Kiernan Bell

Kiernan Bell is the Bermuda Office Managing Partner and has overall responsibility for managing the operations of Appleby’s Bermuda office.

Kiernan is also Bermuda Practice Group Head for the Litigation & Insolvency department.  She specialises in complex commercial disputes, and has practice experience in shareholder disputes, derivative actions, professional negligence, M&A, contentious insolvency, international arbitration, insurance and reinsurance disputes.

Kiernan has experience working with multi-jurisdictional teams of lawyers on complex cases and deals. She has prepared cases for hearing at every level, including before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, Bermuda’s highest appellate court. Kiernan joined Appleby in 1994, became a partner in 2002 and was elected Bermuda Managing Partner in 2012.

Clients interviewed by Global Chambers and Partners describe Kiernan as “Dynamic, quick and aggressive”.

She is the immediate past President of the Bermuda Bar Council which is the governing body of the Bermuda Bar Association. Kiernan was an elected member of the Bermuda Bar Council from 2000 and the President in 2009 to 2011. She is the former Chair of the Continuing Legal Education Committee of the Bar. Kiernan is a member of the International Bar Association and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Recent cases include advising/acting:

• On the BFMIC litigation in Bermuda, representing the eighth defendant, Woodbourne Insurance
• In relation to the Manhattan Investment Fund collapse, representing the fund administrator, FASB Limited in conjunction with US counsel in defending class action shareholder litigation brought in the United States
• On The Fortress Re litigation, representing the joint liquidators of Carolina Re in high profile litigation in the United States against Carolina Re’s directors, shareholders and auditors
• On behalf of Energia Global, successfully defending the company in a dissenter shareholder action arising from an amalgamation
• On behalf of Validus IPC litigation, representing Validus in reference to its hostile takeover of IPC. 
• Newstream Capital Fund Limited, representing the Joint Receivers of segregated account classes of the Fund.

• Arbitration & Mediation
• Corporate Governance
• Insolvency & Restructuring
• Insurance & Reinsurance Dispute Resolution
• Schemes of Arrangement