Appleby Announces New Partner Promotions

Appleby, the world’s largest offshore provider of legal, fiduciary and administration services, has announced the promotion of four lawyers to the partnership and the appointment of five lawyers to the position of Counsel. 

Micahel O’Connell, Group Managing Partner says, “These appointments support our growth strategy and our positioning as the leading offshore firm, providing a first-class service to international clients and their advisers from a greater choice of jurisdictions than any other offshore law firm.  

“Corporate and Litigation are two of our core legal service lines and the promotion of four new partners and five counsel in these areas demonstrates the continuing strength of these practices”.

Appleby’s new appointments are effective 1 April 2012 and include:

Partners

Alan Bossin is a member of Appleby’s insurance team, which is part of our Corporate and Commercial practice Group, and is based in Bermuda. Alan advises on the establishment of all classes of insurance companies, the formation of distinctive risk transference and special-purpose vehicles, securitisation, derivative and transformer type transactions, public and private share offerings, the use of segregated account structures, structured finance transactions, and the development of traditional and new insurance products.

Sarah Demerling is Appleby’s the local team leader for Islamic Finance and a senior member of both the Funds & Investment Services and Structured Finance teams within the Corporate & Commercial department in Bermuda. She has broad expertise in all aspects of Bermuda corporate law, and specialises in advising on structuring and operating investment vehicles. She also specialises in over-the-counter derivative transactions, ISDA transactions, securities offerings and mergers and acquisitions.

Victoria Myerson is Head of Family Law at Appleby in Jersey. She specialises in matrimonial disputes for high net worth clients. These involve the division of substantial assets, as well as issues regarding family trusts and business interests. Victoria has a wealth of experience, dealing with some of the most significant matrimonial proceedings in Jersey. Recent cases have involved disputes over various trust funds, company valuations, share portfolios and local property. She appears regularly on behalf of the States of Jersey, in relation to public law children proceedings.

John Wasty is the Insurance and Reinsurance Dispute Resolution Team Leader in Bermuda. He has extensive experience in international insurance and reinsurance, and professional indemnity (particularly directors and officers, and accountants) dispute resolution, including insurance and reinsurance insolvency issues. He has represented insurers and reinsurers in a wide variety of disputes in the London Market, the US, Europe and Asia. He also practises in the areas of commercial litigation, insolvency litigation and funds litigation.

Counsel

Mark Cummings is a member of the Corporate and Commercial team in Hong Kong. He practises a wide range of corporate and commercial law, specialising in structuring and establishing investment funds. Mark also frequently advises funds and their directors and shareholders and investment managers on mutual fund and securities regulatory matters and issues facing distressed funds. In addition to his funds practice, Mark also advises in relation to mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, the formation and operations of special purpose investment vehicles and public and private offerings of debt and equity, particularly in relation to the Cayman Islands, BVI and Bermuda.

Adam Geldard is a member of Appleby’s Property Practice Group, based in the Cayman Islands. He practises principally in the area of property and commercial law, specialising in property development, strata and other structured title ownership, contract law, commercial and residential conveyancing, property finance and commercial leasing.

Caren Hyde is a member of Appleby’s Litigation and Insolvency team in the Isle of Man. An experienced advocate, Caren deals with a broad range of civil and commercial disputes, including freezing injunctions, enforcement of judgments, asset tracing, Norwich Pharmacal applications, public law issues and director/shareholder disputes. Caren also specialises in employment law and is the local team leader for the Employment team. She has extensive experience in dealing with both non-contentious and contentious matters, including redundancy, employment issues related to mergers & acquisitions, restructuring, unfair dismissal, sex discrimination and contracts of employment.

Andrew Willins is a barrister and member of the Litigation & Insolvency department in Appleby’s British Virgin Islands office.  He has particular experience in insolvency litigation, shareholders' disputes and in complex commercial litigation, including professional negligence and cross-border fraud and asset tracing claims. He appears regularly in the Commercial Division, before the High Court of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, and has appeared on a number of occasions before the Court of Appeal, in both England and in the BVI, as sole advocate.

Robyn Wood is a member of Appleby’s Corporate & Commercial department in the Isle of Man. She has experience in a broad range of company and commercial matters, including banking and asset finance transactions, and she has a particular interest in shipping. Robyn regularly advises lenders and shipowners in dealing with all aspects of Isle of Man shipping issues ranging from the taking of security over Isle of Man flagged vessels to the requirements for registration of a vessel under the Isle of Man flag.