Practice
Specializing in corporate and commercial law, the firm is known for its corporate & finance, investment funds, and commercial litigation practices (see Rankings). It also had dedicated practice groups relating to regulatory compliance (including tax information exchange) and sanctions.
Partners at Harneys wrote the first, and to date only, legal textbook on British Virgin Islands law: British Virgin Islands Commercial Law, published by Sweet & Maxwell. [5]
Harneys is one of only two law firms in the world (the other being Allen & Overy) which provides official opinions to ISDA on close-out netting analysis for three or more different jurisdictions (BVI, Anguilla, and Cyprus). [6]
Maples Group is a multi-jurisdictional firm providing legal and financial services, headquartered in the Cayman Islands. It has offices in many financial centres around the world, including several tax neutral jurisdictions. Its law firm is a member of the offshore magic circle, and specialises in advising on the laws of the Cayman Islands, Ireland, Luxembourg, Jersey and the British Virgin Islands, across a range of legal services including commercial litigation, intellectual property, sport, and finance, in which the firm has a focus on the structuring of tax efficient legal structures.
The BVI Bar Association is a voluntary membership organisation for members of the legal profession in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). The Association was founded on 8 May 1976. Of the eight founder members, half would go on to serve as president at some point. Residency requirements for members mean that not all members of the British Virgin Islands legal profession are members. Most resident lawyers within the BVI do in fact join the BVI Bar Association, but it is relatively rare for non-resident lawyers to join. The BVI Bar Association currently has no statutory functions and it is open to membership by both Barristers and Solicitors within the jurisdiction.
The offshore magic circle is the set of the largest multi-jurisdictional law firms who specialise in offshore financial centres, especially the laws of the British Overseas Territories of Bermuda, Cayman Islands, and British Virgin Islands, and the Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and The Isle of Man.
Conyers is an international law firm. Their client base includes FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies, international finance houses and asset managers. The firm advises on law practiced in Bermuda, British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands. Conyers Headquarters is situated in Hamilton, Bermuda and has international offices in Hong Kong, London and Singapore.
The International Business Companies Act, 1984 was a statute of the British Virgin Islands which permitted the incorporation of International Business Companies (IBCs) within the Territory. The Act played in a huge role in the economic and financial development of the Territory in the 1990s. It has been called "the most important piece of legislation in BVI history since the emancipation".
Chapman Tripp is New Zealand's largest commercial law firm. It is considered one of the "big three" law firms along with Russell McVeagh and Bell Gully. Established in New Zealand in 1875, it now has around 52 partners and roughly 240 legal staff across its offices in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. The firm practises in all areas of corporate and commercial, property, construction, finance, tax, dispute resolution, environmental and public law.
Deacons is a leading law firm in Hong Kong with over 300 attorneys and 700 employees.
TLT LLP is a UK law firm headquartered in Bristol. It was named Law Firm of the Year at The Lawyer Awards 2021. Based on its revenue, TLT was among the top 50 law firms in the UK in 2020, according to The Lawyer. Its revenue was £110m in 2020–21; this represents an increase of 11% on 2019–20 (£98.8m) and a 25% rise on the 2018–19 figure (£87.6m). The firm employs over 1,000 staff. The firm has offices in London and Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast and opened its Birmingham office in 2023.. Overseas, the firm operates an office in Piraeus, Greece. It also has strategic partnerships with European firms GSJ advocaten in Belgium and Holla in the Netherlands to deliver international cross border services for clients.
Ogier is a law firm with offices in the BVI, the Cayman Islands, Guernsey, Ireland, Jersey and Luxembourg. It is a member of the offshore magic circle.
Walkers is an offshore law firm headquartered on the Cayman Islands. Walkers provides legal, corporate, compliance and fiduciary services to global corporations, financial institutions, capital markets participants and investment fund managers. Walkers practices the laws of six jurisdictions from ten offices globally. It is a member of the offshore magic circle.
Peter David Godfrey McCormick OBE is an English lawyer. He is the Senior Partner of McCormicks Solicitors of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England.
DeHeng Law Offices is a Beijing-based Chinese law firm ranked the third largest among domestic firms by number of lawyers. The firm is a private partnership but traces its origins as an offshoot of the China Law Office, a state-owned law office established in 1993.
The British Virgin Islands company law is the law that governs businesses registered in the British Virgin Islands. It is primarily codified through the BVI Business Companies Act, 2004, and to a lesser extent by the Insolvency Act, 2003 and by the Securities and Investment Business Act, 2010. The British Virgin Islands has approximately 30 registered companies per head of population, which is likely the highest ratio of any country in the world. Annual company registration fees provide a significant part of Government revenue in the British Virgin Islands, which accounts for the comparative lack of other taxation. This might explain why company law forms a much more prominent part of the law of the British Virgin Islands when compared to countries of similar size.
Myron Vernel Walwyn is the former Minister of Education and Culture and Member for the Sixth District in the House of Assembly of the British Virgin Islands. He was elected as an "at-large" representative in the 2011 British Virgin Islands general election, garnering 4,605 votes, the 2nd highest number of votes in the election. He is a member of the National Democratic Party. Prior to election, he was appointed the Chairman of the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board.
Founded in 1969, Katende Ssempebwa & Co. Advocates (KATS) is a Ugandan law firm headquartered in Kampala, the country's capital city. It is considered one of the leading corporate and commercial firms in Uganda.
Kateera & Kagumire Advocates simply known as Kateera & Kagumire and formerly known as Hunter & Greig is a Ugandan law firm headquartered in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda and with a history dating back to 1903. It is one of the oldest and leading law firms in the country.
Arbitration in the British Virgin Islands is regulated principally by the Arbitration Act, 2013 which came into force on 1 October 2014. Prior to that date, arbitration was regulated by the Arbitration Cap, 1976.
Among the fourteen British Overseas Territories, eight – Akrotiri and Dhekelia, the British Antarctic Territory, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, the Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands – recognise and perform same-sex marriages. In the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, only British military and civilian personnel can enter into same-sex marriages and civil partnerships.
Tompkins Wake is a New Zealand law firm, headquartered in Hamilton, New Zealand with offices also in Auckland, Rotorua and Tauranga. The firm was founded as Tompkins and Wake in Hamilton on 22 June 1922 by Lance Tompkins and Cecil Barry Wake.
