News detail
Dickinson Cruickshank is the largest and one of the longest established firms of advocates on the Isle of Man. Founded in 1899, it is now one of the two dominant law firms on the island with 11 partners, 27 other lawyers, 17 fiduciary service providers and a total staff of 119. It is a full service firm practicing Isle of Man law with a specific focus on corporate and commercial, private client, dispute resolution, property and fiduciary services. The firm is consistently in the top ranking in the major international legal directories and has twice been nominated as “Offshore law firm of the Year”.Commenting on the merger, Paul Morris, Dickinson Cruickshank’s Senior Partner said: “We believe that the merger with Appleby, as a global offshore services provider, is not only a first on the island and an invaluable resource for our clients, but it will also provide a huge boost to the Isle of Man’s capabilities, status and reputation in the international offshore sector. Appleby’s global reach in the key offshore jurisdictions, its recent expansion through Mauritius into the emerging markets in India, Africa and Asia, and its market leading position in international financial centres, will have a significant impact on the breadth, range and choice of services we are able to offer to our Isle of Man and international clients.”
Peter Bubenzer, Appleby’s Global Group Managing Partner added: “The opportunity to merge with a firm of the size and quality of Dickinson Cruickshank was compelling for us. The firm’s focus on their clients’ needs and, as the offshore sector evolves, their recognition of the value to clients of truly global resources, as well as a choice of jurisdictions and structures, mirrors our own strategic thinking. The merger will position us as the leading provider of legal, fiduciary and administration services across the offshore world. Our entry into the Manx market further builds our strength and depth across multiple jurisdictions — providing greater resources and greater choice to our clients. In addition, Dickinson Cruickshank’s London presence will strengthen our offering in the UK market. The merger will provide both firms’ corporate, institutional and private clients with greater resources across the locations and time zones in which they do business and a broader choice of structures and jurisdictions, unmatched by any other offshore firm. We believe that the move will reinforce Appleby’s position as the first choice for clients in the offshore sector.”
The merger will enable Appleby to further extend the services it offers to global clients seeking high quality, sophisticated financial centres through which to invest. It follows the firm’s successful opening in Mauritius in 2008, providing clients with greater access to the high growth Middle East, Asian, Indian and African markets, and in Zurich in 2009, offering access to the range of offshore centres to private bank and institutional clients in Switzerland.
Appleby first ventured out from its Bermuda origins in 1979, with the establishment of a Guernsey office for administration clients, and this latest merger is part of a thirty year development of the firm. The firm has expanded rapidly in the last three years and now has a legal and professional staff of approximately 800. It is the only offshore legal, fiduciary and administration service provider with a major foothold in six of the world’s leading offshore business centres in Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Jersey, Mauritius and now Isle of Man, as well as offices in London, Hong Kong and Switzerland.
For further information, please contact:
Vicki Cummings
Director of Marketing
Tel: +1 441 298 3294
Email: vcummings@applebyglobal.com
