Eagle-eyed readers will have noticed that The Legal 500’s latest Caribbean rankings have recently been published online. In addition to coverage of Bermuda, the Cayman Islands (Cayman), and the British Virgin Islands (BVI), the 2019 rankings saw the introduction of the Bahamas into the guide. A new practice area was also added with a new investment funds section for BVI.
In terms of total rankings, Conyers Dill & Pearman leads the pack with 17 practice rankings across all jurisdictions; it is followed closely by Appleby with 16. Other prominent firms include Walkers with 12 across BVI and Cayman, both Maples Calder and Harneys with 11 rankings in total, Carey Olsen and Ogier drawing with eight a piece, and Campbells and Mourant Ozannes achieving seven positions each across the region.
It won’t come as a surprise to hear that international firms came out on top, when analysing the top tier rankings across all four jurisdictions. Appleby achieves six top tier spots (three in Bermuda, three in Cayman), Conyers Dill & Pearman has nine (five in Bermuda, three in BVI, one in Cayman), Maples and Calder place eight times (five in Cayman, three in BVI), and Walkers gain five top spots (four in Cayman, one in BVI).
Looking at the individual practitioner rankings and the top five firms for recommended, leading, and next generation lawyers are Conyers Dill & Pearman (69), Maples and Calder (60), Appleby (50), Harneys (47), and Walkers (43). Of those individuals mentioned, Conyers Dill & Pearman have 14 leading individuals, while both Appleby and Maples and Calder are close behind with 13; Walkers and Harneys have 11 leading lawyers each.
The next generation rankings, which highlight the most capable junior members of a practice, includes 13 practitioners at Maples Calder, 11 at Appleby, ten at both Conyers Dill & Pearman and Walkers, and nine at Harneys.
Local firms also shone this year. In Bermuda, the MJM Limited has a total of five total rankings, Cox Hallett Wilkinson Limited has four, while, with three rankings each, third place is tied between ASW Law Limited and Wakefield Quin. With five rankings Stuarts Walker Hersant Humphries is the leading local Cayman firm, followed by Priestleys and Ritch & Conolly with two rankings each. Solomon Harris, which recently merged with Channel Islands-based Bedell Cristin, achieved four rankings in Cayman. In the BVI, O’Neal Webster’s head office achieved placed five times; Price Demers & Co is ranked in two areas.
Finally, the new Bahamas rankings saw a mixture of local firms ranked for the first time. In tier 1 we find Higgs & Johnson (15 individuals recommended), Bancroft & Huges (eight), LennoxPatton and Mckinney (six), and Graham Thompson (five). Tier 2 includes Alexiou, Knowles & Co, which has 8 practitioners recommended, Callenders & Co, which has 6, Delaney Partners, which has 3, and Glinton Sweeting O’Brien, which also has 3.
Congratulations to all the firms and individuals ranked and recommended this year and a huge thank you to all the firms who took part in the process, particularly those who went above and beyond to help with the new Bahamas coverage.