Based on research conducted by Asia Business Law Journal, the following are top 50 offshore lawyers. Biographies and contact details, where provided, were written by the lawyers themselves and have not been independently verified. Click here to read the full report.
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Piers Alexander Conyers Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Investment funds (Asian, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands); capital markets; the Cayman Islands financial institutions group; corporate; M&A | |
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Jonathan Betts Walkers Bermuda |
| Key practice areas: Corporate & private equity; banking & finance; investments & asset finance; insurance; restructuring | |
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Christopher Bickley Conyers Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets; corporate; finance; M&A; private equity & venture capital | |
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Robert Briant Conyers The British Virgin Islands |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance; capital markets; corporate & commercial; M&A; private equity, venture capital & funds | |
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David Bulley Appleby Hong Kong |
| Tel: +852 6201 3662 Email: dbulley@applebyglobal.com Key practice areas: M&A; private equity, venture capital & funds; restructuring & insolvency; SPACs |
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David is the managing partner of the Hong Kong office and local corporate group head. He is also head of Asia private equity and M&A, corporate restructuring and global co-head of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs). Recognised as a leading lawyer in each of his practice areas, David has been named Cayman Islands’ “Merger and Acquisitions Lawyer of the Year” for the last three years running, having completed transactions with an aggregate value in excess of USD100 billion during this time. On the restructuring side, David has a wealth of knowledge and experience in advising clients on all aspects of offshore restructuring. Currently engaged on multiple mandates relating to the offshore bonds of Chinese real estate developers, David has led on many of the largest Cayman restructurings, particularly in the offshore oil and gas sector during the previous cyclical downturn. David is qualified in England and Wales, the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands. |
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Paul Christopher Mourant Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Corporate & commercial; M&A; investment funds; joint ventures; restructuring | |
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David Clark Appleby Bermuda |
| Key practice areas: Banking & asset finance; corporate finance; derivatives; M&A | |
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John Crook Walkers Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Arbitration & ADR; corporate governance; litigation; private equity, venture capital & funds; restructuring & insolvency | |
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Shaun Folpp Campbells Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Disputes; distressed funds; claims against auditors, investment managers & advisors; fraud & white-collar crime; litigation | |
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Claire Fulton Mourant Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance; private equity, venture capital & funds; restructuring & insolvency; securitisation & structured finance | |
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James Gaden Walkers Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Corporate & private equity; finance; investment funds; M&A; hedge funds; private equity funds | |
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Michael Gagie Maples Group Singapore |
| Tel: +65 6922 8402 Email: michael.gagie@maples.com Key practice areas: Banking & finance; corporate & commercial; joint venture; M&A; private equity, venture capital & funds |
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Based in Asia since 2006, Michael Gagie is regional managing partner, Asia and global head of BVI law practice of Maples and Calder, the Maples Group’s law firm. Michael practises both BVI and Cayman Islands law, and his experience and areas of practice cover corporate, downstream private equity work, commercial, banking and structured finance. He is consistently ranked as a leader in his field in Chambers Global, IFLR1000, and Who’s Who Legal. He is currently ranked as an eminent practitioner by Chambers Asia Pacific 2021 and is recognised as one of “China’s Elite 100 lawyers (Foreign firm)” by China Business Law Journal’s A-List 2021. |
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Matthew Gardner Maples Group The Cayman Islands |
| Tel: +1 345 814 5453 Email: matthew.gardner@maples.com Key practice areas: Corporate & commercial; joint venture; M&A; capital markets (equity); private equity, venture capital & funds |
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Matthew Gardner is the managing partner of Maples and Calder’s Cayman Islands office, head of the firm’s Cayman Islands corporate practice and co-head of its global corporate practice. His practice covers all aspects of corporate and commercial work, including joint ventures, public offerings, M&A, and re-organisation. He has extensive experience in investment funds, private equity, banking, structured finance and capital markets transactions. Matthew’s clients include a wide range of public and private companies, private equity and hedge fund firms, financial institutions and high-net-worth individuals. He is recommended in Legal 500, Chambers Global and IFLR1000. |
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Philip Graham Harneys The British Virgin Islands |
| Key practice areas: E-commerce; fintech, blockchain & cryptos; private equity, venture capital & funds | |
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Richard Hall Conyers Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Corporate; finance; M&A; private equity & venture capital; securitisation & structured finance | |
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Michael Hanson Carey Olsen Bermuda |
| Tel: +1 441 542 4501 Email: michael.hanson@careyolsen.com Key practice areas: Compliance; corporate & commercial; corporate governance; data protection; insurance & reinsurance |
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Michael Hanson is the managing partner of Carey Olsen in the Bermuda office. His core practice is centred on human capital and regulatory law, where he advises the largest insurance and reinsurance, banks and professional services businesses on the island. Michael has particular and significant expertise in multijurisdictional crisis management, corporate, employment and regulatory investigations, complex executive disputes and executive benefit and incentive programs. Michael also has a more general practice advising clients on commercial contract claims, reinsurance and coverage disputes and shareholder disputes. Prior to joining Carey Olsen in 2017, Michael was partner and head of the employment and immigration at another offshore law firm in Bermuda. Michael is a former chair of the Human Rights Commission in Bermuda under the provisions of the Human Rights Act, 1981. Michael is on the board of the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce and the board of the Bermuda Development Agency. |
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Norman Hau Conyers Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Asia disputes & restructuring; litigation & restructuring | |
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Kate Hodson Ogier Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: The British Virgin Islands & Cayman law in Europe & Asia; corporate; digital banking & fintech; environmental, social & governance (ESG); hedge funds | |
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David Lamb Conyers Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets; corporate; M&A | |
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Simon Lawrenson Mourant Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance, acquisition finance; corporate; M&A; equity investment | |
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Judy Lee Appleby Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets; private equity, venture capital & funds | |
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Rolf Lindsay Walkers The Cayman Islands |
| Key practice areas: Corporate & private equity; investment funds; M&A; derivatives; private equity funds | |
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Scott Macdonald Maples Group The Cayman Islands |
| Tel: +1 345 814 5317 Email: scott.macdonald@maples.com Key practice areas: Securitisation & structured finance; capital markets; banking & finance; corporate & commercial; corporate governance |
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Scott Macdonald is the global head of the finance practice at Maples and Calder, the Maples Group’s law firm, and is based in the Cayman Islands office. He has extensive experience in collateralised loan obligations (CLOs) and other structured finance transactions, including repack programmes, structured funds and fund derivative products. He also advises on fund financing and is head of the Cayman Islands Stock Exchange listing group. Scott also advises on the application of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) and the Common Reporting Standard (CRS), anti-money laundering and economic substance in the structured finance sector. Scott has been listed as a leading lawyer by IFLR1000, a leading individual in the Legal 500 and ranked in Chambers Global. |
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Ian Mann Harneys Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Litigation; restructuring & insolvency | |
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Richard May Maples Group The British Virgin Islands |
| Tel: +1 284 852 3027 Email: richard.may@maples.com Key practice areas: Capital markets; corporate & commercial; joint venture; M&A; private equity, venture capital & funds |
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Richard May is managing partner of Maples and Calder, the Maples Group’s law firm, in the British Virgin Islands, where he is also head of the corporate and finance teams. He advises on a variety of corporate transactions, including M&A, joint ventures, stock exchange listings and corporate reorganisations. Richard also advises investment managers and private equity houses on the structuring, formation and financing of investment funds and private equity funds. Richard has been featured in Latin Lawyer 250 and recommended in Who’s Who Legal, Chambers Global and Legal 500. He has been named as a leading lawyer in IFLR1000. |
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Anthony McKenzie Carey Olsen Singapore |
| Tel: +65 6911 8311 Email: anthony.mckenzie@careyolsen.com Key practice areas: Capital markets; corporate & commercial; banking & finance; M&A; private equity, venture capital & funds |
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Anthony is the managing partner of Carey Olsen’s Singapore office and the head of our corporate practice in Asia. He advises on Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands and Bermuda law, and has a broad range of experience in corporate and commercial and finance transactions, including M&A, joint ventures, secured and unsecured financing arrangements, preference share issues, IPOs and capital markets transactions. He regularly advises financial institutions, sponsors and borrowers on leveraged and acquisition finance, syndicated lending, structured finance, fund finance and secured and unsecured general corporate lending. He also has significant experience in advising clients on the structuring, formation and maintenance of regulated and unregulated investment funds in the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands. Anthony was formerly with Allen & Overy in London and Australia and Maples and Calder in the Cayman Islands. Before that, he worked for Clayton Utz in Australia. |
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Jonathon Meloy Maples Group The Cayman Islands |
| Tel: +1 345 814 5412 Email: jonathon.meloy@maples.com Key practice areas: Aviation; banking & finance; capital markets; corporate & commercial; securitisation & structured finance |
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Jonathan Meloy is co-head of the asset finance practice in the Cayman Islands. He has extensive experience in international capital markets and corporate finance transactions. He advises on all types of aircraft finance structures, with a particular focus on aircraft portfolio securitisations, large leasing platform establishments (including partnerships with fund sponsor investors), and on- and off-balance sheet commercial aircraft finance and leasing. In addition, Jonathon regularly acts on fund finance transactions for both lenders and borrowers, as well as structured finance matters, including collateralised loan obligations (CLOs). Jonathon also advises on a wide range of general corporate and commercial matters, and debt and equity listings on the Cayman Islands Stock Exchange. Jonathon is listed as a market leader by IFLR1000 and ranked in Who’s Who Legal, Legal 500 and Chambers Global. In 2021, he was recognised by Airline Economics as a mentor in the aviation industry. |
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Ann Ng Maples Group Hong Kong |
| Tel: +852 3690 7475 Email: ann.ng@maples.com Key practice areas: Private equity, venture capital & funds; succession planning (family office); corporate & commercial; hedge funds |
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Ann Ng is head of Asia funds and investment management practice of of Maples and Calder, the Maples Group’s law firm. Ann specialises in the formation, structuring and restructuring of all types of open and closed-end funds, including hedge funds, private equity and venture capital, real estate and infrastructure funds. Ann has been in the investment funds team at the Maples Group for nearly 15 years and partner with the most high-profile hedge fund, venture capital and private equity managers in the region to advise them on all forms of traditional asset classes, as well as the most topical themes including environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and Greater Bay Area initiatives in recent years. Her practice also involves advising a number of international family offices on their strategic investments. |
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Raymond Ng Harneys Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Capital markets; corporate & commercial; joint venture; M&A; private equity, venture capital & funds | |
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James Noble Carey Olsen Singapore |
| Tel: 65 6911 8322 Email: james.noble@careyolsen.com Key practice areas: Arbitration & ADR; bankruptcy & insolvency; litigation; private client; restructuring & insolvency |
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Based in our Tier 1 ranked (Legal 500) Singapore office, James leads the litigation, insolvency and restructuring practice in Asia. James advises on Cayman, British Virgin Islands (BVI) and Bermuda law, and is the only Cayman and BVI admitted litigator in Singapore. A specialist in complex and high-value shareholder litigation, asset recovery, cross-border enforcement and insolvency, James has more than 20 years’ experience working in a wide variety of commercial, trust and estate disputes and private wealth matters. Recognised as an expert in asset recovery in the latest edition of Who’s Who Legal, James regularly acts in high profile and market leading cases, particularly in connection with listed companies. James has been based in Asia since 2012; first in Hong Kong and then Singapore since 2018. Prior to joining Carey Olsen, he was the managing partner of another offshore law firm in Singapore. |
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Anthony Oakes Ogier Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Asset finance; the British Virgin Islands & Cayman law in Europe & Asia; banking & finance; fund finance; corporate | |
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Michael Padarin Carey Olsen Hong Kong |
| Tel: +852 3628 9006 Email: michael.padarin@careyolsen.com Key practice areas: Capital markets; corporate & commercial; banking & finance; joint venture; M&A; private equity, venture capital & funds |
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Michael is the managing partner of Carey Olsen’s Hong Kong office. He specialises in Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands and Bermuda law. His practice concentrates on the formation, operation and restructuring of private investment funds, primarily private equity and venture capital funds, and their related fund sponsor vehicles. He also has a wealth of experience dealing with inbound and outbound China deals. In addition, Michael represents early and later stage companies in a range of industries, including fintech, life sciences and technology, in relation to private financings, listings, cross-border investments and other M&A transactions. Prior to joining Carey Olsen, Michael was a partner in the global investment funds group of another offshore firm based in the Cayman Islands for seven years, having previously spent over four years in its Hong Kong office. |
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Philip Paschalides Walkers The Cayman Islands |
| Key practice areas: Corporate & private equity; banking & finance; insurance & insurance linked securities; structured products & capital markets; private capital & trusts | |
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Ingrid Pierce Walkers The Cayman Islands |
| Key practice areas: Investment funds; insurance; special situations; distressed funds; hedge funds | |
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Nicholas Plowman Ogier Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: The British Virgin Islands & Cayman law in Europe & Asia; corporate; hedge funds; investment funds; listed funds liquid strategies & UCITS | |
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Nathan Powell Ogier Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: The British Virgin Islands & Cayman law in Europe & Asia; banking & finance; corporate; equity capital markets; listing services | |
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Michael Pringle Forbes Hare Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Insolvency; fraud & asset tracing claims; general contractual claims; admiralty proceedings | |
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Simon Raftopoulos Appleby The Cayman Islands |
| Key practice areas: Corporate; insurance disputes; banking & asset finance; corporate & fund finance; insurance & reinsurance | |
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Andy Randall Walkers Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Corporate & private equity; finance; asset finance; banking; structured products & capital markets | |
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Chai Ridgers Harneys Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Bankruptcy & insolvency; restructuring & insolvency | |
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Matt Roberts Maples Group Hong Kong |
| Tel: +852 3690 7405 Email: matt.roberts@maples.com Key practice areas: Corporate & commercial; joint venture; M&A; capital markets; private equity, venture capital & funds |
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| Based in Asia since 2011, Matt Roberts is Asia head of corporate practice of practice of Maples and Calder, the Maples Group’s law firm. He specialises in advising financial institutions, publicly listed and private companies, asset managers and promoters on M&A, private equity, joint ventures, reorganisations, corporate governance and capital markets (including initial public offerings, secondary offerings, special purpose acquisition companies or SPACs, and preferred share financings). He is recognised as one of “China’s Elite 100 lawyers (Foreign firm)” by China Business Law Journal’s A-List 2020, and also ranked as a leading Individual by Legal 500 Asia Pacific. | |
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John Rogers Walkers Singapore |
| Key practice areas: Corporate & private equity; finance; banking; structured products & capital markets | |
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Danielle Roman Mourant Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance; asset finance (aviation & shipping); fund financing; acquisition & leveraged finance; debt restructuring & general corporate lending | |
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Robert Searle Campbells Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance; capital markets; corporate & commercial; joint venture; private equity, venture capital & funds | |
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Paul Sephton Harneys Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance; capital markets; project finance; restructuring & insolvency; securitisation & structured finance | |
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Gary Smith Loeb Smith The Cayman Islands |
| Tel: +1 (345) 749 7590 | +1 345 525 0900 Email: gary.smith@loebsmith.com Key practice areas: Cayman & BVI Investment Funds; Private Equity investments; M&A in e-commerce, fintech, blockchain & cryptocurrency transactions; Corporate; Capital Markets. |
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| Gary is a partner in leading and coordinating Loeb Smith’s corporate and investment funds group. He is qualified to practice in the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands and his practice focuses mainly on (1) investment funds formation and launch, ongoing advice to investment funds investing in all asset classes, including hedge, private equity, venture capital, digital assets (e.g. cryptocurrency, NFTs and blockchain technology), (2) M&A, and private equity investments.
He advises investment fund managers, in-house counsels, onshore counsels, and high-net-worth individuals on dealing with day-to-day legal issues and complex, strategic matters. Gary has given expert evidence in the US Federal Bankruptcy Court Southern District of New York in court proceedings relating to Cayman investment funds, and he has also appeared before the New York Supreme Court as an expert on Cayman Islands law. He is ranked in the top tiers of Investment Funds lawyers in the Cayman Islands by several international legal directories |
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Peter Vas Spencer West LLP Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Banking & finance; corporate & commercial; e-commerce, fintech, blockchain & cryptos; M&A; private equity, venture capital & funds | |
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Ray Wearmouth Ogier The British Virgin Islands |
| Key practice areas: Asset finance; banking & finance; corporate; derivatives; environmental, social & governance (ESG) | |
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Caroline Williams Walkers The Cayman Islands |
| Key practice areas: Corporate & private equity; investment funds; private equity funds | |
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Denise Wong Walkers Hong Kong |
| Key practice areas: Corporate & private equity; investment funds; M&A; hedge funds; private equity funds | |
