Cains

Alex is a Managing Associate and head of Cains' Property team with over 25 years' experience in commercial property in the UK and Isle of Man. After studying law at Cambridge and the College of Law, London, he worked in London on major property transactions for over 10 years before moving to the Island and joining Cains in 2005. He has enjoyed working on a broad range of transactions across the commercial property sector, advising a wide client base consisting of private and institutional investors, funds, developers, banks, retailers and an extensive list of businesses including care home operators, telecommunications companies, breweries and hoteliers. His approach is based on delivering technical excellence and commercial advice and his expertise is regularly called on by leading UK and international law firms seeking high quality advice and representation for their clients' commercial property interests in the Isle of Man. Alex is a member of the Isle of Man Law Society Property Committee and the Isle of Man Land Registry User Group and is recognised by The Legal 500 a "Leading Individual" in the commercial property sector, with clients commenting Alex “has an in-depth knowledge of property law and provides excellent advice.”

Catherine Hamill

Catherine is a Consultant within Cains’ Corporate, Banking and Commercial departments with over 12 years’ experience advising on general corporate and commercial matters. She has significant expertise advising lenders (including financial institutions and alternative lenders) and borrowers in complex multi-jurisdictional banking and asset finance transactions and also has considerable experience advising clients within the financial services sector on regulatory matters including, without limitation, change of control matters. She also regularly advises financial institutions, borrowers, law firms and corporate service providers on general corporate and restructuring matters, mergers and acquisitions and redomiciliations. Catherine is ranked as a ‘Rising Star’ by The Legal 500 for Banking and Finance and was described as a “world-class commercial lawyer” in client feedback.

Charles Williams

Charles is a Senior Associate within our top tier Litigation team and since joining in 2015 has been involved in both international and local commercial litigation matters. He has experience advising clients on a wide variety of contentious and non-contentious litigation matters including insolvency, debt recovery matters, contractual disputes and contentious employment cases. He regularly appears as counsel in cases before the Isle of Man High Court. Charles has been recognised as a ‘Rising Star’ by The Legal 500 for his dispute resolution and litigation work, gaining high praise from clients for “providing practical solutions when required on complex matters”.

David Doyle CBE

David is a Consultant within our top tier Litigation team. With a wealth of experience and expertise he is available (subject to his commitments in the Cayman Islands) to assist our advocates on a broad range of complex Manx litigation including company, commercial, trust, and regulatory matters, having had over 35 years’ experience of such matters in the Isle of Man. David was awarded a CBE in the 2019 New Year’s Honours in recognition of his outstanding services to Manx law. David is described in The Legal 500 UK as “one of the Manx Bar’s greatest ever legal minds, with a charm and wit that surprises many, making him a pleasure to deal with” who “brings… pragmatism and real work logic to the most complex legal and regulatory matters. Can bring calm and reassurance to the most volatile contentious matters.”

Emily Johnson

Emily is an Associate within our top tier Litigation practice, having joined in July 2021. Emily gained her legal experience in England & Wales, where she spent over five years’ specialising in legal costs, before relocating to the Isle of Man in 2017. She qualified as a Manx Advocate in 2019. She has a broad range of experience advising on complex commercial litigation, and has acted for both international and local clients on contract disputes, debt recovery and shareholder dispute matters. She achieved her undergraduate degree, Graduate Diploma in Law and Bar Professional Training Course via distance and part time learning whilst working. In addition to gaining an award for her performance in Civil Litigation, Opinion Writing and Professional Ethics on the BPTC, Emily has won the George Johnson Law Essay Prize twice, in 2019 and 2020.

Holly McGarrigle

Holly is an Associate within Cains’ Banking and Finance, Corporate and Commercial and Property teams and has experience advising on a varied number of finance transactions ranging from corporate finance, asset and property finance; with a strong focus on commercial real estate financing. Holly regularly acts for a variety of lender and borrower clients, and advises on cross-border real estate financing transactions. She also frequently acts on corporate and commercial matters such as mergers & acquisitions, and complex corporate restructurings. Holly is an integral part of the Commercial Property team, and is involved in a broad range of commercial property transactions including commercial acquisitions, disposals, financing and lettings acting for a variety of clients including developers, investors, retailers and financial institutions. She graduated from the University of Liverpool, with a Law with Business LLB (Hons) undergraduate degree, before attending BPP Law School in Liverpool to attain her Masters in Commercial Legal Practice (LLM) incorporating the Legal Practice Course. Holly completed her Manx Bar exams in November 2020 and was formally called to the Manx Bar in October 2021.

Jess Whitley

Jess is an Associate within Cains’ top tier Corporate and Commercial team and Banking and Finance practice, advising on a range of matters from banking and debt finance, mergers & acquisitions, asset finance (with a focus on shipping and aviation finance) and property finance. Jess graduated from the Northumbria University with a Masters Degree in Law and her postgraduate diploma in Legal Practice. Jess was formally called to the Manx Bar in January 2022 and is a Commissioner for Oaths. Since qualifying, Jess has advised banks, asset financiers, syndicated lenders and high net worth individuals on a broad range of domestic and multi-jurisdictional banking transactions as well as corporate and commercial matters.

Jorden Rafferty-Gough

Jorden is an Associate within our top tier Litigation practice, having joined in July 2023. Before relocating back to the Isle of Man, Jorden acquired her legal experience in England, where she spent over two years as an advocate with DWF Law LLP, Manchester gaining extensive drafting and advocacy experience in county courts and tribunals across the UK. She qualified as a Manx Advocate in August 2022. Jorden was educated at Northumbria University where she obtained a First Class Masters in Law. Simultaneously Jorden studied the Bar Professional Training Course and was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2017. She has a broad range of experience advising on commercial, trust and regulatory disputes across multiple jurisdictions including Russia, Luxembourg, Canada and the Cayman Islands.

Katherine Sheerin

Back to team Katherine heads up our Employment and Data Protection team and has nearly 20 years’ experience advising on a full range of contentious and non-contentious employment and data protection issues. Katherine specialises in supporting predominantly employer clients in the financial services, banking and insurance sectors as well as trading companies, charities and not for profit organisations. She covers all aspects of the employment lifecycle with a particular focus on senior executives, restructuring, equality and diversity issues, as well as business transfers and acquisitions. As a qualified data protection practitioner, Katherine also specialises in data privacy and GDPR matters, having experience in auditing, training and compliance advisory work. She has been described as “responsive and very knowledgeable, able to advise on employment related multi-jurisdictional matters at short-notice.”

Kirsten Porter (née Middleton)

Kirsten is a Senior Associate within our Corporate and Commercial practice, having joined in early 2019. Kirsten qualified as a Manx Advocate in 2016 and is a Commissioner for Oaths. She has more than 8 years’ experience advising on broad range of multi-jurisdictional corporate, commercial and regulatory work including corporate acquisitions and sales, banking and finance transactions and shipping and insolvency matters. From a regulatory perspective, Kirsten has significant experience advising clients on their legal obligations under financial services legislation and anti-money laundering legislation. Kirsten also specialises in employment law. As a key member of our Employment team, she regularly advises both employers and employees in contentious and non-contentious matters, including contracts of employments, policies and procedures, redundancy and office closures, share incentive schemes, immigration, discrimination claims and settlement agreements. Her clients include global and local corporate companies within various sectors, including banking, insurance, e-gaming, telecommunications and transport. Kirsten has been recognised as having “excellent client relationship skills and able to easily and consistently deliver high quality work to her clients in a timely manner.” Clients describe Kirsten as “responsive, concise and commercial minded” with another client remarking that she was “prompt in providing thorough and easily comprehensible responses. The work was done within the fee cap agreed as the start of the matter.”

Lindsey Bermingham

Lindsey is a Consultant within Cains' top tier Litigation team and has experience on all aspects of commercial and chancery litigation. She is also highly experienced in regulatory issues, anti-money laundering and international cooperation and has significant experience of large-scale criminal investigations and trials. In 2010, Lindsey was awarded the Chief Constable’s Certificate of Merit for her contribution to a complex money laundering/fraud investigation. Lindsey recently re-joined Cains having been engaged by the Isle of Man Government between October 2016 and June 2019 to set up the Island’s Financial Intelligence Unit. During this time Lindsey also served as a member of the Egmont Committee of financial intelligence units, a united body of 164 financial intelligence units from around the globe. Lindsey has been hailed as “knowledgeable and approachable”, with clients briefing her “because they don’t want her on the other side”.

Matthew Wilkinson

Matt is a Senior Associate in our top tier Corporate and Commercial team and, since joining Cains in 2014, has been involved in many of the most notable cross-border instructions to come to the Isle of Man. He has a diverse practice and advises on a wide range of corporate and commercial matters including, mergers and acquisitions (including the sale and purchase of financial services businesses), joint ventures and complex corporate restructurings (including company redomiciliations and court sanctioned asset transfer schemes). Whilst the majority of his instructions are cross-border in nature, Matt also regularly assists local clients with corporate and regulatory compliance advice, in particular clients involved in the financial services and e-gaming sectors. Matt also has experience in assisting with high value debt and equity financing transactions and regularly acts for both lenders and borrowers. Matt has been recognised on numerous occasions as a ‘Rising Star’, a ‘Next Generation Lawyer' and an 'Associate to Watch' by The Legal 500 UK with clients citing (amongst other things): "Matthew is very easy to work with: no Manx problem is too difficult to be dealt with”. "Matthew Wilkinson is very responsive and easy to work with. He is excellent at spotting the commercial issues and is on top of the local law requirements to make sure that the deal gets through the line – operates above his pay grade and definitely an associate to watch."

Mike Edwards

Mike is a Senior Consultant within our top tier Shipping and Aviation teams and has over 22 years’ experience of specialising in complex aviation and shipping transactions as well as corporate finance matters. He has particular expertise in corporate finance including both equity and debt, general corporate transactions and asset finance including ships, super-yachts and commercial aircraft. He has practiced in London, Singapore and the Isle of Man since joining Cains in 1999 and due to his in-depth industry knowledge, Mike has been involved in a number of jurisdictionally important transactions including advising the first Isle of Man companies to list in Singapore, New York and Hong Kong. Mike is instructed regularly by global financial institutions, multi-national corporations and sovereign wealth funds to assist them with high value, complex matters.

Paul Freeman

Paul is a consultant within our top tier Litigation team. With over 30 years’ of practice, Paul is an experienced disputes lawyer, has worked in multiple jurisdictions including Asia, Australia, UK and Europe, and is admitted in Australia, England and Wales, and Hong Kong. Paul has a wealth of international litigation and regulatory experience and was most recently Head of Enforcement and Senior Legal Counsel with the IOM Financial Services Authority, leading on several significant local and cross border regulatory investigations. He was previously a partner with global law firm Clyde & Co in Singapore with a speciality in the aviation and insurance sectors. A graduate of Cambridge University, Paul has been involved numerous senior leadership positions managing high profile cases which touched on criminal and regulatory prosecutions. Paul was one of the lead lawyers acting for Malaysia Airlines in relation to the shooting down of MH17 and the loss of MH370 and regularly dealt with insurers, global regulators and governments, at the highest levels.

Peter Clucas

Peter is a Senior Consultant with our top tier Litigation team. . He has been repeatedly recognized as a leading practitioner in the Isle of Man and regularly advises clients on strategy and procedure relating to international and domestic commercial disputes, insolvency and money laundering matters. His clients include financial institutions, insurance companies, multi-jurisdictional trust companies and HNWIs as well as acting on instruction from major international law firms. He has considerable experience advising on cases involving court approved corporate restructuring and business transfer schemes. Peter appears as counsel in cases before the Isle of Man High Court and the Isle of Man Appeal Court and also has experience of appearing before the Island’s Financial Services tribunal. His longstanding reputation is endorsed by his ‘Hall of Fame’ standing with The Legal 500, due to his ability to handle some of the Islands’ largest injunction and civil fraud instructions. Clients have commented on Peter as being “very professional, experienced, very responsive and good attention to detail” and “a credit to his profession”.

Rhys Westwell

Rhys is a Trainee Associate within our top tier Litigation practice, having joined in July 2023. As part of his role, Rhys will begin his two-year articles initially within the company’s litigation department and is scheduled to complete the Manx Bar in 2025. Rhys attended Ballakermeen High School before attending the University of Leeds, where he graduated in 2021 with a first-class honours law degree. Following his return to the Island in 2021, he has gained in-house legal experience as a paralegal at a global online gaming company.

Richard Kniveton

Richard is a Senior Associate within Cains’ top tier Corporate and Commercial and Banking and Finance team, having joined in September 2024. Richard has over a decade of experience in the legal sector, having spent over 10 years at global law firm Clyde and Co’s London office with a speciality in projects and construction, before relocating back to the Isle of Man in 2024. Richard now advises on a wide range of domestic and cross-border corporate, commercial and regulatory matters, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and complex corporate restructurings. From a regulatory perspective, Richard is well versed in advising clients on their legal obligations under financial services legislation and anti-money laundering legislation. Richard also has experience in assisting with high value debt and equity financing transactions and regularly acts for both lenders and borrowers.

Robert Colquitt

Robert is a Director and head of our top tier Litigation team. His practice focuses on all aspects of commercial and chancery litigation, having represented a wide range of clients both domestic and international. He regularly advises in cases involving trust disputes, fraud and asset tracing, breaches of financial services legislation, insolvency, commercial contract disputes and professional negligence. Robert has extensive advocacy experience and regularly appears as counsel in cases before the various divisions of the Isle of Man High Court. Robert is also an ADR Group certified mediator. He has acted as mediator and counsel in a number of successful mediations. Robert is ranked as a 'Leading Individual' by The Legal 500 for his dispute resolution and litigation work and is described as “someone who delivers results” and who has “won praise for a careful and considered approach”. Clients have also commented on his “diligence and forensic ability in protecting our interests” and “solid and dependable negotiation of complex commercial proceedings”.

Robert Long

Robert is a Consultant within our top tier Litigation team. His practice focuses on all aspects of commercial and chancery litigation, with a particular interest in and experience of insolvency matters. Robert has appeared regularly as counsel in cases before the various divisions of the Isle of Man High Court. Robert is ranked as a ‘Leading Individual’ by The Legal 500 UK for his dispute resolution and litigation work. Selected directory mentions include: “You can always rely on Rob Long’s highly knowledgeable and commercially minded approach to local and international litigation matters” – Legal 500 – 2022 edition. “Rob Long provides sage advice on the most complex of private client matters” – Legal 500 – 2021 edition.

Scott Leonard-Morgan

Scott is a Director and joint head of Cains’ top tier Corporate and Commercial team and has over 20 years’ experience in domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and public and private securities offerings. He works across a wide range of sectors that includes a strong focus on technology, gaming and the financial services and payments industries. Scott has extensive experience in advising shareholders, investors and companies from early stage through to venture capital and private equity fundraisings, M&A, exits and international listings, as well as advising boards of directors on their internal governance issues. In addition to advising on corporate and commercial matters Scott advises within the Banking and Finance sectors, including real estate finance, refinancing and restructurings and financial services regulation. He practiced in London, both as a partner in private practice and as in-house general counsel, before joining Cains in 2015. Scott is ranked as a ‘Leading Individual’ by The Legal 500, both for Corporate and Commercial as well as Banking and Finance and was described as a “world-class commercial lawyer” in client feedback.

Seth Caine

Seth Caine is a Senior Consultant within Cains' litigation department, with particular focus on trust disputes, asset tracing & fraud recovery, judicial review and regulatory issues. He has extensive expertise in relation to shareholder disputes, insolvency and receiverships, interlocutory freezing and disclosure injunctions, trust disputes, jurisdiction issues, doleance/ judicial review, regulatory issues, enforcement of foreign judgments and requests for information from foreign jurisdictions under mutual legal assistance treaties and banking/fiduciary confidentiality issues. His longstanding reputation is endorsed by his ‘Hall of Fame’ ranking within The Legal 500 for his dispute resolution and litigation work and clients consider him to be “one of the leading litigators on the Island” and who has “a great manner in Court and gives solid, commercial advice”. Clients have also commented on his “excellent service and his negotiation skills were a particular asset”.

Stephanie Chew

Stephanie is a Managing Associate with more than 10 years’ experience advising on Isle of Man law within Cains' top tier Banking and Finance practice and Corporate and Commercial practice. Stephanie regularly acts for financial institutions (including alternative lenders) and borrowers across a variety of sectors on high-value, multi-jurisdictional financing (and refinancing) transactions and has significant experience advising on real estate financings (acquisition and development facilities), syndicated lending and senior/mezzanine facilities. Stephanie also has experience advising on corporate and commercial transactions including complex group restructurings and corporate acquisitions and disposals (either by way of shares or assets). She is ranked as a ‘Next Generation Partner’ by The Legal 500, for the practice areas of Banking and Finance, as well as Corporate and Commercial, and is described by clients as “very impressive” and “a great contact – she gives thorough and timely advice, and is friendly and approachable”.

Steven Quayle

Steven is a Director and head of Cains' top tier Shipping and Aviation practice. He has extensive experience in domestic and cross-border asset finance, but with particular focus on business and commercial aviation, ship and super-yacht finance. He also regularly advises clients in connection with Isle of Man business jet sale and purchase, aviation regulation, insolvency and asset repossession. His clients range from financial institutions, airlines and ship owners to high-net-worth individuals. Steven is recognised by The Legal 500 as a ‘Leading Individual’ in his field and clients describe Steven as “easily the best aviation lawyer in the Isle of Man”. Steven has also presented at conferences including EBACE, the NBAA Business Aircraft Finance, Registration and Legal Conference, the Isle of Man Aviation Conference, the Corporate Jet Investor Summer School and the Google Lunar X-Prize Summit.

Tara Cubbon-Wood (née Cubbon)

Tara is a Managing Associate within our top tier Litigation team. With over 7 years’ post qualification experience, Tara has advised on a wide range of corporate and commercial litigation, including high value and high profile matters. Tara’s practice includes but is not limited to debt recovery, insolvency, trust disputes, professional negligence and claims against directors. She also has experience in employment law. She makes regular appearances in the Isle of Man High Court and Staff of Government Division. Tara is ranked as a “Rising Star” in The Legal 500 and has been described as an “excellent courtroom advocate” and “innovative and commercially minded”. It has also been said that “she has a great ability to convey information in a straightforward way to clients.”

Tim Shepherd

Tim is Cains’ Managing Director and the head of our top tier Banking and Finance team and has over 25 years’ experience of specialising in complex multi-jurisdictional finance transactions for both lenders and borrowers. He practiced in London and Bermuda before joining Cains in 2006 and specialises in providing partner-led, practical commercial legal advice. He has significant experience across a wide range of banking and finance areas including acquisition and real estate finance, refinancing and restructuring, insolvency and financial services regulation. He also advises on general corporate matters including private equity and joint ventures, share and debt offerings on all major stock exchanges and mergers and acquisitions. Due to his in-depth industry knowledge, Tim is regularly instructed to advise international banks and other financial institutions, alternative lenders, advisory firms (including those providing restructuring services) and corporate entities in a wide range of industry sectors Tim is ranked as a 'Leading Individual' by The Legal 500 with clients commenting 'Tim Shepherd is one of the leading advocates in dealing with the financing and refinancing of assets’.

Tristan Head

Tristan is a Director and joint head of our top tier Corporate and Commercial team. He is one of the Isle of Man’s leading corporate lawyers and has over 20 years’ experience of advising on complex corporate, commercial and finance transactions. In addition to advising on domestic and cross-border corporate finance transactions including initial public offerings, rights issues and public/private bond issues, Tristan has extensive experience advising on local and multi-jurisdictional M&A transactions primarily involving financial services businesses. He also regularly advises on corporate restructurings, banking and finance transactions, captive insurance structuring matters and joint venture arrangements. Together with Lindsey Bermingham, Tristan co-leads our Regulatory team which provides contentious and non-contentious advice on all Isle of Man regulatory matters. Tristan is ranked as a ‘Leading Individual’ in both the Banking, Finance and Capital Markets and Corporate and Commercial categories by The Legal 500 UK 2021. Clients praise Tristan for providing a high calibre of work and being extremely responsive, knowledgeable and personable. He is also praised by clients for his strong attention to detail, integrity and commitment.

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