Ogier
Ogier Cayman has been named “Best Offshore Regulatory Advisory Firm” under the 2013 Hedgeweek Global Awards programme.
The honour was announced during a luncheon in London held on 1 March.
“As a firm, we take great pride in the depth and breadth of our expertise in helping clients understand and navigate the regulatory environment for hedge funds,” said Giorgio Subiotto, a partner with Ogier Cayman and head of the firm’s global investment funds practice. “This award is a validation of our capabilities in this area and carries particular weight because it is based on the opinions and votes of the global hedge fund community.”
The Hedgeweek 2013 Global Awards programme uses a peer review system to determine winners, where a cross-section of the industry – including institutional and high net worth investors, fund managers, administrators, prime brokers, custodians and advisers – are invited to elect “best in class” firms in a series of categories.
Now in its fourth year, the Hedgeweek 2013 Global Awards programme is presented by the publishers of Hedgeweek, a London-based weekly on-line source of news and features on the hedge fund industry.
Walkers
The hedge fund team of global law firm Walkers was named top provider of offshore legal services by readers of Hedgeweek, one of the key publications serving the hedge funds and alternative investment industry.
On 1 March, the magazine announced that its readership had voted Walkers “Best Offshore Law Firm” for its fourth Hedgeweek Global Awards. The honour was based on the results of the publication’s annual survey of nearly 60,000 subscribers, which sought to determine “best in class” for a range of categories.
Hedgeweek’s readership is comprised of institutional and high net worth investors, as well as managers and other industry professionals at fund administrators, prime brokers, custodians and advisers. Walkers’ partners from the Cayman Islands and across the firm’s international network service the firm’s global client base, which includes top hedge fund professionals.
“We are extremely gratified to have our expertise in offshore hedge funds recognised in Hedge-week, particularly as it reflects such a vast and savvy audience of industry observers and practitioners,” said Ingrid Pierce, global managing partner based in the Cayman Islands office. “Our partners consistently strive to share their depth of knowledge with clients, and our hedge fund group is proud to have its expertise in the offshore space recognised in one of the industry’s most respected publications.”
This latest industry recognition repeats the firm’s success in Hedgeweek’s USA 2012 Awards, where Walkers was also named “Best Offshore Law Firm”.
Walkers has also received past recognition as the top offshore law firm by publications including Alpha Magazine, The Lawyer, PLC Which Lawyer? and Asian Legal Business.
Maples and Calder
Maples and Calder has appointed Allison Smith as corporate services manager. Maples Corporate Services is a provider of registered office and registered agent services to companies and partnerships in the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands, with an emphasis on delivering the highest quality product at the best possible value.
MCS works closely with Maples and Calder lawyers around the world ensuring seamless and efficient provision of quality legal advice to client companies. In her role, Ms Smith will manage the corporate services team in Maples and Calder’s Cayman Islands office.
In addition to Ms Smith’s appointment, six persons within her team were recently promoted as part of the firm’s annual review process.
Allan Webb, Renita Ebanks, Jessica Jackson and Tiffany Myles advanced to the position of junior corporate administrator, and Kesherra Spence and Sharon Robinson were promoted to corporate administrator. Ms Smith was previously employed by Maples and Calder from 2006 to 2011 as a senior corporate assistant in the Structured Finance team and the Foreign Offices Division, where she worked closely with the London, Dubai and Hong Kong offices.
Prior to this, she was an account manager at Trident Trust Company (Cayman) Limited where she managed a portfolio of high net worth clientele in various international jurisdictions, primarily Asia. The followed an earlier senior corporate administrator role at Hollis & Co/Hollis Corporate Services Ltd in Bermuda where she managed a portfolio of local corporations and assisted attorneys with legal and corporate research.
Ms Smith received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the International College of the Cayman Islands and has been qualified as an associate of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators since 2005. She also holds a graduate diploma in law from BPP Law School, London and is a notary public in the Cayman Islands.
Forbes Hare
Christina Kish joins offshore law firm Forbes Hare as an associate in the Cayman office, having previously worked as an attorney with Ogier in the jurisdiction.
Ms Kish will join the firm’s international litigation and insolvency group. She trained with Coudert Brothers LLP in London prior to her qualification in 2003. She subsequently practised in their litigation department. She was seconded to the English Court of Appeal, where she worked as a judicial assistant to Anthony May and Anthony Clarke, now Lord Clarke in the Supreme Court.
Following this, she worked as a litigator for Norton Rose LLP in London for more than three years. During this time, she handled a varied caseload of banking, financial services, insolvency, trusts, regulatory and media matters.
Ms Kish’s appointment takes Forbes Hare’s Cayman numbers to 10. Her appointment coincides with other newcomers in the firm’s BVI and London offices, including a new corporate partner and senior associate in its London office.
Chris Young, partner and head of litigation with Forbes Hare in the Cayman Islands, said: “We are delighted to add an attorney of Christina’s calibre to our team here. She has extensive knowledge of offshore financial services litigation as well as exemplary experience from her time onshore. We are very pleased to have her as part of our Cayman-based team.”
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