Cayman Islands

About the Cayman Islands

The Cayman Islands is a United Kingdom Overseas Territory located in the northwestern region of the Caribbean Sea, 180 miles south of Cuba. Since the 1960s, the Cayman Islands has successfully invested its ‘historic capital’ – English common law and tax neutrality – in the development of a thriving financial services sector.

The Cayman Islands has built a world-class specialisation in institutional business and private client offerings. The jurisdiction has a particularly strong reputation in offshore hedge funds, and also has thriving finance, corporate and insurance sectors. Harneys’ practice in the Cayman Islands is focused on cross border commercial transactions, with particular focus on hedge funds and private equity, structured finance, asset and project finance and insolvency.

Harneys in the Cayman Islands

Harney Westwood & Riegels, the oldest and largest law firm in the British Virgin Islands, expanded to the Cayman Islands in 2008 through a merger with C.S. Gill & Co., one of the longest established Cayman law firms. The office has grown quickly and now employs more than 10 lawyers including four partners who serve a client base that includes hedge fund managers, leading international law firms, major financial institutions and corporates. Cayman experts at the partner and senior associate levels in both London and Hong Kong provide time-zone sensitive Cayman advice to clients around the globe.

Cayman Practice Areas

Litigation & Insolvency – Our Cayman litigation and insolvency practice is the fastest growing in the Cayman Islands. Recent experience includes acting for the liquidators of two Rye feeder funds in the wake of the collapse of Bernard Madoff Investment Securities, and acting for the liquidators of Saad Financial Investments (No 5) Limited, a company which is also a defendant in the US$9.2 billion Saad group litigation in the Cayman Islands.

Investment Funds – Our investment funds team works with managers of offshore hedge funds and private equity funds to help them establish and structure their offshore investment vehicles to best meet their strategies and the requirements of their investors. We advise on the use of side letters, and one of our core strengths is our experience dealing with changes to a fund’s structure during the life of the fund, whether planned or in the context of a liquidity crisis.

Corporate & Finance – Our Corporate & Finance team advises on equity related issues and frequently advises on complex cross-border transactions and lending arrangements. Recent work includes advising Brazil-based Vale on three successive notes issues and advising the private equity firm Crescent Point Group in respect of the Cayman Islands elements of a US$240 million IPO of Malaysian education company, Masterskill. We also frequently advise on restructuring, financing and acquisitions such as the recent $130 million sale of Cayman Islands companies affiliated with a Bulgarian telcoms and cable television company.

Contact Us

CAYMAN ISLANDS
Harney Westwood & Riegels
3rd Floor, Queensgate House
113 South Church Street
PO Box 10240
Grand Cayman
KY1-1002
Cayman Islands
tel: +1 345 949 8599
fax: +1 345 949 4451
email: cayman@harneys.com

Cayman office location map