Carey Olsen

Alistair Russell

Alistair is a partner in the corporate and finance group of Carey Olsen in the Cayman Islands and advises on all aspects of finance, corporate, investment funds and commercial law. He has advised clients on a broad range of transactions including financing, private equity, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions and capital markets.

Bernadette Carey

Bernadette is the head of our Cayman Islands trusts and private wealth team and has a broad private client practice advising on wealth structuring and estate planning matters, including the administration, restructuring, and termination of trusts, as well as probate and testamentary issues. She also has significant experience in trust litigation, regularly appearing before the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands on multi-party non-contentious applications and contentious trust disputes, as well as in respect of estate litigation and other cross-border private client disputes. Bernadette regularly advises high net worth individuals, trustees, beneficiaries, family offices, executors, wealth managers, institutional clients, and onshore legal teams on all aspects of trusts and estates law in the Cayman Islands. She is an elected member of the International Academy of Estate and Trust Law (TIAETL), where membership to the global body is by invitation only and is highly selective. All members must have practiced law in the Academy's areas of interest for at least ten years and must have distinguished themselves through lecturing, writing or participation in professional organizations. They must also have demonstrated a significant interest in the continuing development of the law of their own countries. She is also an International Fellow of the American College of Trusts and Estates Counsel, and a long-standing Council Member of the Cayman Islands branch of the Society of Trusts and Estates Practitioners. Bernadette is the author of the Cayman Islands chapters of numerous private client texts, including "International Estate Planning: A Reference Guide" and "Trusts in Prime Jurisdictions". Bernadette is recognised for her trusts and private client work by Chambers, Who’s Who Legal, and Legal 500 with market sources describing her as 'incredibly hard-working' and 'really first class'. She has also been described as 'an exceptional talent and a pleasure to work with'; as someone who 'stands out as being especially intelligent, considered and commercial'. Bernadette's 'perspective on both contentious and non-contentious matters is very beneficial' and 'her background in litigation means she knows what works and what doesn't when it comes to trust structuring' (Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners HNW).

Chris Duncan

Chris Duncan is a partner in the corporate team, based in the Cayman Islands. He leads Carey Olsen's fintech and digital assets group across both the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands, being one of the few Cayman and BVI dual qualified advisors in the fintech space. Chris advises clients on the full spectrum of fintech, crypto and digital assets matters, including, structuring and regulatory advice in connection with decentralised autonomous organisations (or DAOs), token issuances and early stage fundraising, centralised and decentralised exchanges, wallet providers and VC funds, NFT and gaming platforms and miningstaking operations. In addition, Chris advises clients in the regulated sector in connection with applications under both the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands VASP regimes. With a background in regulatory and tax investigations, Chris also regularly helps clients navigate requests and investigations from local and foreign regulators and authorities, leaning on his regulatory investigations background. Chris has published numerous articles and regularly speaks on panels, webinars and podcasts on all things fintech, crypto and web3. Chris is ranked in Band 2 by Chambers & Partners FinTech and is noted as being "very familiar with the blockchain/Web3 space and developments in Cayman law"and "a very sophisticated and responsive lawyer."Chris was also recently recognised in the Citywealth Top 100 Crypto Advisors for 2022 as a highly accredited advisor. Chris is a registered Trusts and Estates practitioner, and has been recognised in the Citywealth Future Leaders List in 2021, the Top 100 Private Client Lawyers in 2020 and was shortlisted for the Citywealth Lawyer of the Year (IFC) – Senior/Managing Associate category for 2020. Chris is ranked in the Chambers and Partners High Net Worth Guide with sources noting "he can navigate through matters seamlessly" and that he is "very commercial in his thinking". Chris regularly works on the most innovative and highest profile projects including: The formation of Cayman Islands foundation companies used in conjunction with decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs) and decentralised projects. Advising institutional stablecoin provider on non-custodial wallet offering under Cayman and BVI law Providing structuring and regulatory advice across the Cayman Islands and the BVI in relation the full spectrum of fintech and digital assets matters, from to private and public token sales and protocol launches to centralised and decentralised exchanges. Advising clients on the implications of the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands Virtual Assets Service Providers Acts and providing assistance with applications for registration under the same, including in connection with novel decentralised finance applications. Assisting Jambo on their significant Series A financing round. Advising clients subject to information requests and enforcement notices and assisting with compliance connected to the same. Advising on a significant pre-IPO restructuring of various Cayman Islands trusts and BVI companies in advance of multi-billion dollar IPO. The creation of a variety of private wealth structures to hold and invest crypto and digital assets.

Denis Olarou

Denis is a partner in the firm's dispute resolution, litigation and insolvency practice. He advises on the laws of the Cayman Islands and of the British Virgin Islands. Denis has over a decade of experience in helping clients resolve complex high-value multi-jurisdictional disputes. His broad practice spans all aspects of insolvency litigation, fraud litigation, shareholder and partnership disputes, as well as general contract and tort claims, including applications for urgent injunctive relief. Denis has also represented clients in international commercial and investment treaty arbitrations and advised on the enforcement of arbitral awards. Denis acts for insolvency practitioners, corporates, high net worth individuals and government entities. He has acted for clients from a wide variety of jurisdictions, including in particular the FSU, and the East Asia region. Denis entered the rankings in Chambers & Partners for the first time as an associate in 2018, and maintained his ranking in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Denis has published a number of articles on the subjects of insolvency, litigation, arbitration, and anti-corruption regulations. He has given numerous presentations on the subjects of enforcement, injunctive relief, and asset tracing at a variety of conferences.

Dylan Wiltermuth

Dylan is a partner in Carey Olsen's banking and finance practice. His practice focuses on debt and equity capital markets, public and private M&A, securities (including CLOs) and corporate restructurings, particularly in the structured finance, private equity, financial services and energy spheres. He has spent many years advising clients on complex cross-border transactions across a wide range of jurisdictions and has a demonstrable track record of success in mitigating risk and delivering results. Commercially astute, Dylan is a transactional lawyer with a reputation for implementing complicated deals in a straightforward manner.

Emily Cornhill

Emily is a partner in Carey Olsen’s corporate team in the Cayman Islands. She advises on a range of corporate and commercial matters, with a particular emphasis on investment funds. Emily regularly advises on the establishment of investment funds in the Cayman Islands and also advises investment funds and other vehicles on transactional, financing and compliance matters.

Evan Stitt

Evan is an senior associate in the corporate group of Carey Olsen's Cayman Islands office. He advises on a wide range of corporate and finance transactions.

Graham Stoute

Graham is based in Carey Olsen's Cayman Islands office and advises private and institutional clients on the establishment, re-organisation and administration of Cayman and BVI trusts and trust structures, including STAR and VISTA trusts, private trust companies, commercial trust arrangements and charitable trusts. Graham also advises generally on wills and estate planning matters, probate and resealing applications, and the administration of complex estates.

Harriet Mills

Harriet is a senior associate in the property team in the Cayman Islands. She advises on all aspects of Cayman real estate including development, high value investment, landlord and tenant, joint ventures, real estate finance and corporate structured real estate transactions. Harriet has acted for a range of clients in respect of their property activities with particular focus on hotel and mixed-use development schemes and infrastructure projects. Her client base ranges from experienced property developers, local banks, to entrepreneurs and start-ups looking to open a new business in the Cayman Islands.

Henry Harford

Henry joined Carey Olsen as a consultant in January 2016. Henry is an experienced Cayman Islands lawyer who was previously the head of Maples and Calder's global corporate practice.

Jarrod Farley

Jarrod is a partner in Carey Olsen's Cayman Islands office. He advises on all corporate and commercial aspects of Cayman Islands law and regulation, with a particular emphasis on investment funds. Jarrod has considerable experience of advising on the establishment of both regulated and unregulated investment funds in the Cayman Islands and of advising investment funds and other vehicles on transactional, financing and compliance matters, including local business licensing.

Jasmin Davies

Jasmin is a senior associate in Carey Olsen's dispute resolution, insolvency and trusts and private wealth teams in the Cayman Islands. She advises on all aspects of commercial and financial services litigation, liquidations, cross-border restructuring procedures including schemes of arrangement and trusts disputes having appeared before the Courts in a number of jurisdictions. Her clients include companies (and their officers, members and creditors), insolvency practitioners, trustees as well as HNW individuals and families. She is an active member of INSOL/RISA, IWIRC and STEP. Jasmin has been recognised by eprivateclient's Top 35 Under 35, Citywealth's Future Leaders list and was a finalist for STEP's Young Practitioner of the Year award. She has been invited to speak at seminars and conferences in the UK and internationally. Jasmin is also a bilingual German speaker.

Jason Mbakwe

Jason Mbakwe is a senior associate in Carey Olsen's dispute resolution and litigation team. He focuses his practice on contentious restructuring and insolvency matters, complex commercial litigation, regulatory and white collar crime investigations. Jason has extensive experience advising a broad range of stakeholders in distressed situations, including financial institutions, investment funds, bondholders, ad hoc committees, corporate debtors, directors and insolvency practitioners. Jason regularly advises in relation to formal insolvency procedures in the Cayman Islands; shareholder disputes; minority oppression and directors’ duties; asset recovery; the enforcement of domestic and foreign judgments; information gathering, including Norwich Pharmacal relief; various forms of injunctive relief, including freezing and receivership orders.

Katie Turney

Katie is a senior associate in Carey Olsen's trusts and private wealth team in the Cayman Islands. Katie is a qualified Trusts and Estate Practitioner with a strong foundation in traditional private client work. She advises HNW and UHNW individuals, beneficiaries, trustees, executors and other fiduciaries across the spectrum of contentious and non-contentious trusts and estates matters and has a particular interest in matters where dispute resolution and advisory work intersect. Katie advises on wills and estate planning, often with a cross-border aspect, and wealth structuring including the creation, restructuring and termination of trusts and foundation companies. In her litigation practice she acts for trustees and beneficiaries in actions for directions, blessings and breach of trust claims.

Mark Dowds

Mark acts in a broad range of disputes across various sectors (notably private equity and financial services, aviation, energy and sports), with a particular focus on insolvency and investment valuations. His work almost always encompasses cross-jurisdictional elements, and he is often involved in global disputes proceeding in various forums around the world, both as global co-ordinating counsel and local Cayman Islands counsel. He has particular expertise co-ordinating global documentary discovery efforts, including in hostile jurisdictions such as the PRC. Mark is currently engaged in several billion-dollar investment valuation cases which are proceeding before the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands.

Matthew Grigg

Matthew is a partner in the corporate and finance practice of Carey Olsen in Bermuda and advises on all forms of corporate and finance transaction. In his finance practice Matthew advises cross sector clients, including banks, funds, corporates, investment managers, insurance companies and investors on matters relating to lending, structured finance, fund financing, asset finance, securitisation (including ILS and CLOs), debt capital markets, securities issuances, derivatives and restructuring, together with related regulatory and collateral advice. In his corporate practice Matthew advises on matters relating to incorporation and establishment, segregated accounts companies, corporate governance, equity issuances, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, shareholder arrangements, listings, corporate reorganisations, regulatory compliance and licensing advice related to financial services, investment business, digital asset business, investment funds and fund management.

Michael Padarin

Michael's practice concentrates on the formation, operation and restructuring of offshore private investment funds, across the alternatives spectrum including private equity, venture, credit and secondaries funds, and their related fund sponsor vehicles. He specialises in Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands and Bermuda law. Michael is highly regarded for his breadth of experience advising across the spectrum from emerging managers to the most sophisticated global institutional players. Michael also represents early and later stage companies in a range of industries, including fintech, blockchain, life sciences and technology, in relation to private financings, listings, cross-border investments and other M&A transactions. He is regularly instructed by leading international firms as specialist Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands counsel on complex corporate transactions. Michael lived and worked in the Cayman Islands before returning to Hong Kong and has a wealth of experience dealing with inbound and outbound China deals. During his time in the Cayman Islands Michael acted for some of North America's largest private equity houses on both fund formation and downstream transactional work. He is one of the most experienced offshore private equity specialists in the Hong Kong market.

Michelle Meyer

As an associate within the corporate team of Carey Olsen Bermuda, Michelle advises on all aspects of Bermuda corporate and commercial law. Michelle has notable and varied commercial transactional experience having worked with JSE listed companies, multinational banks, and some of the world's largest providers of financial markets data.

Nick Bullmore

Nick is Managing Partner of Carey Olsen’s Cayman Islands office. He advises on all aspects of Cayman Islands corporate law with a particular emphasis on investment funds (including fund financings), structured finance (including CLOs), joint ventures and general corporate and commercial matters. He also advises family offices and UHNWIs on the structuring, governance and regulation of family offices and private investment structures, as well as providing advice on the practical and legal aspects of physically relocating UHNWIs and their families to the Cayman Islands.

Nigel Smith

Nigel is counsel in the dispute resolution and litigation team in Carey Olsen's Cayman Island office. Nigel has a range of experience in all general litigation matters, primarily in the financial services sector. He acts in general commercial matters, including inter-party disputes and disputes between shareholders and directors of a company, and routinely acts in insolvency matters for liquidators, receivers, creditors and other interested parties. Almost all of his work involves the resolution of cross-jurisdictional issues. He has extensive experience in valuation matters in particular, including acting in a number of proceedings to determine the fair value of shares in multi-billion dollar companies, following shareholders dissenting in take-private transactions for those companies. Additionally, Nigel regularly advises on contentious and non-contentious employment matters.

Peter Sherwood

Peter is a partner in the dispute resolution and litigation team in the Cayman Islands. He advises on all aspects of insolvency litigation, general banking and commercial litigation and non-contentious insolvency and restructurings.

Richard Sykes

Richard is partner in our corporate practice in the Cayman Islands. Richard advises on Cayman real estate, development and all aspects of local leasing and licensing. Richard's practice focuses on complex real estate transactions and structuring. In addition Richard has significant experience in hospitality and infrastructure. Since arriving in Cayman in 2008, Richard has been involved in almost every major hotel acquisition as well as guiding the development of Camana Bay, Cayman's only mixed use community. Richard has significant experience in public sector projects and is the lead legal advisor in Cayman's first Public Private Partnership established to modernise the Islands' solid waste infrastructure. Richard also has hotel and commercial development experience in a number of other Caribbean jurisdictions. Richard is a CIMA approved director and sits on the executive committees of several strata corporations.

Richard Munden

Richard is partner in the corporate department and advises on a wide range of corporate and finance transactions with particular expertise in aviation finance and other asset finance matters including asset-backed securitisations. He also specialises in financing for hedge funds and private equity funds, debt capital market transactions, equity issues and joint venture and shareholder arrangements across a wide range of industries.

Sam Dawson

Sam is the managing partner of Carey Olsen's Cayman Islands office, and the head of its dispute resolution and insolvency and restructuring practice. He has over 20 years' experience litigating high value commercial disputes with a primary focus on the financial services sector. Sam has particular expertise in the fields of: shareholder disputes; merger appraisal litigation; insolvency and restructuring; and contentious employment matters

Sarah-Jane Hall

Sarah-Jane is a senior associate in Carey Olsen's trusts and private wealth team, based in the Cayman Islands office. She acts for individuals, trustees, executors and family offices on a broad array of contentious and non-contentious private client matters. She has extensive experience providing guidance on the establishment, reorganisation, administration and termination of complex wealth planning structures. She also advises on wills and estate planning, and on probate and reseal applications. In addition, she has experience assisting clients seeking to obtain residency in the Cayman Islands. Sarah-Jane has advised on a number of trust disputes which include challenges to validity; variation; the removal of trustees; setting aside trustee decisions; advising trustees on making decisions in contentious circumstances; and advising trustees in relation to divorce.

Shane Westin

Shane is counsel in Carey Olsen's corporate, commercial and property law groups in the Cayman Islands and advises on all aspects of corporate, commercial and property law.

Tim Baildam

Tim is counsel in Carey Olsen's Dispute Resolution and Insolvency team in London. He advises on all aspects of commercial, insolvency, and financial services litigation, including fraud claims, asset tracing, and shareholder disputes, as well as general contract and tort claims. Tim’s experience has included a wide range of interlocutory work, including in relation to applications for freezing orders, prohibitory injunctions, disclosure orders, and the appointment of receivers. Tim also frequently acts for liquidators and Court-appointed officeholders, and regularly advises stakeholders on both contentious and non-contentious restructuring and insolvency mandates. Tim advises on Cayman Islands and BVI law, and has a broad range of legal experience in the offshore and financial services industries.

Trevor McCabe

Trevor is a partner in the corporate group in Carey Olsen's Cayman Islands office. Trevor is experienced in general corporate and corporate finance work, including international equity offerings, IPOs, joint ventures, private equity work and cross-border mergers and acquisitions.

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