One competitor says of Harneys, which was the first law firm in the BVI and is also the largest, "They have the legacy. They're too big not to keep in tier one....
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One competitor says of Harneys, which was the first law firm in the BVI and is also the largest, "They have the legacy. They're too big not to keep in tier one." Along with its BVI headquarters, the firm also has offices in the Cayman Islands, Cyprus, London, Hong Kong, and as of 2010, Uruguay, to service clients from emerging economies.
Colin Riegels, head of banking & finance, and Ross Munro, who heads investment funds, are the most prominent attorneys at the firm. One indicator of the firm's stature in the BVI is that it acts for 40% of the jurisdiction's funds, which total roughly 3000.
One transactional highlight saw Harneys advise Equity Trust in relation to its $496 million acquisition by private equity house Doughty Hanson, paving the way for Equity's planned merger with the TMF Group, on which the firm also advised. The subsequent merger produced the TMF Group, which provides global accounting, legal and HR and payroll services for over 50% of Fortune 500 companies in 75 countries.
Other highlights included advising Talisman Energy on a farm-in agreement and collateral documentation related to the development of an energy field in Papua New Guinea. Riegels advised on the $70 million deal, which closed in November 2010.
Ross Munro (Leading lawyer bio)
Colin Riegels (Leading lawyer bio)
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