Apr 2023
Conyers is pleased to confirm the promotion of three lawyers to Partner and four to Counsel across jurisdictions and practice groups.
Partner promotions include Alex Davies and Spencer Vickers in the Cayman Islands, and Eric Flaye who is Head of Conyers’ London office.
Speaking of the appointments, Global Managing Partner Christian Luthi said, “On behalf of my fellow Conyers partners and the entire firm, I am delighted to welcome Eric, Alex, and Spencer to the partnership and sincerely congratulate them on their well-deserved appointments”.
Counsel promotions include David Stubbs in Bermuda, and Wesley O’Brien, Matthew Harkness and Philippa Gilkes, each in the Cayman Islands.
Ten members of the firm have also been promoted to the role of Senior Associate. This newly created role reflects the increasing contribution Associates make to the success of the firm as they progress in their careers at Conyers.
Christian Luthi continued “This well-rounded and talented group has demonstrated excellence and commitment in their practices. In them we see the next generation of leadership across Conyers practice groups. The whole firm is strengthened by these appointments”.
ABOUT THE NEW PARTNERS
Alex Davies, Corporate, Cayman Islands
A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Alex was first admitted to practice in 2008 and was admitted to the Cayman Islands Bar in 2020. He advises clients across various sectors on a broad range of public and private corporate transactions including cross-border mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity capital markets and corporate recovery and restructuring engagements. Alex is recognised by IFLR1000 and Legal 500 as a ‘Rising Star’ in Equity Capital Markets and Mergers & Acquisitions.
Eric Flaye, Corporate, London
Eric is Head of the London Office and has experience across all three of Conyers’ jurisdictions. An Oxford University graduate, he moved offshore in 2015 with eight years of onshore transactional and funds experience (first with Herbert Smith Freehills’ Tier 1 M&A/PE team in Sydney, then later with Sullivan & Cromwell in London). He relocated back to London in early 2019. Eric has a broad corporate practice with particular expertise and interest in private investment funds, mergers and acquisitions, and joint ventures. He is also a key member of the Firm’s Fintech (blockchain & digital assets) practice.
Spencer Vickers, Dispute Resolution & Insolvency, Cayman Islands
Called to the Cayman Islands Bar in 2017, Spencer has extensive experience advising clients on a range of insolvency, restructuring and commercial litigation matters. This includes regularly advising on applications regarding the appointment of liquidators and/or receivers, applications to seek disclosure of information and disputes with regulators. Spencer is an experienced advocate, appearing frequently before the Grand Court and Court of Appeal of the Cayman Islands. Spencer’s clients include large corporate entities, investment funds, shareholders, sovereign states and insolvency professionals. Spencer is a Director of the Recovery and Insolvency Specialists Association of the Cayman Islands (RISA Cayman), the INSOL chapter for the Cayman Islands. Spencer is also an author and course coordinator of the INSOL Introductory Certificate in Insolvency Law and Practice in the Cayman Islands.
ABOUT THE NEW COUNSEL
Philippa Gilkes, Corporate, Cayman Islands
Philippa advises on a wide spectrum of regulatory, commercial and transactional matters in the insurance and reinsurance sphere. She acts for international insurance groups, commercial reinsurers and captive insurers, advising on all aspects of Cayman Islands insurance and reinsurance law and regulation. Philippa has recently been recognised as a ‘Rising Star’ in insurance and reinsurance in the Legal 500 Caribbean edition.
Matthew Harkness, Corporate, Cayman Islands
Matthew advises clients across multiple sectors on a broad range of public and private corporate transactions. In particular, he specializes in investment fund matters (private equity and hedge) and is experienced in M&A, fund financing, capital markets, restructurings and general corporate governance. Prior to re-joining Conyers (having already worked in the firm’s BVI office), Matthew was a senior associate at another offshore law firm in the Cayman Islands, and before that, an Associate at CMS and part of their UK M&A deal team.
Wesley O’Brien, Private Client & Trust, Cayman Islands
Practising as a Cayman Islands Attorney since 2019, Wesley’s practice covers all areas of private client and trust law advice and trust litigation as well as regulatory matters. He has extensive experience advising on the establishment, reorganisation and maintenance of complex trusts, pensions and other wealth management structures. Wesley also has experience on a variety of crypto and digital assets matters and regularly advises on the creation of Cayman Islands Foundation Companies for a wide range of innovative structures. Prior to joining Conyers in 2019, Wesley worked in the private client, trust and taxation department of a leading Australian law firm, where he advised on complex estate planning, trust structuring and taxation matters.
David Stubbs, Corporate, Bermuda
David Stubbs is Counsel in the Corporate department of Conyers in the Bermuda office. He joined Conyers in 2017. David’s practice consists of a broad range of corporate and finance matters, including bond issues, private placements, IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, corporate insolvencies and restructurings. David also leads Conyers’ listing sponsorship team in Bermuda, assisting issuers of securities on the Bermuda Stock Exchange. Prior to joining Conyers in 2017, David practiced with both Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, where he acted in a broad range of finance matters, including secondments to Deutsche Bank in 2011, the Principal Investments team at HSBC in 2014 and Eurasian Resources Group in 2016.
ABOUT THE NEW SENIOR ASSOCIATES
Andrew Barnes, Corporate, Bermuda
Andrew joined Conyers in 2019. Andrew’s practice includes all aspects of corporate and commercial law, and he regularly advises in connection with capital markets, private equity, public companies, shipping, aviation and M&A. Andrew has experience with a broad range of corporate and cross-border finance transactions, including securitisations, financings and restructurings. Andrew has particular expertise on regulatory and compliance matters, including data privacy and protection, energy, telecommunications, economic substance, sanctions and AML/ATF.
Sarah Blair, Dispute Resolution & Insolvency, Bermuda
Sarah joined Conyers in 2019 from Bristows LLP in London. Sarah has particular expertise in employment and regulatory law (including compensation plans, tax and pensions), copyright and designs and contractual disputes. She regularly advises on all aspects of employment law (contentious and non-contentious) and other regulatory matters, including privacy law.
William Cooper, Corporate, Bermuda
William joined Conyers as a Pupil in 2014 and qualified as an Associate in 2015. His practice covers all aspects of corporate law, with a particular focus on insurance and investment fund law and regulation. He specializes in establishing and providing regulatory advice to insurers (including special purpose insurers, captives, commercial insurers and segregated account companies) and investment funds (including private equity funds, hedge funds, unit trusts and ILS funds). William also advises on all aspects of general corporate and commercial law, including partnerships, LLCs, public companies, mergers and acquisitions, financings and group restructurings.
Davina Hargun, Private Client & Trust, Bermuda
Davina joined Conyers as a Pupil in 2015 and qualified as an Associate in 2016. Her practice covers all aspects of private client and trust law including international and local trusts, commercial trusts, estate planning, establishment of international trust structures and private trust company structures, and advising protectors, individual trustees, corporate trustees and private trust companies in relation to legal and administrative trust matters.
Alexis Haynes, Corporate, Bermuda
Alexis joined Conyers in 2019. Her practice includes general corporate and commercial law, including cross-border corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, amalgamations, relocations, the establishment and regulation of investment funds, private equity financings, partnerships and compliance and regulatory matters. Alexis advises partnerships, exempted companies, local companies and public companies in a variety of industries, including investment management, shipping and banking.
Sarah Lusher, Corporate, Bermuda
Sarah’s practice spans all aspects of corporate law, with a focus on corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, re-domestications, and insurance transactional matters, including new insurance incorporations, segregated account structures, corporate governance and other insurance transactional work. She also advises a range of clients on regulatory matters, with a particular expertise in economic substance, sanctions, AML/ATF compliance and ongoing compliance obligations for licensed entities. She acts for a number of exempted and local companies, partnerships, public companies, banks, (re)insurers and other leading financial institutions.
Jane Fedotova, Dispute Resolution & Insolvency, British Virgin Islands
Dr. Jane Fedotova’s practice covers a wide range of commercial, insolvency and arbitration matters often involving issues pertaining to asset tracing. In particular, Jane advises corporate and individual clients who seek to wind up a company in the BVI and appoint liquidators. Jane also often consults clients in relation to court interim measures, including appointment of receivers, in support of on-going foreign litigation and arbitration, and assist clients with enforcement of arbitral awards and foreign judgments in the BVI.
Jordan McErlean, Dispute Resolution & Insolvency, Cayman Islands
Jordan joined Conyers as an Associate in 2017. Since joining Conyers, he has undertaken secondments to both the Bermuda and Hong Kong offices of Conyers, and Wilberforce Chambers in London. Jordan’s practice covers all areas of international commercial litigation, including trusts, insolvency, shareholder disputes, professional negligence, civil fraud and asset tracing, cryptocurrency related litigation, employment, arbitration, and judicial review. Legal 500: Caribbean describes Jordan as a ‘Rising star who will go far.’
Beverly Cheung, Corporate, Hong Kong
Beverly joined Conyers in 2017. She has experience in advising PRC and multinational clients on project and structured financing, debt capital markets, corporate restructuring, initial public offerings and all other aspects of corporate and commercial matters involving BVI, Cayman Islands and Bermuda companies. Beverly has also advised a number of listed companies on offshore regulatory and compliance matters. Beverly has been recognised on the ALB Hong Kong Rising Stars 2023 list by Asian Legal Business as one of Hong Kong’s top 30 next generation lawyers who have demonstrated great potential in the industry.
Ryan McConvey, Corporate, Hong Kong
Ryan has a broad practice which generally encompasses all aspects of Bermuda, British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands corporate and commercial law with particular focus on mergers and acquisitions, takeovers, privatisations, corporate finance, equity and debt capital market transactions. Ryan was included on the ALB Hong Kong Rising Stars 2023 list having been recognised by Asian Legal Business as one of Hong Kong’s top 30 next generation lawyers who have demonstrated great potential in the industry.