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 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 and Guernsey.
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. Conyers also provides several corporate, trust, compliance, governance and accounting and management services.
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 Chinese law firm 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 a Cayman Islands headquartered offshore law firm. 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.
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 Walwyn is the former Minister of Education and Culture and a Territorial At-Large Representative 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.
Burnett & Reid LLP is a "full service" law firm in Aberdeen, Scotland. It claims to be the oldest legal practice in the city and one of the longest established legal practices in the United Kingdom.
Katende Ssempebwa & Co. Advocates commonly known as KATS is a Ugandan law firm whose headquarters are in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. It is the country's longest-standing premier league corporate commercial firm founded in 1969. It is the biggest full-service Ugandan firm in terms of numbers and a member of the LEXAfrica network.
S&L Advocates is a Ugandan law firm headquartered in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. It is a leading business law firm that was founded in 1980 by Paulo Sebalu and Godfrey Serunkuma Lule. The firm is a member of DLA Piper and the DLA Piper Africa Group. The firm's advocates are members of various professional bodies, including the International Bar Association, the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, the East African Law Society and the Uganda Law Society.
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.
Kasirye Byaruhanga & Co Advocates is a Ugandan law firm headquartered in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. It is a business law firm that was founded in 1991 by Andrew Kasirye and William Byaruhanga. The firm is part of Mackrell International, a global law firm network, and is active in litigation, with a substantial part of its practice also dedicated to transactional matters and retainer clients. The firm's advocates are members of various professional bodies, including the International Bar Association, the East African Law Society and the Uganda Law Society.
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.
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.
