Collas Crill‘s Cayman office has been ranked in the Chambers & Partners Global Guide for 2017.

The firm, that merged in 2015, submitted rankings to Chambers for the first time and has seen the inclusion of its corporate & finance and dispute resolution practice areas, as well as five of its lawyers ranked as notable individuals.

The corporate & finance team was noted for maintaining “strong working relationships with several onshore firms and active advising borrowers in major lending transactions”, with sources praising the “knowledgeable and user-friendly team“, adding “they often don’t have the same conflicts that the big firms do.”

Practice head and Cayman managing partner, Alan de Saram, received high praise from onshore lawyers saying “he’s prompt, efficient, focused, anticipates issues and tends to be available whenever I need him,” and “he is a formidable lawyer who absolutely understands his client’s needs”.

Partner Stephen Nelson was also praised for his ability “to summarise the law in a very succinct manner: in two or three sentences he’ll tell you what you can and cannot do.” Interviewees also highlight the way in which he “thinks outside the box.”

Also ranked was partner Joss Morris, with referees commenting that “their strongest point is partner involvement and responsiveness.”

The dispute resolution team, known for its insolvency and companies work, representing insolvency practitioners, directors, shareholders and creditors of Cayman Islands’ companies, was noted for its “rapidly growing team, growing reputation and market share in the disputes space.”

The team was praised for the quality of their advice, saying: “They have put together a team of hard-working and intelligent lawyers. Each member of the team contributes and can be relied upon by the client to provide well thought out, accurate advice.”

Interviewees regard the team as “efficient, dynamic, and knowledgeable.”

Sources spoke highly of partner Stephen Leontsinis, saying: “He is an excellent advocate with a very strategic mind” and praised associate Simon Hurry for his “sharp mind and excellent work ethic,” adding “He couples an understanding of the need for commerciality with sound legal advice.”

Alan said: “The rankings are a testament to the hard work of both teams, however it is the comments from clients and peers that resonate with us and demonstrate our increasing presence in the market.”

“As one of the Top 10 offshore law firms, this is a great achievement and we will continue to deliver the highest level of support for our clients across all our practice areas.”

Collas Crill offers a range of legal services from its office in the Cayman Islands across corporate and commercial, investment funds, dispute resolution, fiduciary and property.