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
Conyers has notable expertise in insurance-related M&A, regulatory advisory work, transfers by way of continuation to Cayman, catastrophe bond structures, insurance litigation and insurance financing matters. In recent work, the team advised Topsail Reinsurance on the establishment of a new reinsurance platform in Cayman, which utilises a segregated portfolio structure focusing on short-tail lines of business. Derek Stenson, who specialises in insurance, reinsurance and structured products, joined from Walkers in 2018, and counsel Rob Humphries was recruited from Bedell Cristin in 2019. Kevin Butler leads the firm’s Cayman office and Paul Smith is recommended for contentious matters.
Practice head(s):
Kevin Butler; Derek Stenson
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Conyers has made significant advancement in the sector with its recent hire of Derek Stenson‘.
Key clients
Advantage Life & Annuity Company
Aetna Life And Casualty (Bermuda)
American Specialty Insurance Company
Cayman Islands Insurance Association
Cigna International Corporation
Coinbase Insurance Company
Controlled Risk Insurance Company
Corporate Risk Insurance Company
Cox Reinsurance
Lennox Reinsurance
Liberty Specialty Markets Bermuda
Limestone Insurance Company
MetLife Global Benefits
MP Reinsurance
Sapphire Reinsurance Company
Saxon Motor & General Insurance Company
SDA Annuity & Life
Topsail Reinsurance
Tower Hill Re
Corporate and commercial Tier 2
Conyers' corporate team is 'always helpful' and advises on M&A, funds, private equity and venture capital transactions, insurance-related deals and corporate restructurings. The practice has also been active assisting Cayman companies engaged in blockchain engineering matters and fund raising through token sales; in a recent highlight, the team advised Thomson Reuters on the divestiture of its strategic division, Refinitiv, to Blackstone Group. Kevin Butler heads up the Cayman office, which also fields Richard Fear, Matthew Stocker and counsel Cora Miller. Gene DaCosta retired.
Practice head(s):
Kevin Butler
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘We use Conyers as Cayman counsel for our Cayman based clients and have always found them very responsive.‘
‘Richard Fear is very responseive and easy to deal with.‘
Key clients
Viking Cruises Group
Mobius
Crown BioScience International
Inotek Pharmaceuticals
Seadrill
Lindbland Expeditions
Harbour Energy
Chrysaor
Pagseguro Digital
Stonegate Pub Company Group
Dispute resolution Tier 2
Under the leadership of Paul Smith, Conyers' litigation and restructuring team fields specialists in domestic and cross-border insolvency and restructuring proceedings, complex contract and commercial disputes, multi-party contentious trusts and estates matters, and a broad range of local litigation. Ben Hobden is a noteworthy name in the team for insolvency and restructuring mandates, shareholder appraisal cases, cross-border commercial litigation, and shareholder and corporate disputes. Other key contacts are counsel Robert Lindley, who handles private client and trust matters, and associate Erik Bodden. Jonathon Milne joined from Mourant and Fraser Hughes left the firm.
Practice head(s):
Paul Smith
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
FTI Consulting
KPMG
Grant Thornton
Torchlight Fund
PAG Entities (PRC)
Steven Goodman
Schahin II Finance Company (SPV)
LL Finance
The Public Institute for Social Security (Kuwait)
Banking, finance and capital markets Tier 3
Conyers' team has extensive experience across lending work, asset and fund finance transactions, private equity capital call financing matters and related security packages, structured finance issues and capital markets mandates. Kevin Butler is head of the Cayman office, and corporate finance specialist Richard Fear and Matthew Stocker are also experienced partners.
Practice head(s):
Kevin Butler
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Conyers has long been one of the go-to firms in the region‘.
‘Highly knowledgeable, resourceful and good value for money‘.
‘Matthew Stocker is an experienced practitioner, who provides prompt advice in a user-friendly manner‘.
Key clients
Viking Cruises Group
Mobius
Crown BioScience International
Inotek Pharmaceuticals
Seadrill
Lindbland Expeditions
Harbour Energy
Chrysaor
Pagseguro Digital
Stonegate Pub Company
Investment funds Tier 3
Conyers advises on fund formations, structuring issues, constitutional documentation, regulation and compliance work, deregistration matters, terminations and restructuring mandates. Kevin Butler leads the Cayman office, Craig Fulton has a particular focus on hedge, private equity, venture capital, infrastructure and investment funds, and Michael O’Connor is an experienced associate. Investment funds partner Nicholas Pattman joined from Walkers.
Practice head(s):
Kevin Butler
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Conyers clearly fosters a strong culture of responsiveness, pragmatism, and collegiality that ensures nothing gets in the way of providing elite client service‘.
‘The counsel that it provides is based on comprehensive knowledge of the applicable legal and regulatory landscape, combined with real world expertise that is invaluable‘.
‘Demonstrating an impressive breadth and depth of thought, the Conyers fund team manages to provide all the information clients need to make a decision, while also extracting and summarising the essential points‘.
‘Craig Fulton routinely goes above and beyond already high expectations, both in terms of his cheerful enthusiasm, incredible responsiveness, and deep knowledge of law, best practices and market trends‘.
Key clients
Sequoia Capital
Axiom Asia
IFM US Infrastructure Debt Fund
Highfields Capital
Trusts/private client Tier 3
Conyers assists high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients with the design and restructuring of family trust structures and the related management and maintenance work. The team also has notable contentious trust expertise. Counsel Robert Lindley, who leads the private client and trust group across the Cayman and BVI offices, is experienced in estate planning and the administration of estates and also handles pensions work, the establishment of private trust companies, trust restructuring applications, breach of trust claims and rectification applications. Paul Smith heads up the litigation group. Bernadette Carey departed to Carey Olsen.
Practice head(s):
Robert Lindley
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
BF&M Insurance Group
Conyers Trust Company (Cayman)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Erik Bodden | Partner | View Profile |
 |
Kevin Butler | Partner, Head of Cayman Islands Office | View Profile |
 |
Alan Dickson | Partner | View Profile |
 |
Paul Ebanks | Associate | View Profile |
 |
Craig Fulton | Partner | View Profile |
 |
Philippa Gilkes | Associate | View Profile |
 |
Ben Hobden | Partner | View Profile |
 |
Rob Humphries | Counsel | View Profile |
 |
Roisin Liddy-Murphy | Attorney | View Profile |
 |
Robert Lindley | Partner | View Profile |
 |
Maree Martin | Counsel | View Profile |
 |
Jordan McErlean | Associate | View Profile |
 |
Sarah McLennan | Associate | View Profile |
 |
Cora Miller | Counsel | View Profile |
 |
Jonathon Milne | Partner | View Profile |
 |
Rory O’Connor | Associate | View Profile |
 |
Michael O’Connor | Associate | View Profile |
 |
Nicholas Pattman | Partner | View Profile |
 |
Alex Potts QC | Partner and Head of Litigation and Restructuring | View Profile |
 |
Paul Smith | Partner and Commercial Litigation Advocate | View Profile |
 |
Derek Stenson | Partner | View Profile |
 |
Matthew Stocker | Partner | View Profile |
 |
Spencer Vickers | Associate | View Profile |