Department profile
M. Hamel-Smith & Co.

General Business Law

Global Guide 2026 : Trinidad & Tobago

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M. Hamel-Smith & Co.

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About

Provided by M. Hamel-Smith & Co.

Established in 1909, Hamel-Smith is widely-recognised as a pioneer in Trinidad and Tobago’s business community and the legal profession. As a member of Lex Mundi, Hamel-Smith works with member firms and other global law firms to provide innovative legal solutions to some of the world's largest corporations in dispute resolution, as well as cross-border and domestic transactions.

Hamel-Smith clients’ commercial objectives are paramount to the firm; it focuses on fashioning practical, business-oriented legal solutions to achieve them. Sensitive to clients needs for cost-certainty, the firm is prepared to agree fixed fees in advance, provide estimates for agreed phases of work or agree other flexible fee arrangements.

The Transactional team has extensive experience representing clients of varied industry sectors in an array of commercial transactions including business structuring, incorporation and on-going compliance, mergers & acquisitions, tax disputes, project structuring and financing, capital markets and securities structuring and compliance.

The Disputes & Risk Management team is known for taking a practical approach to matters, and boasts strategic thinkers who work closely with clients to develop and implement strategies to avoid, manage and resolve disputes cost-effectively. The firm also has a highly valued labour and employment law practice, and offers a coordinated intellectual property service for the regional registration and maintenance of trademarks and patents.

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  • Our firm treats client identity as strictly confidential.

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

General Business Law - Trinidad & Tobago

Band 1

What the Team is Known For

M. Hamel-Smith & Co. is one of the most highly regarded law firms in the Caribbean, with a history in Trinidad tracing back to the early twentieth century. It is especially noted for handling highly significant litigation work. In this field, the firm has taken on shareholder disputes, tax appeals and insolvency proceedings. Its outstanding litigation capabilities are complemented by its considerable transactional expertise. The firm also has a stellar track record when it comes to landmark M&A, finance and capital markets matters.

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Work Highlights

Provided by Chambers

  • M. Hamel-Smith & Co. acted for Construtora regarding its attempt to resist the setting aside of an arbitral award after proceedings to do so were initiated by National Infrastructure Development Company following an earlier arbitration arising from a highway extension project.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • The lawyers offer extensive experience in local market, a successful track record of comparable transactions and strong working relationships with key stakeholders, including regulators.

    General Business Law respondentGlobal

  • M. Hamel-Smith & Co. is one of the leading law firms in our jurisdiction. It is very responsive, accessible, efficient and knowledgeable in this field, and provides good advice during the process.

    General Business Law respondentGlobal

  • M. Hamel-Smith & Co. has a strong and diverse bench. The firm can adapt to the local and regional markets.

    General Business Law respondentGlobal

  • They're a first-rate and solution-oriented law firm that works hard to align with its customer needs. They're efficient, very flexible and customer-oriented, and have a commercial mind.

    General Business Law respondentGlobal

  • They don't sugarcoat situations and speak plainly and to the point. They think ahead, tackle situations in the present and strategise a lot.

    General Business Law respondentGlobal

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

  • Nicole Ferreira-Aaron
    Nicole Ferreira-Aaron

    Nicole Ferreira-Aaron

    Nicole Ferreira-Aaron, managing partner of M. Hamel-Smith & Co., is noted for her formidable practice in aviation finance, representing an impressive roster of clients in this sector. Her practice encompasses a breadth of financing agreements in addition to working across a number of M&A and capital markets issuances.

    • Nicole Ferreira-Aaron is very responsive and prompt.

      General Business Law respondentGlobal

    • She is a very experienced attorney.

      General Business Law respondentGlobal

    • Nicole's ability to navigate through the red tape is great.

      General Business Law respondentGlobal
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  • Jonathan Walker
    Jonathan Walker

    Jonathan Walker

    Jonathan Walker heads the disputes and risk management practice group at Hamel-Smith. An esteemed lawyer, he is regularly called upon to assist clients with some of Trinidad's most high-profile commercial disputes. He has appeared many times in instances of High Court litigation, with experience spanning areas including contractual disputes, tax cases and constitutional law proceedings.

    • Jonathan Walker is a hugely experienced lawyer with a broad range of expertise. He's very experienced and balanced, and offers clear, concise opinions in a very timely manner.

      General Business Law respondentGlobal

    • Jonathan is an absolute expert in this practice area, able to break down everything for his client and get his point across.

      General Business Law respondentGlobal

    • Jonathan is a highly qualified tax lawyer. He's responsive and has a very good knowledge of both tax law and procedural matters.

      General Business Law respondentGlobal
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  • M Glenn Hamel-Smith
    M Glenn Hamel-Smith

    M Glenn Hamel-Smith

    Glenn Hamel-Smith is a highly respected lawyer who leads the banking and finance practice at Hamel-Smith. He routinely offers counsel to an impressive roster of commercial lenders. He is additionally noted for his capital markets practice and has complementary expertise in M&A and company restructuring.

    • He's very thorough and good at coming up with strategies to deal with regulators.

      General Business Law respondentGlobal

    • Glenn Hamel-Smith thinks things through and is commercially minded. He is a seasoned corporate and commercial attorney.

      General Business Law respondentGlobal
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  • Melissa Inglefield
    Melissa Inglefield

    Melissa Inglefield

    Melissa Inglefield is an esteemed lawyer in the Trinidad legal market, with interviewees praising her capabilities to the highest degree. She is active across an array of finance transactions and capital markets issuances, offering counsel to a variety of high-profile clients.

    • Her work is rooted in her experience and expertise. She is also capable of balancing commercial considerations.

      General Business Law respondentGlobal

    • Melissa is hands-down amazing. She's amicable, flexible and responsive.

      General Business Law respondentGlobal

    • She's certainly thorough and customer-oriented.

      General Business Law respondentGlobal

    • Melissa Inglefield replies timeously and provides both quick and detailed responses. She understands the wider legal picture in Trinidad and the complexities of the jurisdiction.

      General Business Law respondentGlobal
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  • Gregory Pantin
    Gregory Pantin

    Gregory Pantin

    Gregory Pantin is a well-regarded disputes lawyer in the Trinidadian legal market. He has a range of expertise spanning infrastructure and real estate cases. He enjoys a solid reputation in the market as an astute choice to handle both litigation and arbitration.

    • Gregory is very clear and knows his stuff.

      General Business Law respondentGlobal

    • Gregory Pantin is extremely good at what he does. He thinks things through, gives frank and practical advice and is customer-oriented.

      General Business Law respondentGlobal
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  • Riane Trotman
    Riane Trotman

    Riane Trotman

    Riane Trotman is an associate providing assistance to a wide array of clients. She is adept at handling corporate, capital markets and aviation matters.

    • She's very responsive and prompt.

      General Business Law respondentGlobal

    • Riane Trotman can handle complex matters that require attention to detail and a keen understanding of the law.

      General Business Law respondentGlobal
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Ranked Individuals at M. Hamel-Smith & Co. (6)

Trinidad & Tobago

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