Babbé LLP

Managing Partner: Nick Robison
Partners: 6
Lawyers: 18
Languages: Afrikaans, English, French

Firm Overview
Babbé LLP is a leading, independent, Guernsey-based law firm, with a reputation for providing excellent dispute resolution, regulatory, corporate and other transactional legal services. The firm's independence enables them to put their clients first, making them a leader in client relationships in Guernsey. In a demanding and challenging business environment, clients value the firm's dynamic ethos and its focus on directness and efficiency, combined with a strong tradition of personal service. Babbé is widely recognised for the depth of experience of their lawyers and their consistent track record of acting on leading and landmark cases in Guernsey. They provide clients, with whom they have formed partnerships built over a century of practice, with an integrated and seamless service. They are approachable and accessable, and have the skills, expertise and scale to handle the most demanding, complex and innovative instructions.

Main Areas of Practice
Dispute resolution: The firm offers strategic thinking and exceptional advocacy to help clients deal with commercial and financial disputes. They work across a full range of commercial activity, but with a particular focus on finance-related matters. The team are widely acknowledged for their expertise in a number of fields including contentious trust litigation, investment fund litigation, commercial fraud, insolvency, and professional indemnity. The dispute resolution team has a consistent track record of acting on the leading and landmark cases in Guernsey and is widely recognised as the first choice for many in complex commercial litigation or contentious regulatory advice. Babbé's advocates have represented clients in more judgments relating to large commercial disputes than any other firm in the island. They have one of the largest dispute resolution teams in Guernsey, known for its pre-eminent advocacy skills and experience and strength of team, with a focus on international work.

Regulatory services: Babbé’s regulatory team specialises in providing high quality legal advice and support on regulatory issues. They strive for excellence, to deliver exceptional client service to help clients meet their regulatory obligations, respond to regulatory investigations and interventions when the continued operation or reputation of the individual or the business is at stake. They advise on a diverse range of contentious and non-contentious regulatory issues, including regulatory investigations, AML/CFT, sanctions, data protection, risk, enforcement or any other transaction in which compliance is required.

Restructuring and insolvency: Babbé's restructuring and insolvency lawyers are at the forefront of the most significant cross-border restructuring and insolvency cases involving complex multi-jurisdictional issues and insolvency laws. They provide commercial and time-critical advice to directors, shareholders, lenders, investors, private equity sponsors, insurers and insolvency practitioners in a wide range of corporate distress situations. Their expertise range from directors’ and officers’ duties and liabilities to debt and security restructuring, distressed financing, and disposal of assets by insolvent companies. Experience, combined with top-flight advocacy capability, has resulted in frequent instructions to advise and appear on behalf of stakeholders in the largest and most complex corporate insolvencies that have come before the Royal Court of Guernsey.

Trusts and private clients: Babbé’s trust practice advises on a full range of private and commercial trusts, family offices, and foundations in Guernsey. They specialise in providing advice on the establishment and all other aspects of complex asset-holding and wealth management structures utilising trusts, foundations and private trust companies. The team offer market leading advise on the establishment and running of family office structures, including designing bespoke structures and advising on governance and regulatory issues. The independence and structure of the practice promotes a thorough and deep understanding of clients, their businesses, and a fully integrated service to meet the needs of our clients working closely with specialist lawyers throughout the Firm.

Banking and finance: Babbé’s reputable banking and finance practice has a wealth of expertise which enables it to deliver clear and practical advice on a wide range of banking and finance transactions, from simple commercial loans to larger complex structured deals. The firm acts for investment banks, insurers, fund managers and corporates, whether lenders, borrowers, or advisors, on the full range of banking and financial services including; LMA grade facility arrangements, securitisations, capital markets, structured products, alternative debt financing and on any related regulatory aspects.

Corporate: The corporate practice provides advice to international and domestic companies, directors, shareholders and other stakeholders on a full range of corporate activity. Their focus is to provide tailored, practical advice that helps clients succeed. They consider the clients’ objectives and the stage of development at every step of the transaction. Experience, skills and resources are used to advise on all the options and potential risks to deliver a swift and successful outcome.

Investment Funds: Babbé helps clients navigate the Guernsey fund landscape and assists with the formation and ongoing legal advice regarding all types of collective investment schemes, whether open or closed ended and authorised or registered. The firm has extensive experience with all types of funds, whether it be private equity, infrastructure, property, debt, qualifying investor funds, feeders, carry vehicles or private investment funds and can assist with listings if required.

Employment: Babbé provides specialist employment advice, on both contentious and non-contentious employment issues. The employment team provide practical advice on all types of employment challenges and opportunities, including foundational policies, disciplinary and grievance issues, restructuring teams, departments and businesses and assisting clients to manage their workforce effectively. They are supported by a strong dispute resolution team who work alongside the trust, corporate and regulatory practices to support employment issues arising from regulatory investigations, trust company mergers and acquisitions and corporate activity. They provide highly-responsive and realistic advice to resolve matters protecting the best interests of the clients.