Department profile
Harneys

Dispute Resolution

Global Guide 2026 : British Virgin Islands


Harneys

Rankings

About

Provided by Harneys

We house by far the largest litigation and insolvency team in the BVI, delivering partner‑led, rapid and resource‑intensive support on complex, high‑stakes mandates. With unrivalled local knowledge and a decisive role in the jurisdiction’s landmark cases over the last decade, we offer clients a clear edge, enhanced by seamless collaboration with our Hong Kong and London teams.

We act in high‑profile, multi‑jurisdictional commercial and insolvency disputes across the full lifecycle: fraud and asset tracing, investigations and corporate crime, shareholder and director claims, banking and contractual disputes, trusts and private client litigation, arbitration and enforcement, insurance and professional negligence, administrative law and judicial review, IP and Listco disputes. Our market‑leading restructuring practice advises on schemes of arrangement (including Chapter 11‑adjacent strategies), recognition, receiverships, “light touch” provisional liquidations and cross‑border contingency planning.

Our clients include leading international accountancy firms, global and onshore law firms, financial institutions, insolvency officeholders, creditor committees, private equity sponsors, hedge funds, DIP lenders, directors, trustees, shareholders and corporate debtors.

We are offshore litigation and insolvency specialists with global reach, delivering timely, innovative and cost‑effective solutions focused on optimal resolutions, whether in court or through pragmatic settlement.

Clients (23)

  • Grant Thornton
  • FTI Consulting
  • QVT
  • Krios holdings
  • Jones Day
  • Baker McKenzie
  • Standard Chartered Bank
  • Krikor Kaysserlian Duarte e Forssell
  • Gerald Metals
  • Deloitte
  • Kroll
  • Teneo
  • Interpath
  • Barclays
  • HSBC
  • Credit Suisse
  • EuroChem GroupHuawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
  • China Aoyuan Group Limited
  • Digicel International Finance Limited (the Digicel Group)
  • AlixPartners
  • Big Four accounting firms
  • Kaisa Group
  • FTI

Industries (13)

  • Law firms
  • Financial institutions
  • Investment funds
  • Private individuals
  • Financial services and banking
  • Accounting and professional services
  • Legal services
  • Energy and natural resources (including oil and gas)
  • Telecommunications
  • Real estate and property development
  • Chemicals and industrials
  • Investment management (private equity and hedge funds)
  • Fisheries and food processing (seafood)

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Dispute Resolution - British Virgin Islands

Band 2

Band 2


What the Team is Known For

Harneys maintains a strong reputation in the dispute resolution field. Its sizeable team of lawyers is regularly mandated on multimillion-dollar shareholder disputes and asset recovery matters, in addition to trust litigation and applications for injunctive relief. It also benefits from the strengths of the firm's outstanding Hong Kong litigation department, often handling cases in tandem with Harneys teams based in the Special Administrative Region.

Work Highlights

Provided by Chambers

  • The BVI, Cayman and Hong Kong offices of Harneys acted for Kaisa Group Holdings on the offshore elements of its debt restructuring.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • Harneys have a proven track record of managing complex derivative matters involving multiple jurisdictions, and they have an unerring focus on the salient legal issues.

    Dispute Resolution respondentGlobal
  • Harneys' reputation in the region speaks for itself. Its partners have both the smarts and the experience to run the most complex and high-value disputes in the region.

    Dispute Resolution respondentGlobal

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

  • Band 1Claire Goldstein
    Band 1Claire Goldstein

    Claire Goldstein

    Claire Goldstein co-heads the BVI litigation, insolvency and restructuring department at Harneys. She acts in a range of BVI litigation proceedings, including asset tracing, contentious trust matters and insolvency cases. Her activity also encompasses shareholder disputes and white-collar fraud work.

    • Claire Goldstein is a star of the BVI Bar. She is highly approachable, and also brings to the table a keen intellect as well as a strong sense of the way to run a case and the likely outcome.

      Dispute Resolution respondentGlobal
    • Claire Goldstein is excellent; she is commercial and easy to work with.

      Dispute Resolution respondentGlobal
    • Claire Goldstein is a very good lawyer. She has a full and clear understanding of how we like to work. Her input on tactics and strategy is also of a high standard.

      Dispute Resolution respondentGlobal
  • Band 5Christopher Pease
    Band 5Christopher Pease

    Christopher Pease

    Christopher Pease co-heads Harneys' litigation, insolvency and restructuring team in the jurisdiction. He is highly experienced in fraud and asset recovery matters, with a growing reputation among fellow legal practitioners.

    • Christopher Pease is hugely impressive, commercially aware and knowledgeable.

      Dispute Resolution respondentGlobal
    • He is a super-smart guy who is really good to deal with and does a lot of crypto work.

      Dispute Resolution respondentGlobal

Ranked Individuals at Harneys (2)

British Virgin Islands

Members

Provided by Harneys

  • Phillip Kite

  • James Petkovic

  • Natasha Guthrie

  • Faisal Saifee

  • Hazel-Ann Hannaway

  • Kimberly Crabbe-Adams

  • Victoria Lissack

  • Andre McKenzie

  • Aurelia Matonis

  • Isobel McNaught

  • James Wilton

  • Jhneil Stewart

  • Jonathan Addo

  • Kieran Forsyth

  • Mark Wells

  • Michael Smith

  • Robert Maxwell Marsh

  • Claire Goldstein

    Head of Department

    View profile of Claire Goldstein
  • Christopher Pease

    Head of Department

    View profile of Christopher Pease

Harneys has rankings in the following guides

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