Appleby bucks trend

(CNS): As firms all over the world cut jobs and down size, Appleby is bucking the trend as it takes on new staff and expands operations. Following the completion on 1 October of its merger with Isle of Man law firm, Dickinson Cruickshank, and the opening of offices in the Seychelles and Bahrain, the Cayman-based entity will become the world’s largest offshore law firm by number of partners. The firm has also announced the appointed Gray Smith (left),  a senior international funds lawyer, as a new partner.

Based in the Cayman Islands, Smith, who has over 20 years offshore and onshore legal experience, will be leading the firm’s expansion in the fund area. He has specific expertise in structuring offshore hedge, property and private equity fund and significant corporate finance expertise, having advised on the listing of a wide variety funds and other entities on stock exchanges in the Cayman Islands, Channel Islands and Ireland, as well as on the NASDAQ and Euronext.

He is currently advising fund clients on redemptions, liquidations, takeovers, restructuring and refinancing as well as numerous litigation-related issues.

Prior to joining Appleby, he was London managing partner at Ogier and then General Counsel at a London-based asset management company.  Smith is qualified to practice law in the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Hong Kong and England and Wales. He will be dividing his time between Cayman and London and will be advising clients on both Cayman and BVI structures. Smith said that joining the firm was a good move for him and is clients

“Appleby’s global resources and broad choice of jurisdictions was compelling for me and is ideal for my client base,” said Smith. “The firm’s leading offshore position combined with their strength and depth across multiple jurisdictions was the deciding factor.”

Huw Moses, Managing Partner of the Cayman Islands office, said he was delighted Smith had chosen to join the firm. “His appointment will provide our corporate, institutional and private clients with greater resources across the locations and time zones in which they do business and a broader choice of structures and jurisdictions.  With his background and knowledge, Gray is ideally suited to assist us to further expand in this key area,” he added.

Overall, when the merger is complete the firm will have 74 partners and 200 lawyers, and a total of over 800 staff in 11 offices worldwide, including Bermuda, Bahrain, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Jersey, Mauritius, Hong Kong, London, Seychelles, Zurich and the Isle of Man. The Funds team consists of 40 lawyers globally, and the Cayman capability has recently been strengthened by the addition of associate Tanya Kozak, who moved from the firm’s Bermuda office, and the appointment of associate Jessica Wormald.