Gemma Bellfield (née Lardner)

Practice Areas

Corporate and Financial Services Disputes; Dispute Resolution; Enforcement of Judgments and Awards; Investigations and Regulatory Advice; Restructuring and Insolvency

Career

Gemma is a highly regarded commercial litigator and restructuring and insolvency specialist. Gemma advises and represents Cayman-domiciled companies, directors, liquidators, creditors and shareholders in relation to non-contentious insolvency, restructuring and corporate recovery matters as well as contentious litigation and insolvency proceedings in the Grand Court and the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal. Her clients include Cayman-domiciled, PRC-operated and HKEX listed companies, both onshore and offshore insolvency practitioners, private equity funds, financial institutions and hedge funds.

Gemma advises on a broad range of complex commercial and cross-border disputes including contentious insolvency proceedings, shareholder claims and corporate governance issues.

She regularly advises and appears on behalf of both creditors and defendant companies in relation to creditors' winding up petitions, advises shareholders of Cayman-domiciled companies on winding up on the just and equitable ground; advises and appears for liquidators on sanction applications and other matters arising in relation to the liquidation estate, and advises fund managers and directors in relation to solvent and insolvent wind-downs.

Gemma is part of Ogier's multi-disciplinary Restructuring and Corporate Recovery team, specialising in formal insolvency procedures, statutory remedies, and investor and shareholder rights/actions, with experience in distressed funds and private equity.

Admitted in:

2016 - Cayman Islands

2011 - New South Wales, Australia and High Court, Australia

Professional Memberships

Gemma is a member of the Cayman Islands Legal Practitioners Association, the Recovery and Insolvency Specialists Association (Cayman) Limited (RISA), INSOL International, and the Australian Restructuring, Insolvency and Turnaround Association (ARITA). Gemma is also a member of the International Women's Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC) and the Co-Director of Events for the Cayman Islands IWIRC network.