Jeffrey P. Elkinson

Director

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Jeffrey Elkinson is a Director in the Bermuda Litigation & Restructuring practice. Jeffrey joined Conyers in 1988.

Jeffrey’s practice covers Commercial Litigation and Arbitration, with specialism in trust, insurance/re-insurance and construction. Jeffrey also has considerable experience in administrative law, telecommunications and energy. Jeffrey has audience rights in numerous jurisdictions and a wealth of experience.

Jeffrey is an active arbitrator, mediator and counsel in domestic and international disputes with appointments from ICC, LCIA and CIArb and, in respect of domain names, HKIAC/ADNDRC. Jeffrey is a former (global) president of the CIArb and remains a course director for all the training courses of the CIArb.

Jeffrey is a door tenant of Des Voeux Chambers, Hong Kong. He sits as an Assistant Judge of the Supreme Court of Bermuda. He is a Special Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Jeffrey is a regular speaker at global industry events and is a contributor and co-author of the Bermuda chapter of the ICAA Handbook, World Arbitration Reporter, Spitz’ Tax Havens of the World, Butterworths Offshore Cases and Materials and Offshore Commercial Law in Bermuda.

Jeffrey is recognized as a leading dispute resolution lawyer by Chambers Global, Legal 500, Legal Week’s The Private Client Global Elite and Who’s Who Legal Arbitration, Who’s Who Legal Asset Recovery and Who’s Who Thought Leaders Commercial Litigation.

He has spoken at many conferences and events and as a former President of CIArb, the global leader in dispute resolution, has addressed leading world dignitaries in their different countries, including Singapore, Dubai, Sierra Leone, BVI, London and Toronto

Listed in Chambers and Legal 500.

Described as:

‘a star litigator, highly commercial and effective.’
‘Jeff Elkinson is a serious player and easily a match for whoever can be put against him whether from the local bar or KCs from the UK.’
Jeffrey Elkinson is exceptionally experienced. The coolest of heads, extremely well-known and respected, he has the court’s ear, and is an absolute pleasure to work with.
‘very well regarded for his prolific work on trusts cases and the strong telecoms’ expertise that supports his broad commercial litigation practice’ and
‘a very tactically minded lawyer with a huge amount of common sense and great fun to work with.’

Jeffrey does an exceptional amount of pro bono work which includes chairing bodies such as the Professional Conduct Committee of Bermuda and the Police Complaints Authority. He is the legal advisor to the Bermuda Olympic Committee. He is a course director for the CIArb and leads and conducts arbitration courses across the globe, including Hong Kong, Brazil, Singapore, Sierra Leone. He has written the definitive text on arbitration in Bermuda which is contained in World Arbitration Reporter. He is a qualified Trust and Estates Practitioner.

Jurisdiction

Bermuda

Experience

Asia Disputes & Restructuring:

Acting for company in cross-border shareholder dispute, Annuity & Life Re v Kingboard Copper [2021] Bda LR 55; see also Kingboard Chemical v Annuity & Life [2017] CA Bda 3 Civ

Commercial Litigation:

Acting for insurer in coverage disputes, Da Costa v Motor Insurers Fund [2020] Bda LR 55
Acting for liquidator of a fund resisting anti-suit, Apex Fund Services Ltd v Silk Road Funds [2020] SC Bda 12 Com
Acting for claimant in unjust enrichment claim, Featherwood Trading v Fraunteld Management [2013] 85 WIR 308

Regulatory Disputes:

Jeffrey regularly represents the Ministry of Finance on TIEA (tax treaty) disputes, most recently in Reliance v Minister of Finance [2022] CA (Bda) 9 Civ; Ministry of Finance v IJK [2021] Bda LR 93
Acting for employee in employment dispute, now leading case in the area, Coralisle Group v Caesar [2021] Bda LR 24
Acting for trustee in judicial review of police seizure documents, Medlands v Commissioner of Police [2020] Bda LR 26
Acting for Telecoms Company in judicial review of Regulator, One Communications v Regulatory Authority [2018] SC Bda 18 Com
Acting for company seeking springboard relief, Re Springboard Relief [2012] Bda LR 15

Trust Litigation:

Regularly acts for trustees and beneficiaries in contested PTC v Cooper application, see for example Re XYZ Trusts [2022] Bda LR 10
Regularly acts for trustees in s. 47 / perpetuities extension application, see for example Re TT Trust [2021] Bda LR 99 and Re CT2 Trust [2021] Bda LR 100

Expertise

Qualifications

Professional Background:

Barrister, Irish Bar
Counsel, Attorney General’s Chambers Hong Kong
Counsel, Hong Kong Bar, Des Voeux Chambers

Education:

Trinity College, Dublin, B.A.(mod), LLB, M.A.
Kings’ Inns, Dublin BL

Bar Admissions:

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, 2002
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, 2001
United States Court of International Trade, 2001
Bermuda, 1989
New York, 1987
New South Wales, 1986
Hong Kong, 1985
England & Wales, 1981
Ireland, 1978

Awards & Accolades:

Recognised in the 2023 edition (and since 2011) of Chambers Global (dispute resolution – Band 3)
Recognised in the 2023 edition (and since 2011) of Who’s Who Legal Arbitration
Recognised in the 2023 edition (and since 2011) of Legal 500 Caribbean (dispute resolution)
Recognised in the 2023 edition of Who’s Who Legal (Private Client)
Recognised in the 2023 edition (and since 2011) of Who’s Who Legal (litigation)
Recognised in Legal Week’s The Private Client Global Elite 2023
Recognised in Who’s Who Thought Leaders Commercial Litigation 2023

Associations:

Chartered Arbitrator and Mediator
Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
President, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, 2012
Founder and Branch Chairman, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
Course Director and Tutor of Diploma and Members’ Courses of Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
Member of IBA, ABA and ICCA
Member of the International Bar Association Professional Ethics Committee
Trust and Estates Practitioner (TEP)
Door Tenant, Des Voeux Chambers, HK
Fellow and Certified Arbitrator AIADR, Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution