Philippa Gilkes
ConyersConyers houses a fully dedicated insurance and reinsurance law practice that acts for a sizeable percentage of all new insurance licensees, as well as counting the vast majority of commercial reinsurers that are active in the Cayman market. The team’s workload includes the gamut of issues in the practice area, covering captives, agents, brokers, reinsurance, alternative risk transfer, insurance financing, catastrophe bonds and other insurance-linked securities. Derek Stenson leads the team and is counsel of choice to a wealth of international financial and insurance institutions. Philippa Gilkes is a further key name with a dedicated insurance offering, while Sarah Howie and Frank Farrell add further support.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Insurance dedicated expertise.’
‘Responsive, knowledgeable and experienced. Safe pair of hands. In particular Derek Stenson and Philippa Gilkes.’
‘Derek Stenson and his team have a commercial approach to the market that is simply unmatched by their peers. Derek is first and foremost a businessman and a lawyer secondly and this sets him and his team apart. Like any good leader he has surrounded himself with a solid team of performers.’
‘Derek Stenson has always had a commercial approach to matters legal and allied to his energy, affability built upon his technical know how he is as rounded a lawyer you can ask for. He knows his strengths and hires accordingly and in Philippa Gilkes has brought on an organised, technical and solid partner to his practise. Sarah Howie brings a seasoned compliance and contractual view of the world and Frank Farrell is busy building out his experience across a full range of the Conyers service platform.’
‘As a general counsel new to Cayman Islands' regulatory regime, Conyers has provided invaluable resources and guidance above and beyond what I expected.’
‘Derek Stenson heads-up an extremely talented reinsurance and insurance team. They are an extremely collegiate team who work seamlessly together - without doubling-up on charges. Their service delivery is exceptional. They really take time to fully understand their client's business operations and not only deliver great service for a specific service request they generally (almost always) make some additional beneficial recommendations.’
‘Derek Stenson, Partner is a strong and personable leader with a well-deserved enviable reputation for his insurance, reinsurance, financial services, regulatory and compliance expertise. Philippa Gilkes, Counsel is highly competent very thorough lawyer who always offers sound, sensible and pragmatic advices promptly Wayne Flanagan Sarah Howie (Farquhar), Senior Associate is highly competent with an inherent talent for building a strong trustworthy rapport with clients right from the start. She gets stuck into the details and diligently delivers commercial, practical, concise solutions extremely promptly and effectively. Kiah Estwick - Senior Associate: Kiah is a strong lawyer and a safe pair of hands and a definite rising-star in her profession. Wayne Flanagan - Associate: Diligent, knowledgeable and highly responsive. A next generation rising star.’
‘The Conyers Team has exceptional subject-matter expertise in the insurance/reinsurance sector and deployed that expertise to help us successfully establish, license, and operationalize multiple Cayman-based entities in a short period of time. We are greatly appreciative of our relationship with the Conyers Team and look forward to continuing to work together on our many Cayman initiatives.’
Key clients
- ACAP
- Agam Capital Management
- AIG
- Arbel Re SPC
- Arch Capital
- Ascension Health
- Aspida Holdings
- Artex
- Athene Holding Ltd.
- Aran Re
- Augusta Health
- Axar Re
- Axonic Capital LLC
- Baptist Health
- Barents Re
- Berkshire Hathaway
- Blackstone
- Blue Ocean Reinsurance Solutions
- BOLT Reinsurance SPC
- Canada Life
- Cayman Islands National Insurance Company
- CIBC Reinsurance
- CIGNA
- CIRCA (Cayman International Reinsurance Companies Association)
- Coinbase Insurance
- Comerica Bank
- Converge Re
- Crestline Re
- Davidson Kempner
- F&G Re
- Front Street Re
- FWD Re
- Global Atlantic Financial Group
- Greenlight Re
- Harbour Partners Ltd.
- H & W Indemnity (SPC), Ltd.
- Ibexis Life & Annuity
- Indigo Insurance
- Island Heritage Insurance Company, Ltd.
- Jackson National
- KKR
- Knighthead Annuity
- Ledger Investing, Inc. / Ledger Re SPC
- Lexasure Financial Group
- Liberty Mutual
- Lilypad Insurance Co.
- Longtail Re
- MetLife
- Orange Capital LLC
- Prudential plc
- Nascent Group
- Nirvana Tech, Inc,
- Northern Reinsurance SPC
- Randall & Quilter Investment Holdings Ltd.
- Reinsurance Group of America
- Root Inc.
- Royal Bank of Canada Insurance Company Limited
- Safety National SPC
- Scotiabank
- Sompo
- Talcott Life & Annuity Re, Ltd.
- Third Point LLC
- Tokio Marine
- Topsail Re
- United HealthGroup
- United Insurance Company
- Wilmington Holdings Corporation
Work highlights
- Advised the Aspida Group on the establishment of two Cayman Islands life and annuity reinsurers.
- Assisted alternative asset manager Third Point with launching and licensing Malibu Life Re, a new life and annuity reinsurer in the Cayman Islands.
- Acting for Augusta Health Care in its defence of an application by co-shareholder Valley Health System to the UK Privy Council for special leave to appeal an earlier judgment of the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal which overturned a winding up order of the Grand Court.
Lawyers
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Derek Stenson
ConyersPractice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Derek Stenson