zhongchao
DP World Crescent
Ivy Re
Conyers > Firm Profile
Founded in 1928, Conyers is an international law firm with a broad client base including FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies, international finance houses and asset managers. The firm advises on Bermuda, British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands laws, from offices in those jurisdictions and in the key financial centres of London, Hong Kong and Singapore.
The firm’s expertise includes corporate law and finance including investment funds and private equity, equity and debt capital markets, M&A, banking and finance (conventional and Islamic), asset finance including shipping and aircraft finance, restructuring and workouts, the formation of entities including companies and partnerships, corporate governance and insurance and reinsurance.
Main Areas of Practice:
Insurance & Reinsurance:
The firm’s lawyers act for the majority of Bermuda’s insurance and reinsurance companies and are heavily involved in the formation and structuring of new Bermuda insurance companies. They are also integrally involved in the burgeoning Cayman Islands insurance industry, which boasts the second largest domiciliation rate for captives after Bermuda. In addition, they provide insurance advice in the British Virgin Islands, which continues to grow as it shifts in focus to more varied and sophisticated segments of the insurance market. Conyers’ insurance practice is complemented by experienced corporate, trust and litigation lawyers, and its litigators regularly provide expert advice in substantial insurance and reinsurance litigation.
Funds:
The funds team provides advice on fund structures (including Shari’a-compliant funds) and asset classes including hedge funds, private equity funds and property and infrastructure funds. The team advises asset managers and investors on fund formation and structuring (including constitutional and contractual documentation) and assists with incorporation, registered office and secretarial services, regulation and compliance, as well as restructuring, liquidation, insolvency and winding up of funds.
M&A & Joint Venture:
Conyers’ M&A and joint venture practice group advises on significant offshore transactions and financing matters. Conyers is the market leader for offshore IPOs, advising clients listing on all major exchanges. Lawyers provide specialist advice on all stages of the listing process from pre-IPO restructuring, formation of the listing vehicle and listing day.
Air Finance & Shipping:
The firm’s lawyers are at the forefront of offshore airfinance and shipping, representing airlines, leasing companies, shipowners, credit agencies and export-import banks and lenders on cross-border transactions.
Litigation & Restructuring:
Conyers’ litigators appear in leading decisions before the courts and in global, multi-billion dollar disputes. Insolvency and restructuring experience includes corporate bankruptcy, reorganisations and liquidations.
Private Client: Specialising in contentious and non-contentious work, the private client team’s experience includes creation and reorganisation of trusts and corporate structures for preservation of client capital and succession planning of ownership structures for family businesses. Trust litigators support the team in substantial trust litigation, acting for trustees, protectors and beneficiaries.
Client Services:
Conyers also provides a wide range of corporate administration, secretarial, trust, compliance, governance and company management services, and works in partnership with international clients, financial institutions, investment funds, high net worth individuals and others.
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate | Kevin Butler | kevin.butler@conyers.com | +1 345 814 7374 |
| Litigation | Paul Smith | paul.smith@conyers.com | +1 345 814 7777 |
| Private Client & Trust | Robert Lindley | robert.lindley@conyers.com | +1 345 814 7360 |
Lawyer Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
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Erik Bodden | Partner | View Profile |
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Kevin Butler | Partner, Head of Cayman Islands Office | View Profile |
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Alan Dickson | Partner | View Profile |
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Paul Ebanks | Associate | View Profile |
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Craig Fulton | Partner | View Profile |
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Philippa Gilkes | Associate | View Profile |
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Ben Hobden | Partner | View Profile |
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Rob Humphries | Counsel | View Profile |
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Roisin Liddy-Murphy | Attorney | View Profile |
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Robert Lindley | Partner | View Profile |
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Maree Martin | Counsel | View Profile |
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Jordan McErlean | Associate | View Profile |
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Sarah McLennan | Associate | View Profile |
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Cora Miller | Counsel | View Profile |
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Jonathon Milne | Partner | View Profile |
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Rory O’Connor | Associate | View Profile |
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Michael O’Connor | Associate | View Profile |
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Nicholas Pattman | Partner | View Profile |
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Alex Potts QC | Partner and Head of Litigation and Restructuring | View Profile |
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Paul Smith | Partner and Commercial Litigation Advocate | View Profile |
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Derek Stenson | Partner | View Profile |
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Matthew Stocker | Partner | View Profile |
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Spencer Vickers | Associate | View Profile |
Languages
English (fluent) Portuguese French Spanish ItalianMemberships
INSOL - International Association of RestructuringComparative Guides
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British Virgin Islands: Aviation Finance & Leasing
Published: August 2020
Authors: Audrey M. Robertson
This country-specific Q&A provides an overview to Aviation Finance & Leasing laws and regulations that may occur in British Virgin Islands.
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British Virgin Islands: International Arbitration
Published: October 2020
Authors: Jane Fedotova Mark J. Forte
This country-specific Q&A provides an overview to International Arbitration laws and regulations that may occur in British Virgin Islands.
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British Virgin Islands: Banking & Finance
Published: February 2021
Authors: Audrey M. Robertson
This country-specific Q&A provides an overview to Banking & Finance laws and regulations that may occur in British Virgin Islands.