Appleby has announced the appointment of two senior lawyers to its Litigation and Insolvency Practice Group, which significantly increases its strength in the British Virgin Islands ("BVI"). The additions follow recent expansion within the Corporate and Commercial Practice Group of Appleby in the BVI and a move to larger premises.
Eliot Simpson will join Appleby on Thursday, 31 July, 2008 as Partner and Head of the Litigation and Insolvency Practice Group in the BVI. Eliot will be leading Appleby’s practice in commercial dispute resolution, trust and estate litigation, insolvency and restructuring, and fund disputes. As well as eight years’ City of London litigation experience with ‘magic circle’ firm Clifford Chance, Eliot brings extensive offshore litigation experience to the role. Before joining Appleby, Eliot was an Advocate with Mourant du Feu & Jeune in Jersey, having joined that firm in 2005 after five years with Ogier & Boxalls (now Ogier) in the Cayman Islands, at which firms he advised on a wide range of commercial, financial and trust disputes.
Eliot graduated in Law from Clare College, Cambridge in 1989, and completed his Law Society Finals at The College of Law in London in 1990. He trained and qualified with Clifford Chance, London, and was admitted as a Solicitor in England and Wales in 1992. He is also admitted as an Attorney in the Cayman Islands and as an Advocate of the Royal Court of Jersey. He regularly presents at conferences and seminars.
Andrew Willins has recently joined as an Associate in the Litigation and Insolvency Practice Group. He specialises in commercial dispute resolution, trust and estate litigation, insolvency and restructuring, and property and construction litigation. Prior to joining Appleby, Andrew was a Barrister at the Chambers of Nicholas Francis QC, 29 Bedford Row, London undertaking a mixture of common law work, but with emphasis on commercial and property litigation, professional negligence and professional disciplinary work, together with some judicial review. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2000 and is a member of the London Common Law & Commercial Bar Association, the Property Bar Association and the Administrative Law Bar Association. Andrew was called to the Bar of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, British Virgin Islands Circuit on Tuesday, 15 July, 2008.
Andrew Bolton, Appleby’s Group Head of Litigation and Insolvency commented "We are very excited to welcome Eliot and Andrew to our BVI team. The skills and experience they bring mean that we have one of the strongest litigation practices in the BVI and can handle the full range of complex cross-border litigation matters. Their arrival underlines further our commitment to excellent client service in the region and further bolsters what is already significantly the largest group wide litigation practice of any of the leading offshore firms. With the ability to bring in support from five more BVI-admitted litigators based in our Cayman Islands and Jersey offices, Appleby can truly provide a flexible and effective resource in BVI litigation. "
For more information please contact Andrew Bolton, Group Head – Litigation and Insolvency, Partner