"The best and biggest" is how one client describes Harneys. The oldest firm in the BVI, Harneys employs 35 lawyers, including 11 partners, in the jurisdiction....
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"The best and biggest" is how one client describes Harneys. The oldest firm in the BVI, Harneys employs 35 lawyers, including 11 partners, in the jurisdiction. In addition, the firm also has offices in the Cayman Islands, Cyprus, London, Hong Kong and Uruguay. "They have a good international reach," one client comments, adding that "they are able to recruit and retain pretty talented lawyers". That opinion is echoed by attorneys, with one peer noting that "they have a quite good team".
Competitors recognise Harneys as "an industry leader" that is "still keeping their position". "Purely because of their size, resources and involvement in BVI, they should be in tier one," one says. Peers also seem impressed with Harneys' funds and regulatory practice. One peer comments that the firm has a "strong funds team" and gets the "largest share of funds work in BVI", while another points out that Harneys has "a strong regulatory department".
Partner Ross Munro, who heads the BVI investment funds and regulatory group, is hailed as the "go-to person" and an "expert" by both clients and competitors, with one client noting that Munro is "smart and experienced enough to understand what is going on" and a competitor adding that he is "recognised as one of the leaders in funds work".
Deals
In a transaction closed in December 2011, Harneys assisted a syndicate of banks in relation to the pre-IPO debt refinancing of a high-profile fashion house. On the other side of a Chinese wall, the firm also advised on the BVI aspects of the company's listing on the NYSE. valued at $944 million, this listing was the largest IPO in the BVI history.
In March 2012, the firm also advised Bank of Scotland on the restructuring of a $1.2 billion term loan facility and related security package.
Ross Munro (Leading lawyer bio)
Colin Riegels (Leading lawyer bio)
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