Waverley Law

Full service law firm with strong focus on commercial work.

Firm Overview:

Waverley Law evolved in 2022 from the Falklands’ first legal office which opened in 1988 and today is the premier legal firm in the jurisdiction. Waverley Law provides a full range of intelligent and helpful legal solutions to individuals, local businesses and international clients operating in the Falkland Islands.

The firm’s lawyers have significant experience of working in fast-moving legal environments in the Falkland Islands and offer an unrivalled breadth and depth of experience of Falklands law and practice.

Waverley Law has assisted many international companies with cross-border advice, helping them to understand and do business in the Falklands.

Main Areas of Practice:

Administrative Law & Regulation

Banking & Lending

Company Administration

Corporate & Commercial

Crime & Corporate Crime

Employment & Immigration

Energy & Renewables

Environmental

Family & Matrimonial

Fishing

Litigation & Coronial

Maritime & Shipping

Notarial

Not for Profit

Private Client

Property

Administrative Law & Regulation:

Waverley Law has experience assisting with a wide range of administrative law and regulatory matters across the Falkland Islands including judicial review, telecommunications and insurance.

Banking & Lending

The firm has extensive experience of retail banking work.It acts for a variety of lenders, borrowers and guarantors in secured and unsecured lending to individuals and companies across a range of industries.The firm also advises on the Falklands aspects of complex cross-border financial transactions.

Company Administration:

Waverley Law can assist with the incorporation of Falkland Islands companies for local and overseas shareholders as well as with the registration of branch offices for international companies doing business in the Falkland Islands. The firm also offers clients a comprehensive company secretarial service and general support.

Corporate & Commercial:

The firm provides a full range of legal services for clients ranging from individuals and small businesses to major multinationals. It advises clients on all aspects of commercial activity and corporate transactions, including support with contractual negotiations and preparation and establishment of joint ventures with local partners.

Crime & Corporate Crime:

Waverley Law represents individual and corporate clients in all areas of crime across all criminal courts within the Falkland Islands.We have established links with criminal barristers from England who can provide advocacy and advice in the most serious or complex cases.

Employment & Immigration:

Waverley Law acts for employers and employees in all aspects of employment law from contract formation to dispute resolution. The firm has particular expertise in reviewing and advising on compliance with local laws and practices for international clients looking to recruit in the Falkland Islands.

Energy & Renewables:

The firm has extensive experience across the energy sector from assisting with the growing Falkland Islands oil and gas industry to supporting renewable energy providers within the jurisdiction. As an island nation with a nascent oil and gas industry, Waverley Law is able to provide targeted and effective support to international clients operating in this dynamic sector.

Environmental:

The Falklands’ motto is ‘Where nature is still in charge’.In a fast-moving world, Waverley Law advises clients on developing environmental law and practice across all commercial sectors.

Family & Matrimonial:

The firm undertakes all areas of family law and matrimonial work, including representing parents in public or private child law disputes brought by social services or former partners, drafting cohabitation or pre-nuptial agreements, preparing divorce papers, and negotiating financial provision for individuals and their children at the end of a relationship.

Fishing:

Waverley Law reflects the important role fishing plays in the Falkland Islands community and economy with unparalleled experience and expertise in relation to the fishing sector including support and advice on the licensing regime and the underlying commercial relationships within this complex and international industry.

Litigation & Coronial:

Waverley Law conducts all aspects of litigation within the Falkland Islands from contractual disputes to judicial review. For more complex matters, the firm works with an established network of external Counsel to ensure the correct level of support and representation on all matters. The firm also represents a full range of parties within coronial matters including employers, vessel owners and next-of-kin.

Maritime & Shipping:

Being based in an island nation, Waverley Law has broad experience of all aspects of maritime and shipping law including vessel purchase, chartering and admiralty work within the jurisdiction such as incident response and ship arrests. The firm also handles ship registration and vessel mortgages.

Notarial:

The firm’s in-house notary is able to provide commercial clients with a seamless service for those cross-border transactions that require documentation to be notarised and apostilled.

Not For Profit:

The firm represents a significant number of third sector organisations, from small charitable trusts to statutory corporations and large companies limited by guarantee; assists with charity formation and registration; and provides advice and assistance on charity law and administrative issues.

Private Client:

Waverley Law provides a wide range of private client legal services, including wills, trusts, probate, powers of attorney, travel consents for children, change of name and certification of documents.The firm has developed particular expertise in issues around mental capacity.

Property:

The firm acts on all aspects of property law within the unique Falkland Islands land law system including conveyancing, commercial and agricultural leases and secured lending. The firm also advises on the licence system in place to regulate the acquisition of interests in land by non-residents and is well-versed in the local planning and building control regimes.

Clients and connections:

The firm has a very wide client base with broad representation across the Falkland Islands along with international clients from around the globe including the UK, Europe, US, Taiwan and a range of other British Overseas Territories. Waverley Law’s global reach and experience has allowed it to build up a wide network of law firms and external counsel across the world and a reputation for assisting both clients and their professional advisors to work in the Falkland Islands.