Mourant Ozannes

Drawing upon the expertise of lawyers across ‘a diverse background and with solid sector experience’, Mourant Ozannes provides ’technically excellent, practical and commercially minded’ full service Cayman and BVI advice to clients throughout Asia Pacific. Funds-related work accounts for a sizeable proportion of the firm’s instructions and led by ‘outstanding’ managing partner Paul Christopher, the team excels at advising on fund formation, as well as subsequent downstream investments, including for a number of high-calibre private equity sponsors. Fund finance is also a core strength, with the  ’incredibly responsive and technically excellent’ Danielle Roman regularly instructed by lenders providing a range of facilities to funds, including subscription facilities, NAVs and hybrids. In her role as local banking and finance head, Roman also regularly handles asset finance mandates, including as it relates to the Cayman Islands advice pursuant to the establishment of aviation leasing platforms. Simon Lawrenson is ‘responsive, helpful and commercial’, traits which he effectively deploys across a range of transactional work, including acquisition finance and DCM work, as well as in his role as head of the firm’s global banking offering. The firm is also adept at handling insolvency/restructuring matters, with the team’s offering in the space running the gamut from consensual restructurings and distressed transactional work, through to contentious insolvency matters. This work is overseen by Justine Lau who heads up a litigation team that also includes Michael Popkin, who is noted for his ability to ’distil complex legal issues in simple terms and then to provide practical advice on the next steps’. Other recommended practitioners include Claire Fulton, who excels at handling special situations financings; Paul Trewartha, who has a focus on structured finance and capital markets work; and the ‘very hands on and responsive’ James Broad, whose funds experience also includes a growing volume of work in the virtual assets ecosystem.