Gemma is Counsel within the Corporate department in Jersey.
Appleby
Jersey
Lawyers
John Bisson
John Bisson is a Partner within and leads the Property department in Jersey.
He joined Appleby in 1971, and became a partner when he qualified as a Jersey Solicitor in 1987. He is a former Chairman of the Executive Board and Group General Counsel.
John specialises in commercial and residential property development and has advised on many major and innovative commercial property developments in Jersey. He is widely acknowledged as the leading commercial property practitioner in the Island.
Michael Davies
Michael is an Associate within Appleby Jersey’s Corporate department. He qualified as an English Solicitor in 2021 and his practice focuses on corporate and commercial matters including mergers and acquisitions, insolvency, and corporate restructuring.
Known for his responsiveness to clients and his attention to detail, Michael works closely with the partners, supporting local and international clients on a broad range of financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory law, as well as technical listings on The International Stock Exchange (TISE) including standard debt and equity, and high yield bond listings.
Michael also works as part of the firm’s Private Client and Trusts team and assists with all aspects of non-contentious trust and foundation matters, including advising on the establishment, restructuring and administration of Jersey trust structures.
Simon Felton
Simon Felton is a partner in the Corporate team in Jersey. Simon is known for his experience in leading international teams working on complex and ground-breaking structures involving a variety of underlying assets including securities, infrastructure, real estate, investment funds and crypto assets.
His areas of expertise are:
\tBanking and Finance
\tCorporate
\tMergers and Acquisitions
\tRestructuring & Insolvency
\tStructured Finance
Simon advises leading financial institutions, private debt funds, corporate clients and intermediaries on a wide range of capital markets, structured finance, fund finance and real estate finance work in relation to securities issues, secured lending and asset acquisition.
His practice also extends to restructuring and Insolvency and he has advised arrangers and SPVs in relation to the Jersey aspects of work outs of financial assets – including structured finance portfolios – and secured real estate lending.
James Gaudin
James Gaudin is the Office Managing Partner in Jersey and a partner within Appleby’s Corporate department. He specialises in all areas of offshore corporate, finance and restructuring work within Appleby’s strong equity and capital markets practice.
His extensive experience covers banking and asset finance, real estate investment structures, public and private debt and equity issues, securitisations, repackagings and initial public offerings, as well as structures involving Jersey limited partnerships and unit trusts. More recently James has advised on some of the largest corporate restructurings to have occurred in the Jersey market. He also advises banks and other global financial institutions in relation to the Jersey elements of complex cross-border insolvencies. The majority of his time is spent on real estate finance and funds.
He has contributed to numerous publications, and regularly presents to conferences, seminars and clients. James also participates in numerous industry steering and consultation groups.
Some examples of work includes advising: Acting for Credit Suisse (Europe) Limited as Joint Lead Managers and Bookrunners in relation to the offer of £266,500,000 8% Senior Secured Fixed Rate Notes due 2020 and £150,000,000 Senior Secured Floating Rate Notes due 2019 by Hastings Insurance Group; Acting for Credit Suisse (USA) LLC as Initial Purchaser in connection with the issue by Georgia Wordwide PLC of its €700,000,000 4.125% Senior Secured Notes due 2020, €850,000,000 4.750% Senior Secured Notes due 2023, US$600,000,000 5.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2020, US$1,500,000,000 6.250% Senior Secured Notes due 2022 and US$1,100,000,000 6.500% Senior Secured Notes due 2025; Acting for Deutsche Bank AG London as lead arranger in connection with the BVI, Jersey and Mauritian aspects of the US$600,000,000 bond issue by Severn Energy together with further participations by Vitol SA, Ashmopre Group and a syndicate of African banks headed by FBN Capital
Michael Gradidge
Michael has more than 20 years’ experience in all aspects of commercial litigation including in domestic and international arbitration tribunals.
He has particular experience in administrative law and constitutional challenges primarily relating to the challenge of tender awards by the State. He has advised South African and international corporations, financial institutions, governments and regulatory bodies in respect of a wide range of disputes across the African continent that require proactive and effective solutions.
Michael focuses on dispute avoidance and risk management, with an emphasis on early assessment of the matter and a careful consideration of all aspects before taking action, in order to ensure that the client adopts the right strategy.
In Jersey, Michael has advised clients in sanctions-related matters and trust matters, and intends to utilise his experience in insolvency and commercial litigation generally.
Daniel Healy
Daniel is a Counsel within the Corporate department in Jersey. Daniel is a corporate and finance specialist advising on a wide range of high-value international transactions. He has significant experience in advising both lenders and corporate borrowers on fund finance, real estate finance and acquisition finance transactions. He is also well versed on Sharia compliant financings.
He also acts on a variety of public and private cross border mergers and acquisitions, with a particular focus on real estate acquisitions and insurance business transfers.
Christophe Kalinauckas
Christophe Kalinauckas is a partner within the corporate department in Jersey and has substantial offshore experience including corporate, banking & finance work, private equity work, restructurings, joint ventures, advising on several aspects of M&A deals and general non-contentious offshore law.
He is consistently ranked by Legal 500 and IFLR 1000 for Corporate, Banking, Finance and Capital Markets, and is praised for his ‘excellent attention to detail and great skill in transactions’. Clients also describe him as “great to work with, very knowledgeable, responsive and helpful.”
Christophe specialises in all aspects of corporate and private equity work, debt finance and real estate finance matters. He also has industry-leading expertise in listing securities on The International Stock Exchange, including green bonds, private equity acquisition debt, high-yield bonds and several prestigious Asian-backed debt listings.
Prior to joining Appleby, Christophe worked for over 15 years in private practice in Jersey and in the Cayman Islands, at two major offshore firms. He is a Jersey Advocate, and he has also been admitted as a Cayman Islands Attorney and English Solicitor (non-practising).
Niall MacDonald
Niall MacDonald is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution department in Appleby’s Jersey office.
He advises on all types of commercial dispute and has extensive advocacy experience ranging from representing clients regarding trusts and multi-jurisdictional issues (before the Royal Court of Jersey and Court of Appeal) to resolving local employment disputes (before the Jersey Employment and Discrimination Tribunal).
His practice now focuses on the following specialisms: commercial & contractual disputes; employment & regulatory matters; trust litigation; together with fraud, asset tracing & insolvency cases. The breadth of his experience equips him particularly well when such issues overlap, for example with misconduct investigations concerning regulatory matters.
His clients range from high net worth individuals and executives, to leading global and local corporate entities.
The cases which he has resolved over the last 15 years have involved a broad range of other areas of the law (including company, contract, criminal, data protection, insolvency, insurance, planning, professional negligence and regulatory).
Richard Sheldon
Richard is the Managing Group Partner in Guernsey and member of the Dispute Resolution team, specialising in advising clients on employment law and regulatory issues.
Richard leads the Channel Islands employment team, and is one of the pre-eminent employment lawyers in the region, advising on all areas of employment law including, strategic advice, litigation, transactional support and director / shareholder disputes, as well as advising on matters such as executive severance, employee share schemes, pensions, restrictive covenants, bonus disputes and trade union issues.
In addition, Richard has advised on a number of major contentious regulatory matters including in particular enforcement action by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission (GFSC) against both companies and their directors, and has a particular expertise in the field of complex investigations into regulatory issues. Richard has a growing reputation in the field and has been the lead adviser on a number of regulatory enforcement cases over the years such as Blenheim, Richmond and Artemis, representing those companies through the enforcement process. Richard also regularly represents directors at voluntary interviews with the GFSC.
Over recent years Richard has conducted a number of complex investigations for clients, relating to potential employee frauds, breaches of fiduciary duties, compliance around sanctions as well as sexual harassment in the workplace.
Richard’s experience includes advising;
\tA global financial services business on the investigation and dismissal of a senior director in respect of allegations of sexual harassment
\tA tech business in relation the exit of a senior employee, and successfully defending claims before the Tribunal of discrimination on the grounds of sex and maternity
\tThe successful appellants in the case of Domaille & others v Guernsey Financial Services Commission in overturning on appeal before the Royal Court, regulatory enforcement sanctions imposed by the GFSC.
\tA 50% owner of a professional services firm in relation to a dispute with his fellow owner, including successfully exiting the other party from the firm, as shareholder, director and employee.
\tA former director of a fund administrator in relation to regulatory enforcement action taken by the GFSC, including successfully negotiating a private reprimand rather any form of public censure.
\tA international financial services business on a post-acquisition integration restructure, including harmonisation of terms and conditions.
Tom Vibert
Tom Vibert is a Senior Associate within the Corporate department in Jersey. He has a broad practise advising on all aspects of corporate and finance transactions, with a particular emphasis on structured finance, securitisation and general finance transactions. He has significant experience in advising lenders, sponsors, arrangers and borrowers on high-value, international securitisations and general structured finance transactions.
Lara von Wildenrath
Lara is a Senior Associate in the Dispute Resolution department at Appleby Jersey. She advises on all aspects relating to commercial litigation including trust disputes, insolvency proceedings and corporate disputes involving directors and shareholders.
She advises a number of different stakeholders including government entities, private companies, insolvency practitioners, directors and shareholders.
Prior to joining Appleby, Lara worked at a leading national law firm in Johannesburg advising on major litigation matters involving insolvency, business rescue, restructuring, commercial disputes and business crimes.
KEY CAPABILITIES:
\tAdvising on general and commercial litigation strategy, including all forms of dispute resolution relating to trust law, contract law, property law, mining law, banking law, asset recovery, insolvency and consumer law;
\tAdvising on directors’ and shareholder liabilities and disputes;
\tConducting winding up proceedings of companies and individuals; and
\tConducting investigations and enquiries into the affairs of financially distressed companies particularly in relation to fraudulent conduct.
Andrew Weaver
Andrew Weaver is Corporate Local Practice Group Head in Jersey. He specialises in real estate, hedge and private equity funds, regulatory advice and corporate work in matters of Jersey and Cayman Islands law. He advises leading fund managers, advisers and financial institutions and service providers in the UK, Europe, the USA, the Middle East and Asia.
Andrew has substantial experience in public equity offerings, M&A and corporate structuring and an in-depth knowledge of partnerships and unit trusts. He worked for several years in the Appleby Cayman Islands office and before that for six years at a leading firm in the City of London.
Recent work examples include advising: Lead counsel to PraxisIFM Group, the international corporate and fiduciary services business, on it 2017 IPO; Altor Equity Partners AB on the establishment of their first, second and third funds focussed on mid-market buyout deals in Scandinavia;Kennedy Wilson Europe Real Estate PLC on its merger with Kennedy Wilson Holdings Inc. to create a USD 4bn global property group.
Kate Westwater
Kate Westwater is Counsel within the Property Department in Jersey. She advises on all aspects of commercial and residential property, secured lending, probate, estate planning and capacity for a wide range of clients, including individuals, families, banks, intermediaries and law firms both on the island and outside Jersey.
The breadth and depth of experience that Kate has acquired over the past two decades enable her to advise and manage complex and challenging property transactions, probate and capacity matters, will drafting and lasting powers of attorney. She has excellent knowledge of French in Jersey legal context and has worked extensively on contentious estates including negotiating settlements, legitime claims and advice in relation to validity issues, as well as dealing with clients who are experiencing bereavement, personal difficulties and family conflict.
Sam Williams
Sam Williams is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution team in Jersey.
He is an experienced litigator and advocate, having been called to the Jersey Bar in 2015, and appears regularly in the Royal Court of Jersey and Court of Appeal. Sam has particular expertise in private wealth disputes, including breach of trust proceedings, fiduciary removal applications, contentious restructurings, construction and tax mistake applications. He advises trustees, beneficiaries and settlors.
In addition, Sam has experience of enforcing foreign arbitral awards and judgments and obtaining urgent injunctive relief, often in the context of fraud and asset tracing. He also advises on corporate and shareholder disputes, as well as on insolvency matters.
Paul Worsnop
Paul Worsnop is Partner within the corporate department in Jersey. He has a broad practice and advises on all aspects of corporate and finance transactions with a particular emphasis on debt and equity capital markets, structured finance, funds and technology.
Paul is involved with a number of industry working groups on the Island looking at areas including capital markets, the implementation and regulation of Fintech in Jersey, the AML/KYC regime and legal reform.