BVI Business
Our BVI Business practice group advises commercial, institutional and private clients, both domestic and international, in a variety of local British Virgin Islands transactional and non-transactional real estate, finance, regulatory, tax and general commercial matters.
Property
Our Property team offers an unparalleled wealth of experience in property law and practice against the backdrop of the firm’s integral involvement in every major real estate development in the BVI over the last half century. The scope of our expertise is wide, and with the benefit of strong technical skill on the part of our lawyers, puts us in the best position to provide timely, sound and commercially sensible advice. Our unmatched depth of understanding of local BVI law and practice is borne out in our continuing and preeminent relevance for complex real estate transactions.
We regularly advise on all aspects of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of BVI real property. We have specific prowess in, among other things, advising foreign nationals on the acquisition of BVI property, and devise ownership structures to satisfy the tax, regulatory, estate planning and other needs of each client. With an array of the best special purpose vehicles and talent in the business at our disposal, including the BVI Business Company and our boutique Trusts offerings, we are well-placed to reliably and usefully serve the widest cross-section of clients in this regard.
We have advised developers with respect to the establishment of a number of major developments in the BVI, including Nail Bay, Nanny Cay and Belmont Estates, West End, and have advised purchasers within a number of others including the Little Dix Bay, Long Bay and Oil Nut Bay Estates; we are particularly proficient at structuring and advising on estate covenants and constitutional documents. Our track record also includes advising on the acquisition and development of a number of privately-owned islands within the BVI, and of hotel and resort and commercial property, generally.
Banking
Our domestic banking practice is the oldest in the BVI, and our client list includes several domestic and international private and institutional lenders. Our banking team has developed a reputation for unrivaled expert knowledge on local debt finance transactions and the taking of BVI security. We offer acquisition, asset-based and property finance advice, and have advised on the financing of major developments in the BVI including Scrub Island and the Little Dix Bay Estate on Virgin Gorda. We advised the lending syndicate on the BVI leg of the financing of the acquisition of the Caribbean operations of Shell Oil by the SOL Group, and have assisted local and international banks and lending syndicates with acquisition finance in respect of a number of hotel developments and multi-million dollar enterprises.
Commercial
Our commercial practice group is renowned for its commitment to consistently delivering responsive, comprehensive and thoughtful advice to match the specific needs of each client. We place tremendous value on relationship, which hardwires us into the client’s particular circumstances. As a consequence, we are able to offer practical and uniquely tailored guidance for each client in each matter.
We assist clients with all aspects of general commercial law, and regularly advise on BVI start-ups, joint-ventures, corporate restructurings and business sales and purchases of varying complexity, among others. We also assist clients with obtaining trade licences, work permits, Hotel Aid licences, Pioneer Status and other regulatory concessions, consents and approvals, whether in the context of a larger transaction or otherwise.
Contact Sheila George for more on BVI Business.