Deborah Barker Roye > Ogier > Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands > Lawyer Profile
Ogier Offices
89 NEXUS WAY
CAMANA BAY
GRAND CAYMAN KY1-9007
Cayman Islands
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Deborah Barker Roye
Work Department
Dispute Resolution; Trusts; Estate Planning, Wills and Probate
Position
Partner
Career
Deborah has a wealth of expertise in Cayman Islands law and legal procedure, specialising in dispute resolution and contentious trust and estate matters. Her practice spans all aspects of complex, high value, international commercial litigation, fraud, breach of duty and asset tracing, including fund and investor disputes.
As part of Ogier’s Trusts Advisory Group, Deborah regularly acts for beneficiaries, trustees, executors, protectors, and other fiduciaries on high-value, multi-jurisdictional trust structures and complex estates.
Recent examples of Deborah’s work include:
- acting for two limited partners in a Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership, bringing direct and derivative claims against the general partner and associated third parties
- acting for the trustee of a Cayman STAR trust seeking Beddoe and anti-suit relief from the Cayman Court for foreign proceedings the trustee had joined
- acting for the executor of a complex Cayman estate involving domestic and foreign probate issues, contentious trust proceedings against the estate, and the sale of a high value family business as part of the estate administration
- acting for the guardian of an incapacitated elderly beneficiary in complex trust proceedings. The matter clarified the scope and effect of the Cayman firewall provisions and the interrelationship of common law principles of forum non conveniens and forum of administration clauses in the context of disputes concerning Cayman Islands trusts
- acting for the heirs of an estate in a successful application to remove a personal representative
- acting for a trustee in contentious trust proceedings in three jurisdictions, including proceedings in the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Court handed down a precedent-setting decision concerning the forum for administration clauses and gave guidance on the public policy of the Cayman Islands in the context of enforcement of judgments for Cayman trusts
- acting for numerous trustees and executors in wealth and restructuring matters, including a complex multi-billion dollar STAR trust restructuring
Deborah is the author of two leading practitioner textbooks on Cayman Islands Law, which are used extensively by attorneys in the jurisdiction and members of the local and visiting judiciary – Civil Litigation in the Cayman Islands and Criminal Litigation in the Cayman Islands. She also teaches litigation and legal skills to students pro bono alongside her work at Ogier.
Memberships
Lawyer Rankings
Cayman Islands > Dispute resolution
(Next Generation Partners)The sizeable dispute resolution offering at Ogier is a particularly strong choice for restructuring and insolvency, fraud and asset recovery, and s.238 shareholder appraisal disputes. A trio of lawyers share leadership responsibilities of the group: Marc Kish, the firm’s global head of dispute resolution who is well versed in international insolvency, restructuring and financial services disputes, large-scale fraud cases, and asset tracing claims; Jennifer Fox, who draws on two decades of experience, including 15 years on the ground in the Cayman Islands; and Rachael Reynolds KC, a standout in contentious trust matters. Deborah Barker Roye was promoted to the partnership in 2024 and specialises in contentious trusts and estate matters, and Christopher Levers is a further name to note in restructuring, insolvency, and general commercial litigation. Gemma Bellfield is also a young partner with a strong contentious restructuring and insolvency practice, and at managing associate level Farrah Sbaiti stands out.
Cayman Islands > Trusts/private client
(Next Generation Partners)Ogier‘s sizeable offering in private wealth includes a dedicated trusts disputes group and is well equipped to assist with all aspects of wealth structuring for succession planning, asset protection, family governance and wills and probate matters. The private wealth team sits within the firm’s cross-jurisdictional trusts advisory group, which covers contentious and non-contentious practice areas and collaborates closely with the firm’s corporate specialists. Rachael Reynolds KC is the lead contact for contentious matters, with Anthony Partridge, ‘a standout lawyer in Cayman‘, the trust advisory group head. Deborah Barker Roye and Ben Harle are also key contacts and both come with client recommendation, and at senior associate level, Jordan Constable lends his support.
Lawyer Rankings
- Next Generation Partners Cayman Islands > Dispute resolution
- Next Generation Partners Cayman Islands > Trusts/private client
- Trusts/private client Cayman Islands
- Dispute resolution Cayman Islands