Real estate

Appleby

Across the commercial, residential, infrastructure, luxury resort, and property financing sub-sectors of the Cayman Islands real estate market, Appleby continues to distinguish itself as the foremost choice of counsel. It has a strong recent history acting for all major lenders in some of the market’s most significant financing transactions, while also maintaining an impressive client base of large developers, HNWIs, utility providers, and the Cayman Islands government. Highly rated by clients, with one singling him out as ‘the best real estate attorney on the islands’, senior figure Norman Klein oversees the practice and is also the firm’s Cayman Islands managing partner. ‘Proactive, knowledgeable and excellent to work with’. Adam Johnson is a leading name in the practice area and especially stands out for tourism, large scale development and infrastructure projects. Tim Swallow is a further key name recommended by clients, building a strong and broad transactional real estate practice.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘Appleby have an excellent property team. Since Norman Klein has moved up to global managing partner, Adam Johnson has really stepped up as a leader in the department. He is very well respected in the market and in Tim Swallow has an excellent deputy. Alongside us, we see them on most large deals and when working together, we find them very responsive, knowledge and commercially savvy. They are a very good and impressive team.’
‘Adam Johnson continues to be pre-eminent in his field. He is proactive, knowledgeable and excellent to work with and is liked a great deal by fellow attorneys and clients alike. Tim Swallow is very good as well, sensible, responsive and commercially astute.’
‘Appleby has a real estate team consisting of outstanding attorneys and veteran paralegals which is not matched by any other team in the Cayman Islands.’
‘Norm Klein is the best real estate attorney on the islands; this is the result of intelligence and experience of more than 25 years of real estate and commercial practice here.’
‘A very knowledgeable team with deep bench strength. Very responsive and effective.’
‘The team are experts in their field, extremely responsive and professional and also interact very well with us on a relationship/social level.’
‘Norm Klein is one of the most experienced attorneys still practising in Cayman. He continues to be involved in their leading transactions and is very good to work with.'
'Adam Johnson - I have worked with Adam for a number of years. He is a high quality real estate attorney and has been involved in a number of complicated projects. Good to work with and sensible.'

Key clients

Royal Bank of Canada Group
Butterfield Bank Group
FirstCaribbean International Bank (Cayman) Limited
Scotiabank Group
Cayman National Group
Proven Group
NCB Group
Seafire Residences / Seafire Resorts
Beach Bay Land Ltd / Mandarin Oriental Hotel & Resort
Sterling Mortgage Income Fund, Ltd.
Davenport Development
Tenn Capital
Dart Group
Aqua Bay Condominium Redevelopment Committee
Barkers Beach / Vida Ocean Adventure Lodge
Foster Group
Lacovia Condominium Redevelopment Committee / Strata Plan
ONE GT
Global Property Investments Ltd.
The Sands
Harbour Walk
Island Bliss Construction and Development
Boslil Bank (St Lucia)
DMS Organisation
Alien Investments
North Sound Views
EFG Bank (Cayman)
Cayman Property Investments Ltd.
Tailwind Capital
Cayman Rugby Football Club
Prosecco Group
First-Mid Bank Ltd.
CADS Holdings Ltd.
EON Consulting Ltd.
The Pearl Ltd.
Palm Suites Ltd.
Cornerstone Group

Work highlights

Advising the Lacovia Strata Corporation on its redevelopment project comprising almost 100 new condominiums.
Representing the developer of ONE|GT as borrower’s counsel on the developer’s $60m syndicated loan facility.
Represented Butterfield Bank (Cayman) on its provision of its $40m financing to Dolphin Point Developments.