Carey Olsen

Group Managing Partners: Michael Hanson and Simon Marks

Managing Partners: Michael Hanson (Bermuda), Alex Hall-Taylor (British Virgin Islands), Sam Dawson (Cayman Islands), Tom Carey (Guernsey), Simon Marks (Jersey), Michael Padarin (Hong Kong), Jasmine Amaria (London), Anthony McKenzie (Singapore)

Number of partners: 83

Number of lawyers: 300+

Total number of staff worldwide: 650+

Languages: The firm accommodates a wide range of languages

Firm Overview:

With a heritage that dates back to 1898, Carey Olsen is one of the most established and distinguished offshore law firms. The firm advises financial institutions, corporations and private clients on the laws of Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Guernsey and Jersey from a network of nine international offices. A full service law firm, it works across banking and finance, corporate and M&A, investment funds and private equity, trusts and private wealth, dispute resolution, insolvency and property law.

Main Areas of Practice

Banking & Finance:

Carey Olsen’s global finance team has an international reputation for banking and finance work, including complex cross-border financing transactions and large loan portfolio restructurings as well as establishing banks in its domestic markets. The firm is instructed by clients directly on international finance transactions and also works closely with onshore legal teams.

Commercial Property:

The commercial property team acts for an international client base. Work includes acquisitions and disposals, landlord and tenant agreements, financing and secured transactions, joint venture and share purchase agreements, large scale retail and commercial leases, development and infrastructure projects and contentious and non-contentious matters.

Corporate:

Corporate work is a cornerstone of Carey Olsen’s legal services offering and it has one of the largest teams in the offshore market. Work includes creating new structures for commercial growth, advising on public and private mergers and acquisitions and completing exchange-based listings, as well as advising boards and shareholders.

Dispute Resolution:

Carey Olsen’s dispute resolution and litigation practice represents clients across the full spectrum of contentious and noncontentious work and is widely recognised for its expertise in both international and domestic cases, including investment fund, corporate, commercial and civil disputes, banking, financial services and trusts litigation, fraud and asset tracing claims, and regulatory investigations, employment disputes and advisory work.

Employment, Pensions & Incentives:

Carey Olsen’s employment and pensions lawyers represent businesses across a broad range of industry sectors. Work includes large-scale takeovers and mergers, contentious employment disputes and tribunal representation and noncontentious matters.

Investment Funds:

Carey Olsen is a leading listing sponsor and listing agent on The International Stock Exchange (TISE) and the Cayman Islands Stock Exchange (CSX). Carey Olsen Corporate Finance Limited undertakes listing services on behalf of Carey Olsen for TISE listings in Jersey and Guernsey. It advises in relation to the listing of funds, investment vehicles, equity securities, Eurobonds, high yield bonds, structured finance, debt financing arrangements for private equity and infrastructure funds. The firm acts for over one third of the TISE-listed REITs.

Listing Services:

Carey Olsen is a leading listing sponsor and listing agent on The International Stock Exchange (TISE) and the Cayman Islands Stock Exchange (CSX). Carey Olsen Corporate Finance Limited undertakes listing services on behalf of Carey Olsen for TISE listings in Jersey and Guernsey. It advises in relation to the listing of funds, investment vehicles, equity securities, Eurobonds, high yield bonds, structured finance, debt financing arrangements for private equity and infrastructure funds. The firm acts for over one third of the TISE-listed REITs.

Regulatory:

The firm’s core expertise lies in advising financial services clients, including banks, corporates, investment managers, fund administrators, trust companies, investors and private clients. Advice covers anti-money laundering, investigations and enforcement actions, compliance, risk management, sanctions and data protection and cyber security, including GDPR advice.

Restructuring & Insolvency:

Carey Olsen’s team covers the full range of cross-border restructuring, recovery and insolvency matters and works in partnership with the world’s leading insolvency practitioners, onshore law firms, accountancy and forensic practices. They advise liquidators, receivers, creditors, investors, directors and professional service providers.

Taxation & Economic Substance:

The firm’s taxation and economic substance team advises clients on various tax matters, including tax residence, economic substance requirements, income tax, FATCA, the OECD’s Common Reporting Standard and tax disputes. To help businesses ensure compliance with economic substance requirements, the team conducts substance audits on existing structures, procedures and documents to help identify any issues both in terms of an initial audit of compliance and on an ongoing basis.

Trusts & Private Wealth:

Carey Olsen has one of the largest trusts and private wealth teams in the offshore world with 55 partners and associates providing advice to local and international clients and their advisers. The firm’s lawyers work across a range of trust and foundation structures and also advise on settlor reserved power trusts, private trust company arrangements, pension and employee benefit schemes, wills and inheritance, estate planning, regulatory advice and trust-related disputes. With a fully-integrated practice, Carey Olsen also represents trustees and beneficiaries in contentious matters and administrative applications.

Clients:

Clients include global and local financial institutions, investment funds, private equity houses, multinational corporations, public organisations, sovereign wealth funds, high net worth individuals, family offices, directors, trustees and private clients. It also works alongside the leading international law firms, accountancy firms and insolvency practitioners.