A firm record of 49 team members across Ogier's Guernsey and Jersey offices have been recommended in the 2020 edition of leading legal directory Legal 500 UK, with nine service lines ranked top tier. Ogier in Guernsey has also gone straight to the top spot in the new "Capital Markets" category.
'While other firms...have a specialty in one area or another, Ogier has a complete suite of practitioners who are experts in all areas and across borders' - client feedback in the directory has identified Ogier's cross-jurisdictional and cross-service line approach as a key differentiator, alongside the firm's commitment to client service.
There has been significant upward movement in Guernsey, with Corporate M&A promoted to tier one, joining Investment Funds, Dispute Resolution and new category Capital Markets in the top spot. The Banking and Finance team is described as 'very reliable, hardworking and knowledgeable', the Commercial Property team is 'commercially minded, personable and [has a] responsive attitude' and the Dispute Resolution team is 'extremely client-focused and a pleasure to deal with'. The Employment team is praised for its 'efficient service with sound technical knowledge' and the Investment Funds team is 'one of the leading teams...on the island'. The Private Wealth team is praised for its 'highly professional and proactive team'.
Craig Cordle, Gavin Ferguson, Marcus Leese, Mathew Newman and Bryon Rees have all been named Leading Individuals, Martyn Baudains has been promoted to Hall of Fame status, Rachel Richardson has been named Next Generation, and Alice Bricogne, Paul Chanter, Sam Dingle, Oliver Quarmby have all been named Rising Stars. There have been 11 new individual rankings in the jurisdiction.
In Jersey, six service lines are top tier: Banking and Finance, Capital Markets, Commercial Property, Corporate, Employment, and Private Wealth. The office is particularly praised for its track record in large-scale property acquisitions, 'agenda-setting' M&A deals and restructurings, schemes of arrangement, employment law, Jersey Expert Funds and family offices, among other areas. Its Banking and Finance team covers 'top-of-market' fund finance deals – 'what sets [the team] apart is its commitment to client service', while the top-tier Commercial Property team is described as 'approachable, friendly and experienced.' The 'stellar' Corporate team provides 'a first-class service in support of corporate transactions' and the Dispute Resolution team is described as 'an excellent set of lawyers' with 'vast experience in high-quality, multi-jurisdictional trust and commercial litigation', Employment 'delivers an impressive service', and Investment Funds has 'strength in depth' and is 'as plugged-in with the regulator as any outside counsel could be'.
Sally Edwards, Emily Haithwaite, Steve Meiklejohn, Julie Melia and Helen Ruelle all have Hall of Fame status. Raulin Amy, James Campbell, Simon Dinning, Katrina Edge, Simon Felton, Edward Mackereth, Jonathan Hughes and Bruce MacNeil are Leading Individuals. Richard Daggett, Damian Evans, Josephine Howe, Katherine Neal and Matthew Shaxson are Next Generation partners, and Will Austin-Vautier, Alex Curry, Julia Keppe, Katharine Marshall and Kate McCaffrey have all been identified as rising stars. There have been nine new individual rankings in the office.
Global Managing Partner Edward Mackereth said: "These latest results in the Legal 500 UK are testament to Ogier's strength in depth across our service lines and jurisdictions. It's particularly pleasing to see so many talented individuals recognised – we pride ourselves on providing a high quality to clients, and that starts with high quality individuals in our teams."