Róisín Liddy-Murphy
Counsel, Head of Regulatory & Risk Advisory (Cayman)
Róisín Liddy-Murphy is Counsel and Head of Regulatory & Risk Advisory (Cayman). She joined Conyers in 2018 and has more than 16 years’ experience representing clients on a broad range of multi-jurisdictional and complex litigation proceedings with a particular focus on company, insurance, insolvency, banking, commercial and regulatory matters.
Róisín’s clients include banks, investment funds, administrators, local businesses, investment managers and insurance sector clients and advisors. She specialises in regulatory advisory, investigations and disputes. She assists clients on all aspects of risk management and financial regulation advice. Róisín’s expertise includes advising on corporate governance frameworks and internal policies and procedures, administrative fines, regulatory enforcement and settlements, Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA) inspections and potential anti-money laundering (AML) and sanction exposure, including advising on regulatory requirements for Cayman licensees, mock regulatory AML reviews and mandatory information exchange requirements. She has a particular focus on advising clients on sanctions, licence applications and asset freeze requirements that impact Cayman entities. Róisín often represents clients in Court and in investigations before the Ombudsman involving data protection breaches along with advising clients on confidentiality laws and information disclosure requests from regulators.
Prior to joining Conyers, Róisín was practising as a Barrister at the Four Courts, Dublin in Ireland and worked within the Attorney General’s Chambers as part of the Cayman Islands Government Portfolio of Legal Affairs. She taught Company and Banking Law (UK) on the University of Liverpool LLB Degree in the Cayman Islands and was the International Insolvency appointed lecturer on the International Finance, Law and Regulation University of Liverpool Master’s LLM Degree. She has also taught legal trainees Cayman Company/Insolvency Law for the Professional Qualifying Bar Exams in the Cayman Islands. She currently practices in the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands.
Róisín regularly contributes articles to legal publications and gives presentations on matters relating to her areas of practice. She is a frequent contributor of the World Bank Group, Women, Business and the Law Report and to the Cayman Islands Law Review. She was on the Board of Directors of the International Women Insolvency Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC) from 2018-2023.
Jurisdiction
Experience
- Advising on trade and financial sanctions and on specific licence applications arising out of the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (as amended) and the Russia (Sanctions) (Overseas Territories) Order 2020 (as amended).
- Advising an investment manager on a large scale Cayman Islands Monetary Authority remediation following an onsite inspection.
- Acting and representing insurance providers and various entities on insolvency and regulatory matters.
- Regularly acting as leading counsel and advising entities in matters before the Ombudsman relating to data protection breaches and securing a successful result for a large telecommunication provider in the Cayman Islands.
- Advising clients on information disclosure requests from the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority and related overseas regulators.
- Advising funds and fund managers on all aspects of anti-money laundering and sanction requirements.
- Advising clients on suspicious activity reports and other related time sensitive regulatory notifications.
- Acting as lead advocate in the appointment of official liquidators and in sanction applications for the commencement of proceedings in the United States to pursue claims against directors and to enter into funding agreements amongst other applications that have arisen during the course of the liquidations.
- Acting and advising on validation application seeking to transfer shares from the Herald and the Prime Fund (In Liquidation). The Prime Fund had $US750 million in assets prior to its collapse.
- Representing investors and a management company in the area of intellectual property and data analytics technology against multifaceted claims for damages arising out of allegations of misrepresentation, deceit, breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duties.
- Successfully acting and advising a nominee director before the Cayman Islands Grand Court on allegations of breaches of fiduciary duties and conflicts of interest in an oil group structure.
- Advising and working with clients and litigation funders in matters concerning multi-jurisdictional asset-tracing and recovery matters with a particular focus on Cayman, BVI and Hong Kong entities.
- Acting and advising companies, creditors and contributories on applications before the Court in relation to the winding up of Cayman incorporated entities including the appointment of provisional liquidators on often urgent provisional liquidators appointments
- Leading counsel acting for a number of limited partners in respect of complex issues arising out of the collapse of a large private equity firm.
- Acting for Brazilian Plaintiffs in relation to a $490 million professional negligence claim in the Cayman Islands in proceedings before the Cayman Islands Grand Court and the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal.
Prior to practising in the Cayman Islands and BVI, Roisin appeared regularly as a Barrister in the Irish Courts acting as leading counsel on a large volume of cases representing debtors and key stakeholders, including, insurance companies, banks, directors, insolvency practitioners and investors on regulatory and commercial related matters
Qualifications
Professional Background
- Counsel, Conyers, Cayman Islands
- University Law Lecturer, University of Liverpool, Cayman Islands
- Barrister, Four Courts, Dublin, Ireland
- Legal Training Services, Professional Development Law Lecturer Dublin, Ireland
- Stagiaire, European Court of Justice, Luxembourg
- Mercer, Dublin, Ireland
Education
- Trinity College Dublin, M. Litt Degree (Cross-Border Insolvency), 2017
- Accredited Mediator (Mediation Forum Ireland) 2012
- Honourable Society of King’s Inns, Barrister-at-Law Degree, 2006
- University of Limerick, LL.B Degree, Law and European Studies (Advanced French) 2005
- George Washington University, IBA Accredited, Munich Summer Programme, Germany 2004
- Erasmus, Charles University Prague, Czech Republic, 2004
- Erasmus, University Paris 13, France, 2003
Bar Admissions
- BVI, Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, 2021
- Cayman Islands, Attorney-at-law, 2018
- England & Wales, Barrister, 2013 (not currently practicing)
- Ireland, Barrister, 2006 (not currently practicing)
Awards & Accolades
- Recognised as a Key Lawyer in the 2023 edition of The Legal 500 (Regulatory and Compliance)
- Recognised as a Key Lawyer in the 2023 (and since 2019) edition of The Legal 500 (Dispute Resolution)
- Recognised in the 2020 edition (and 2019) of Global Restructuring Review 100
Associations
- Bar Council of England and Wales
- Bar Council Ireland
- Member of the Honourable Society of Gray’s Inns
- Recovery & Insolvency Specialists’ Association Cayman (RISA)
- International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation (Secretary IWIRC Cayman)
- Cayman Islands Legal Practitioners Association (CILPA)
- INSOL Europe
Publications
Conyers Coverage – Cayman Islands – Issue 8
Conyers Coverage – Cayman Islands – Issue 6
Frequent contributor to the World Bank Group Publication Women, Business and the Law Report. (2011 – 2021)
Corporate Digest: Notable Deals and Transactions – Spring 2019
Watler Holdings Limited (In Official Liquidation), Frank Sound Estate Limited (In Official Liquidation), Red Bay Estates Ltd (In Official Liquidation), Cayman Law Review, Issue 2, 2016
In the Matter of Section 30 (11) (b) of the Mutual Funds Law (2015 Revision) and In the Matter of Brighton SPC (In Controllership), Cayman Law Review, Issue 2, 2016
In the matter of Madison Niche Assets Fund Ltd (In Liquidation) (“MNAF”) and in the matter of Madison Niche Opportunities Fund Ltd (In Liquidation) (“MNOF”) Cayman Law Review, Issue 2, 2016
Appleby (Cayman) Ltd. V Chief Immigration Officer, Cayman Law Review, Issue 2, 2016