Lennox Paton

Arthur is the Head of the firm’s Trusts and Foundations Group and has vast experience of the Bahamian legal system and government departments having commenced his career as an Assistant Crown Counsel at the Office of the Attorney General doing both chambers and court work in relation to a wide range of corporate, property and commercial matters. Arthur advises on all aspects of Trusts, Foundations, Probate (both contentious and non-contentious) and Estate Planning and has an established local and international clientele consisting of both private individuals and financial and other institutions. He has written for various publications and regularly contributes articles to the International Law Office newsletter. Arthur has spoken at conferences both locally and abroad and is a member of the Bahamas Financial Service Board’s Trusts Working Group.

Brian Simms KC

Brian Simms KC is the Senior Partner of the firm and the head of its Litigation and Insolvency and Restructuring Groups. Brian is one of the Bahamas’ leading advocates and he has vast experience in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal in addition to having appeared a number of times in the Privy Council. He was made a Queen’s Counsel in 2009 and is instructed in the most substantial Bahamian and international offshore cases. The legal directories continually rank Brian as a tier one litigator and praise him for the quality of his work and expertise in commercial litigation, trust disputes, insolvency and fraud cases. Brian has been described by clients as “A top offshore Silk” and “The best litigation lawyer in the Bahamas”.

Castino Sands

Since joining the Banking and Finance Group at Lennox Paton in 2006, Castino has worked with leading practitioners from around the world on cutting-edge deals. He has advised a Bahamas-based investment fund that entered into a settlement agreement with the trustee appointed in the winding up of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC. As a part of the settlement agreement, the trustee agreed with the fund having an allowed claim in the Madoff liquidation of more than $1 billion. The allowed claim was assigned to a special purpose vehicle in exchange for shares in the capital of the special purpose vehicle (each share initially represented a notional amount of $1 of allowed claim). The allowed claim was securitized and sold at auction to distressed debt investors. This transaction was quite unique at the time, as it enabled investors in the fund to monetize their interest in the allowed claim. Additionally, Castino has acted as local Bahamian counsel to one of the largest banking institutions in Brazil, structuring unique security packages for its financing activities. He has also advised on some of the more problematic issues of the Bahamian legal and regulatory regime, including the cross-border offering and sale of foreign securities into The Bahamas; and the insolvency regime applicable to investment vehicles domiciled under Bahamian law and structured as limited partnerships and unit trusts.

Chelon Carr-Newbold

Partner

Chizelle Cargill

Chizelle is a Partner in the Litigation Group. Her practice focuses on commercial and general litigation claims, including contracts, banking, insolvency, fraud, personal injury, professional negligence, employment and family law. Chizelle has appeared as junior counsel in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal in The Bahamas. She has also appeared as junior counsel before the Judicial Committee of Her Majesty’s Privy Council in the decision of Junkanoo Estates Bahamas Ltd et al v UBS (Bahamas) Ltd (In Voluntary Liquidation [2017] UKPC 8. In this landmark case, Chizelle helped to obtain a ruling that clarified the long-standing confusion over the concurrent jurisdictions between the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, when applying for leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal in The Bahamas.

Christopher Jenkins KC

Christopher Jenkins KC is a Partner in Lennox Paton's Commcercial Litigation department. His work covers the full spectrum of commercial practice, with an emphasis on property litigation, mortgagee remedies, insolvency advice and representation, asset recovery and shareholder disputes. He regularly appears at Supreme Court and Court of Appeal level and is accustomed to working alongside UK and US-based legal, insolvency and accounting teams in cross-border matters.

David Johnstone

David Johnstone heads the firm's Real Estate, Resort Development, and Private Client Groups.He is the clear industry leader in representing resort developers in all aspects of resort development, including acquisition, financing, regulatory approvals, development, master planning and sales programmes. He has extensive regulatory experience, including drafting applications to the Bahamas Investment Authority, drafting heads of agreement, and drafting and negotiating subdivision and utility agreements with Government. David has established himself as the go-to legal adviser in master-planning mixed-use resorts with varied residential and amenity components, including subdivisions, condominium, condohotel and timeshare components. He has structured complex condohotel programmes for homeowners’ associations, and advised on structuring golf club and marina club programmes for many of the county’s largest resorts. Additionally, David has established himself as an expert in representing high net worth private clients in real estate acquisitions and economic permanent residency matters. He has extensive experience in secured financing transactions, construction and mezzanine financing, securitisation and residential and commercial lease transactions.

David Hayton

Dr David Hayton LLD (Cantab) LLD (Newcastle Univ) TEP (Hon) ACTAPS (Hon), Barrister and Bencher of Lincoln’s Inn, London, Fellow of King’s College London, was a full-time Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice in Trinidad from July 2005 to July 2019. As a member of the CCJ and one of the Court’s longest-serving judges, he has been described by advocates and fellow judges as an “intellectual giant” and “a jurist of international repute.” David joined Lennox Paton in early September 2019 as a Consultant, his practice spans the firm’s Trust and Litigation groups. He provides legal opinions, litigation support and acts as an expert witness in Trust Law and arbitrator. He has contributed over 50 papers to learned journals and authored or edited sixteen books in the area of trusts (including Underhill & Hayton, Law of Trusts & Trustees), property, succession and tax. He is thus arguably the leading authority in the United Kingdom and Europe on trust law.

Dwight Glinton

Dwight is a Senior Associate in Lennox Paton's Litigation Group. His experience covers a wide range of civil litigation matters, including banking, finance, securities and equity litigation; admiralty and shipping proceedings; personal injury negligence claims; fraud; contentious probate, trust and real property matters; and employment disputes.

Jamie Liddell

Jamie is a Partner in the firm’s Real Estate Group in Nassau. He joined the firm in 2016 and focuses on legal master planning of mixed-use developments, with particular expertise in out-island projects. He also has a fast-growing transactional practice.

Marco Turnquest

For the last 18 years, Marco has specialised in representing clients in high-value trust, banking, company and insolvency disputes. During this time he has established a successful track record and a outstanding reputation as a litigator. Many of his cases involve a multi-jurisdictional element and his clients include many major international trusts and banks companies.

McFalloughn Bowleg

McFalloughn is an Associate in the firm's Litigation Group. He has experience in the following areas of law: commercial and general litigation claims, including contracts, banking, insolvency, fraud, personal injury, negligence, employment, equitable claims and family law. He has appeared as junior counsel in both the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal of The Bahamas.

Metta MacMillan-Hughes KC

Metta MacMillan-Hughes KC is recognised as a leading commercial and civil litigator in the Bahamas. Held in high regard by the judiciary and her peers, her submissions in several cases have precipitated amendments to the law. She regularly appears before the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal and has also appeared before the Privy Council in the UK. Although her experience and practice covers the full spectrum of civil and commercial litigation Metta is particularly well known in the Bahamas legal arena when it comes to insolvency, especially in relation to trust assets held by insolvent companies, in which her approach in the leading Bahamian case – Dominion Investments – was approved by the Court and incorporated in the Bahamian Insolvency legislation. In addition to insolvency she has developed particular expertise in Proceeds of Crime Act and Mutual Legal Assistance proceedings; Insurance litigation involving high value catastrophic injury, death and property claims, professional negligence indemnity claims; Asset recovery and all forms of Interlocutory relief including injunctions (including Worldwide Freeze orders) disclosure orders (including Norwich Pharmacal orders; electronic discovery); as well as in many less well known areas such as issues involving the Computer Misuse Act and Listening Devices Act in the context of civil proceedings. Recognised as a leading Family law specialist she is frequently instructed for high net worth international clients who have retired to The Bahamas or have assets here. She deals with divorces, financial provision claims, custody and access disputes and is frequently engaged to negotiate and prepare Pre and Post Nuptial Agreements.

Michael Paton

Based in Nassau, Michael is a partner and head of the firm’s Corporate and Commercial, Investment Funds and Banking and Finance Groups. He is consistently recommended in the legal directories and has been ranked in Band 1 for Chambers Global and Chambers HNW Guide 2018. Michael’s areas of practice include corporate, finance, banking, securities, mergers & acquisitions, investment funds, trusts and foundations. He has spoken at numerous international conferences, has written numerous articles, and has authorised several chapters for practitioner texts on Bahamian legal issues. Michael is former chairman of the Bahamas Financial Services Board (2002-2004), and he is currently deputy chairman of the Securities Commission of The Bahamas (since 2017). He is also a qualified Certified Public Accountant (non-practising) in the United States.

Michelle Neville-Clarke

Michelle is a Partner in the firm’s Banking and Finance, Corporate and Commercial, Investment Funds, Private Client Groups. She has considerable experience in the areas of investment funds, securities law, corporate and commercial matters, banking and finance, mergers and acquisitions, employment law, immigration, probate, private client and wealth management matters. Michelle’s portfolio of work in financial services in the past year saw her act as lead counsel for the Special committee of directors of a publicly listed utilities company in advising s to the necessary steps for sale of the company’s shares and delisting of such company from the Bahamas International Stock Exchange. Michelle has written numerous articles and is frequently asked to present at both local and international conferences on her areas of expertise and is ranked by both the International Financial Law Review and Chambers Global. Michelle routinely works with both international and local clientele ranging from large financial institutions and international law firms to private individual clients and works closely with the various regulators in The Bahamas.

Nateisha L. Anderson-Bain

Nateisha is a Partner in the Real Estate Group. She specialises in representing purchasers and vendors in buying and selling residential and commercial property, as well as representing mortgagees and mortgagors in secured financing transactions. Nateisha also focuses on resort and condominium development, including all aspects of acquisition, financing, regulatory approvals, master planning, sales programmes and the drafting of heads of agreements. Her practice extends generally to private client, corporate, commercial, estate planning and residency matters.

Ramonne Gardiner

Ramonne is a Partner in the Litigation Group. He is highly experienced in commercial and civil litigation, including insolvency and restructuring, company, trust, contract and personal injury claims. He has appeared as junior counsel in both the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal of The Bahamas. Ramonne is a member of the Bahamas Bar Association, Young ICCA – International Council for Commercial Arbitration and AIJA-International Association of Young Lawyers. Examples of recent work Acting for a borrower in obtaining an injunction against a lender restraining arbitration proceedings Acting for a Judicial Trustee in contentious trust proceedings Assisted with research in relation to an Expert Report in Jersey on issues of Bahamian company, charity and trust law Appearing as junior counsel for a resort developer in relation to striking out a claim initiated by a trade union Appearing as junior counsel in a multijurisdictional asset tracing claim in The Bahamas concerning numerous IBCs Appearing as junior counsel in an application to vary a trust deed.

Sophia Rolle-Kapousouzoglou

Sophia is a partner in our commercial litigation department. She appears regularly as lead counsel before the Bahamian Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. Sophia continues to receive growing recognition for her reputation in the field of insolvency litigation. Chambers Global comment ‘Sophia continues to enhance her already impressive disputes reputation. Sources describe her as “excellent,” “practical,” and “meticulous.” She is well versed in handling disputes relating to securities fraud, asset tracing and insolvency’. She impresses sources with her industrious approach to the work she takes on, with The Legal 500 Caribbean noting “Sophia Rolle-Kapousouzoglou does an excellent job; she is highly recommended for being extremely professional, efficient and experienced. Working with Sophia is like working with some of the top firms in London.” Sophia represents clients in multi-jurisdictional matters and has acted in several prominent cross-border insolvency cases. She is also experienced in shareholder and company disputes and trust litigation. Her overall practice areas include advising clients with respect to contractual disputes, property disputes, fraud and asset tracing, Norwich Pharmacal applications, applications for injunctions and other interlocutory relief. Sophia has been recognised by Chambers Global 2023, The Legal 500 Caribbean 2023, Who’s Who Legal: Asset Recovery 2020, Who’s Who Legal: Litigation 2020, Global Restructuring Review’s ’40 Under 40’ and was featured in GRR’s ‘Women in Restructuring’ list in 2019. She is regularly called on to speak at various international conferences, including INSOL, ABA, ABI, and the AIJA, and has contributed to numerous publications with respect to Bahamian law.

Valdere Murphy

Valdere J. Murphy is an Associate in the firm’s Litigation Group. Since joining the Firm in 2018, he regularly appears as lead and junior counsel before the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. Valdere has a keen interest in insolvency and restructuring, asset tracing, injunctive relief, corporate and contractual disputes, admiralty and trust litigation. He has experience in representing both individual and institutional clients at all stages of litigation, including interlocutory applications (such as injunctive relief), at trial and on appeal. Valdere has also gained noteworthy experience in cross-border insolvency and restructuring matters since joining the Firm. Valdere is currently the Chair of the Young Lawyers Group of Multilaw for the Caribbean/Offshore Region. Examples of recent work Currently assisting lead counsel with advising and acting on behalf of the Joint Provisional Liquidators of FTX Digital Markets Ltd. (‘In Provisional Liquidation’). Acting on behalf of Hot Pancakes Ltd and CS& P SA, a Cypriot and Panamanian company respectively in legal proceedings concerning a dispute over among other things, $30M in frozen funds held in a local bank account. Assisted lead counsel in relation to a just and equitable winding up Petition involving Bahamian Mutual Funds and Delaware Feeder Funds on behalf of minority shareholders. Assisted lead counsel in successfully defending an action against the enforcement of a foreign judgement in excess of $5 million. Advising and acting on behalf of an international regulatory body in relation to the enforcement of foreign judgements in The Bahamas.

Wilfred Ferguson Jr.

Wilfred is an Associate in the firm’s Litigation Department, working directly under Senior Partner and head of litigation, Brian Simms QC. His practice covers insolvency and restructuring, trust disputes, commercial litigation, personal injury, contractual disputes and fraud cases. Wilfred has appeared as junior counsel in both the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal of the Bahamas.

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