November 2020
Lennox Paton ranked as Top Tier Firm in The Legal 500 Caribbean
The Legal 500 Caribbean (2021) has recently been published and Lennox Paton has once again been ranked as a Top Tier Firm for The Bahamas and as a Leading Firm for the British Virgin Islands (BVI). This is the first year that the directory has ranked individuals for The Bahamas and it is also the first year that coverage has been separated into practice areas: Corporate (including Banking & Finance and M&A), Dispute Resolution and Real Estate.
Lennox Paton is the only firm in The Bahamas to have received a Tier 1 ranking in each practice area, in addition to being ranked for Dispute Resolution in another jurisdiction (BVI).
Nine Lennox Paton lawyers have received individual rankings in the following categories:
Leading Individual:
Brian Simms QC (Senior Partner)
Michael Paton (Partner)
David Johnstone (Partner)
Marco Turnquest (Partner)
Chelon Carr-Newbold (Partner)
Next Generation Partner:
Sophia Rolle-Kapousouzoglou (Partner)
Rising Star:
Chizelle Cargill (Senior Associate)
Nateisha Anderson-Bain (Senior Associate)
Dwayne Whylly (Senior Associate)
Additionally, a total of nine lawyers across The Bahamas and BVI have been named as key lawyers and received the ‘Recommended Lawyer’ distinction:
Metta MacMillan-Hughes (Partner)
Arthur Seligman (Partner)
Michelle Neville-Clarke (Partner)
Scott Cruickshank (Managing Partner, BVI)
Chris Jenkins (Partner)
Castino Sands (Partner)
Laura Harris (Senior Associate)
Ramonne Gardiner (Associate)
Jonathan Child (Associate)
Extracts from The Legal 500 Caribbean (2021) Guide
CORPORATE LAW, BANKING & FINANCE AND M&A (TIER 1)
Led by managing partner Michael Paton, the team at Lennox Paton has an enviable track record in corporate and banking mandates in the region, regularly advising an assortment of large financial institutions, international law firms and high-net-worth individuals. Particularly active in the financial services sector, the department is instructed on a diverse range of matters encompassing complex cross-border M&A, structured and secured financing matters, capital markets issues, regulatory and governmental requirements, securitisations, sophisticated trust structures, tax issues and general corporate and commercial mandates. Elsewhere in the team, deputy head Michelle Neville-Clarke has experience in investment funds, Arthur Seligman specialises in trust and probate instructions, and Castino Sands has particular expertise in investment vehicle-related matters. Another key member of the team is senior associate Dwayne Whylly, who is frequently involved in the firm’s most complex matters.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION (TIER 1)
Brian Simms QC heads up the litigation and dispute resolution, and restructuring and insolvency groups at Lennox Paton, which are involved in some of the Bahamas’ most high-profile, high-value disputes. ‘Generally regarded as being at the top of its game’, the large local team has an extensive track record in insolvency proceedings, company disputes, fraud and asset tracing claims, shareholder disputes and arbitration proceedings. In addition to Simms’ wide-ranging practice and Sophia Rolle-Kapousouzoglou’s insolvency and asset recovery expertise, the ‘dynamic’ Marco Turnquest regularly acts for trustees, personal representatives and beneficiaries in contentious trust issues. A notable recent highlight saw Turnquest and Simms represent Delanson Services Limited in Matteo Volpi v Delanson Services Limited and Gabriele Volpi, a recent Bahamian Supreme Court decision concerning the court’s jurisdiction limits to act in trust-related arbitrations. Other names to note include Metta MacMillan-Hughes, Christopher Jenkins, senior associate Chizelle Cargill and associate Ramonne Gardiner.
Testimonials:
‘For commercial litigation (including fraud and insolvency) in offshore jurisdictions, Lennox Paton have a wealth of expertise and are, I think, generally regarded as being at the top of their game.’
‘Marco Turnquest: a dynamic partner in Lennox Paton’s Bahamas office. He has a detailed knowledge of civil fraud developments within the jurisdiction, and pays considerable attention to detail.’
REAL ESTATE (TIER 1)
Lennox Paton’s practice, led by David Johnstone, handles many of The Bahamas’ most high-value real estate matters including resort, residential, and commercial projects throughout the region. As well as having a strong high-net-worth private client base, the team also assists luxury developers as well as leading financial institutions and lender groups with the financing of development projects. In a recent highlight, the group acted for Taylor Freres Americas on the $500m development of Phase I of a branded mixed-use resort on Cat Island, including a large branded condo-hotel programme, a golf course and a marina. With particular expertise in property acquisitions, project financing matters and master planning issues relating to large integrated mixed-use resort and residential developments, the department also has experience with regulatory approvals and sales programmes. Deputy practice head Chelon Carr-Newbold has extensive experience advising on large, high-profile projects, with a notable emphasis on work for high-net-worth individuals. Another key member of the team is senior associate Nateisha Anderson-Bain, who regularly works alongside Johnstone on the department’s significant transactions.
You can view the full rankings here: Legal-500-Caribbean/Bahamas
