Dispute resolution
Rising stars
Rising stars with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Mourant
I'm a Senior Associate within the Litigation and Insolvency practice of the BVI office. I deal with a broad range of matters including director, shareholder, and general company disputes, insolvency matters, and trust related disputes. I regularly work on injunctions, appeals, and interim applications, as well as running cases to trial.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Campbells
Matthew is head of Maples and Calder's Dispute Resolution & Insolvency team in the Maples Group's British Virgin Islands office. He specialises in civil fraud and asset tracing, enforcement of judgments and arbitral awards, lender enforcement, trust litigation, regulatory, corporate restructuring and insolvency. Matthew practised in England and Wales for eight years before re-locating to the British Virgin Islands in 2015. He has considerable case management and advocacy experience at the interlocutory, trial and appellate levels, as well as arbitration and mediation. Matthew has also provided expert legal opinions at litigation and arbitration hearings in England and Wales, The Russian Federation, Israel and in the United States.
Carey Olsen
Simon Hall is a Partner in Carey Olsen's dispute resolution and litigation practice in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). Simon moved to the BVI in 2015 and has significant BVI litigation experience. His caseload has primarily involved shareholder / director disputes, fraud and asset tracing, contentious trust and probate, and insolvency work. This has also included a wide array of interlocutory work including applications for freezing orders, prohibitory injunctions and the appointment of receivers. Simon has conducted litigation before the BVI Commercial Court, ECSC Court of Appeal and the Privy Council. He has acted for a wide range of clients including large financial institutions, high net worth individuals, insolvency practitioners and professional trustees. Simon also has considerable advocacy experience and regularly appears as lead and junior counsel before the BVI Commercial Court and ECSC Court of Appeal. He has conducted numerous trials in the BVI as well as interlocutory hearings (on and without notice), and interlocutory and final appeals. His recent cases include: Conducting a four week trial on behalf of two defendants to a derivative claim alleging breach of directors’ duties, dishonest assistance, conspiracy and unjust enrichment; Acting for a BVI shareholder in relation to unfair prejudice proceedings to prevent the compulsory redemption of a BVI minority shareholders' shares at an unfair price, including obtaining an interim injunction preventing the redemption; Conducting unfair prejudice proceedings on behalf of two defendant shareholders which proceeded to a three week trial in the BVI, a three day appeal before the Court of Appeal and which is now before the Privy Council; Acting for the defendant BVI company to a claim for rectification of the share register in circumstances where there were allegations of fraud; Conducting and advising on various sets of proceedings on behalf of a BVI shareholder, including as claimant on an application for the winding of a BVI company on just and equitable grounds, and advising as the funding creditor of litigation being conducted by appointed liquidator.
Mourant
Shane is a commercial litigation lawyer with specialist experience in complex international litigation, including fraud and asset recovery, insolvency, and corporate and shareholder disputes. He is also experienced in obtaining urgent injunctions such as worldwide freezing orders and anti-suit injunctions, and Norwich Pharmacal (disclosure) orders.
Leading individuals
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Maples Group
Adrian is a partner of Maples and Calder's Dispute Resolution & Insolvency team in the Maples Group's British Virgin Islands office. He specializes in complex international commercial litigation and dispute resolution. Adrian has considerable case management and advocacy experience at the interlocutory, trial and appellate levels, as well as in arbitration and mediation.
Carey Olsen
Alex Hall Taylor is a barrister, King's Counsel, partner and head of Carey Olsen’s BVI Dispute Resolution and Litigation team. Alex has over 25 years' court experience in commercial litigation and dispute resolution across a broad range of commercial, company, shareholder, trusts, insolvency, restructuring, civil fraud, asset tracing, security enforcement, tax, professional liability and fiduciary claims, arbitrations and mediations. He has extensive case management, interlocutory, trial and appellate advocacy experience including before the Privy Council. His practice is principally contentious, involving advocacy, tactical advice and strategic expertise in high value, complex, document heavy matters that are frequently multi-jurisdictional in nature. He is a CEDR-accredited mediator. Alex is ranked as a leading individual in BVI dispute resolution in the most recent editions of both Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners Global, where he is said to stand out for 'his knowledge, experience and responsiveness' and is described by market sources as 'an exceptionally bright, sensible litigator', 'fantastic' and a 'real delight to work with'. Alex regularly acts and advises on trusts and shareholder disputes including unfair prejudice claims, alleged breaches of trust or of shareholder agreements, rectification actions, minority squeeze-outs and just and equitable winding up applications as well as on fraud and asset tracing claims and regulatory, corporate investigation, anti-corruption and money-laundering assignments. Alex is often involved in seeking or defeating interim remedies such as injunctions, the appointment of receivers and Norwich Pharmacal relief, often on an urgent basis. He has acted as an expert witness on BVI law, practice and procedure in foreign proceedings. Recent BVI experience includes: Enforcement of arbitration award in the Unitel/Vidatel Angolan telecommunications dispute Obtaining discharge of an interim injunction obtained in support of Swiss arbitration proceedings in the medical imaging industry Acting for lead secured creditors in the billion $ restructuring of the Brazilian Constellation offshore drilling group, including first ever appointment of ‘light touch’ joint provisional liquidators in support of foreign restructuring Resisting unreasonable interference by BVI Receivers of BVI company in a Japanese listed subsidiary Liquidations and related applications and claims in connection with frauds by a former Sao Paolo mayor, including obtaining first reported BVI judgment on pooling related liquidations Advising trustees of long-established family trusts on allegations of breach of duty and potential application for removal by warring beneficiaries
Mourant
Eleanor has extensive experience acting on a wide range of international litigation, contentious trust and insolvency matters, with emphasis on distressed funds work, and has been involved in many of the largest offshore disputes to come before the BVI Court in recent history. She has recently spoken at leading international conferences, including International Trust and Estates conference in Barcelona and the Serle Court International Trusts and Commercial Litigation conference in New York. In 2021, Eleanor won 'Woman of the Year - Future Leaders - Partner, Director' Gold Award at the Citywealth Powerwomen Awards 2021.