Mourant Ozannes Cayman Islands practices have been recognised once again in the latest edition of Chambers and Partners Global 2018 rankings for their “thoughtful strategic vision”, “good attention to detail” and for being “a very good firm with a wide range of knowledge and expertise.”

The global rankings featured 10 recommended lawyers in the firm’s Cayman practice with sources praising the teams for “establishing strong relationships with their clients.”  All the practice areas maintained their high rankings.

Mourant Ozannes Cayman Islands Managing Partner, Peter Hayden, said: “The Chambers rankings take into account independent market research, including detailed feedback from the people who matter to us most – our clients. This recognition for the quality and calibre of our hard-working teams and the work we undertake is very important to us and we would like to thank all those who gave their time to provide such positive feedback on our work.”

Corporate and finance partner, Neal Lomax has been praised for “his reputation as a heavyweight lawyer” and was further described by a source as “a consummate corporate lawyer with real in-depth knowledge” with “tons of experience in this market and really knows how things work in the Cayman Islands.” Neal was also recognised for the firm’s investment funds practice area with one source saying he is “really at the top of his game” and “he is a market leader; he has a huge following on the island.”

The firm’s investment funds team was described by Chambers Global as a “respected team” with partner and head of funds in the Cayman Islands, Hayden Isbister being lauded by sources as “a fantastic lawyer” who is “very good when dealing with hedge fund matters.”  Market commentators further noted that “he has great technical ability and a very keen business sense.” Partner Alex Last was noted for being “brilliant at client service” and “very responsive,” as well as being particularly noted for his private equity expertise. Alongside Hayden, Neal and Alex, fellow partner Catherine Pham, was acknowledged as “extremely responsive and has a real in-depth understanding of fund issues” and “making a strong name for herself.”

Four partners in the firm’s dispute resolution practice were recognised for having done “terrific work recently, in what have been some really significant cases.”  Cayman Islands managing partner, Peter Hayden, has been recognised as “a top-class lawyer who is one of the best litigators in Cayman.”  He is noted for having handled a number of the most high-profile Cayman disputes in recent years.  One source said “he is someone to bring calm and reasoned analysis to litigation. He knows how to deal with a case tactically.”  Partner Simon Dickson had peers comment on his “strong technical skills” and “good grasp of Cayman legal issues.”  Another source added that “he is an effective and solid lawyer who can deal with sophisticated disputes.”  Partner Hector Robinson QC is viewed by the market as “a consummate advocate” having taken silk in 2017 and his fellow partner, Christopher Harlowe, was praised for being “extremely mindful of how to solve Cayman issues and does so very shrewdly and cleverly.”  The same source praised him as “a strong strategic thinker.”

In the firm’s Cayman practice based in London, notable practitioners included London Managing Partner, Robert Duggan who was acknowledged as “incredibly commercial and very personable” while partner Chinyin Johnston was praised by one source as “an exceptional lawyer – working with her is comforting as I am fully confident in her advice, drafting and overall ability to get the deal done in an efficient and effective way.”