Campbells

Firm Details:

Managing Partner: Guy Manning

Co-Heads of Corporate: Richard Spencer and Simon Thomas

Head of Litigation, Insolvency & Restructuring: Guy Manning

Number of global partners: 22

Number of other lawyers: 40

Languages: Cantonese, English, French, German, Italian, Mandarin, Spanish

Firm Overview:

Campbells is a leading full service offshore law firm established in 1970. From its offices in the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands and Hong Kong it provides comprehensive corporate and litigation advice and services to clients worldwide in relation to Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands law. The firm is regularly trusted to advise some of the most prominent names in finance, investment and insurance and is frequently involved in the largest and most complex transactions, disputes and insolvencies in both jurisdictions. Campbells’ legal team is internationally recognised for its expertise by leading directories and trade publications and is also proud to be actively involved in the development of legislation, sitting on critical government legislative committees. Campbells is a member of the international legal networks Meritas and World Law Group.

Main Areas of Practice

Arbitration & Mediation:

Campbells is at the forefront of arbitration and mediation in both the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands. They have a number of attorneys with highly specialised international arbitration and mediation experience gained onshore in major arbitration and mediation centres.

Banking & Structured Finance: Campbells has extensive experience advising on debt, equity, credit-linked and asset backed securities, derivatives and other structured products, working with professional advisors and leading financial institutions worldwide; in addition to advising on syndicated lending and related security structures and advising on the establishment and licensing of financial institutions in the Cayman Islands and their on-going legal and regulatory requirements.

Blockchain & FinTech:

Campbells’ blockchain and fintech practice is recognised as holding a leading position in the market. It has advised many high profile and innovative international businesses in this space, including crypto exchanges, token issuers and investment funds. Campbells also has extensive experience advising and representing clients in contentious and insolvency-related blockchain and fintech matters.

Compliance & Regulatory:

Campbells advises both local and international banks, insurers, company managers, trust companies, investment managers, administrators and directors on regulatory and compliance matters. The team advises financial institutions on local and overseas regulatory investigations, fraud and money laundering-related issues.

Corporate & Commercial:

Campbells has considerable experience in all areas of offshore corporate and commercial law and has worked on some of the most important and innovative cross-border transactions undertaken. The firm has particular expertise in M&A, restructurings and joint ventures. Campbells has been involved in listings on exchanges worldwide and is a Listing Agent for the Cayman Islands Stock Exchange.

Fraud Litigation & Asset Recovery:

Campbells’ fraud litigation and asset recovery team is a market leader in bringing and defending fraud claims and has a wealth of experience in taking urgent steps to identify, preserve and recover assets. It also has extensive experience in claims and issues arising out of financial fraud, white collar crime, economic sanctions and government corruption involving offshore entities and assets.

Insolvency & Corporate Restructuring:

Campbells acts for local and overseas insolvency and restructuring professionals, creditors, investors, minority shareholders, directors, investment managers and other professional service providers in connection with all aspects of the restructuring and winding up of companies, investment funds, limited partnerships and structured finance entities.

Insurance & Reinsurance:

Campbells’ insurance practice is recognised as holding a leading position among law firms in the insurance/reinsurance sector of the Cayman Islands and heads the market in both contentious and non-contentious insurance matters.

Investment Funds:

Campbells advises on fund formation for global institutions and significant managers across the entire spectrum of investment strategies with a deep understanding of the mechanics for structuring. Campbells is also a market leader in advising distressed funds, directors, managers and investors on restructuring, fiduciary duties and litigation.

Litigation:

Campbells has one of the largest specialist litigation teams, and routinely acts on the most significant, high-value and complex disputes in both the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands. Campbells has a wealth of experience spanning a broad range of disputes, with particular expertise in investment fund disputes, trust litigation, asset tracing, shareholder disputes and dissenting shareholder fair value petitions.

Private Equity & Venture Capital:

The firm advises on the formation of private equity and venture capital funds and all stages of the life-cycle of investments made by such funds, including implementing the investment structures utilised for underlying investments and listing, and M&A transactions in respect of portfolio investments.

Professional Liability:

Campbells is a market-leading, full-service law firm with significant experience of advancing and defending professional liability claims in contract and tort. Campbells' specialist professional liability team has acted in a large number of complex claims involving a variety of professionals, including directors, fiduciaries, auditors, attorneys, fund administrators and custodians, insolvency practitioners and medical practitioners.

Real Estate & Local Practice:

Campbells handles all aspects of property transactional work from sales and purchase to conveyance and related residential and commercial financing both for individuals and corporations. They work with developers, financial institutions, realtors and property managers from initial stages of purchase, planning, development, financing projects (either for lending institution(s) or developer) to the ultimate completion of the transaction.They also focus on land use planning and development for a broad range of clientele including private sector developers, local landowners, strata corporations and individual homeowners.

Shipping & Aviation:

Campbells has developed a well-established and leading offshore practice in the acquisition, registration, operation and financing of ships, yachts and aircraft. It advises some of the world’s principal shipping companies, airlines, financial institutions and lessors and has considerable expertise in all areas of asset finance, specialising in securitisation transactions and ship and aircraft financing.

Support Services:

Campbells Corporate Services Limited (CCSL) holds a trust licence issued by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority. Campbells Corporate Services (BVI) Limited (CCS BVI), holds a Class III trust licence issued by the British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission. They both provide a full suite of entity administration, regulatory and trustee services.

Trusts:

Campbells has wide ranging experience in all aspects of commercial and private trusts including: trust formation, trust structures, pension trusts, STAR trusts, fixed interest and discretionary trusts, reversed powers trusts, removal of trustees, rectification of trusts and the establishment of private trust companies.