LAWYER PROFILE
David Lee

David Lee

Global 2026

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Ranked in 1 practice area

About

Provided by Appleby

Global

Practice Areas

Dispute Resolution, Fraud & Asset Tracing, Fund Disputes, Insolvency & Restructuring, Regulatory Disputes

Career

David is a partner of Appleby’s Dispute Resolution team and is based in its Cayman Office.

David has more than 20 years’ experience in commercial litigation, investment fund disputes and insolvency matters. His practice focuses on major complex, cross-border disputes and insolvencies, with a particular interest in fraud and asset recovery. David has acted in some of the largest and highest profile investment fund disputes in the Cayman Islands in recent years.

David regularly advises clients on all aspects of arbitral award enforcement, on both the creditor and debtor side. David has particular experience of complex multi-jurisdiction enforcement exercises, including identifying and preserving assets. David has significant experience of insolvency matters, and regularly acts for petitioning creditors, JOLs, LCs, secured creditors and unsecured creditors. David’s experience has led him to be regularly instructed to provide expert evidence / opinions on matters of Cayman Islands law for use in overseas litigation and arbitration.

Prior to joining Appleby, David was a partner with Norton Rose Fulbright where he was a partner in each of their London and Hong Kong offices. David has maintained his links to Hong Kong and work originating from Asia forms a substantial part of his practice.

Publications

Cayman’s Compliance Crackdown - Cayman Adopts UK-Style SAR Timelines under the Proceeds of Crime Act

Privy Council clarifies Cayman Islands law on shareholder standing to bring personal claims against a company alleging that shares were allotted for an improper purpose

Navigating access to the Court File: Abraaj-related ruling confirms Cayman’s commitment to the open justice principle, but gives rise to uncertainty on the scope of documents that may be accessed

Justice Kawaley’s recent decisions confirm the Cayman Islands’ narrow approach to setting aside ex parte Orders for the enforcement of foreign arbitral awards

Restructuring Provisional Liquidators May Not Be Dead After All

Chief Justice affirms Cayman’s availability for the enforcement of foreign arbitral awards

The Grand Court clarifies the ordinary rule for damages in temporary deprivation of property cases

Winding-up Cayman Islands Exempted Limited Partnerships – an invitation from the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal?

Litigation funding in the offshore jurisdictions: how will the UK Supreme Court decision in PACCAR affect offshore litigation funding?

Derivatives – Cayman Counterparty Considerations in Market Uncertainty

Show Me the Money: Identification and Preservation of Assets in the Cayman Islands

When Shareholders Can Bring Direct Claims in Cayman Court

Fund Governance: how funds formed in Cayman can mitigate legal risk

Self-evident truths for Cayman fund directors

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Chambers Global Guide

Dispute Resolution - Cayman Islands

Band 5
Band 5

Individual Editorial

David Lee often handles insolvency matters, including those intersecting with issues of white-collar fraud. He also offers notable experience in investment fund-related disputes.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • David Lee is super-intelligent and very hard-working.

    Dispute ResolutionChambers Global Guide
  • David Lee maintains a keen eye on critical issues.

    Dispute ResolutionChambers Global Guide
  • David Lee is very diligent, always available, on top of the details of cases and ready to roll his sleeves up.

    Dispute ResolutionChambers Global Guide

Ranked Individuals at Appleby (59)

Asia-Pacific Region

Bermuda

British Virgin Islands

Cayman Islands

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