As the only offshore law firm with a presence in all three Crown Dependencies, Appleby secured top tier positions across 12 different practice areas – two more than last year. Tier One rankings were gained in all nine practice areas in the Isle of Man (Banking, Finance and Capital Markets; Commercial Property; Corporate and Commercial; Dispute Resolution; Employment; Gambling; Insurance and Pensions; Private Client, Trusts and Tax; and Shipping and Aviation), two in Guernsey (Banking and Finance; and Employment) and one in Jersey (Employment).
Six of the Group’s lawyers feature in The Legal 500 Hall of Fame, which is reserved for lawyers widely regarded as being at the very top of the profession having been consistently ranked as leading individuals for a number of years. In addition, a further 28 Appleby lawyers have been recognised as Leading Partners, Next Generation Partners or Leading Associates.
Highlight client feedback saw the Isle of Man Dispute Resolution practice described as “a fabulous disputes team with strength in litigation across the board… they are as comfortable doing commercial litigation as doing insolvency litigation”. Further industry commentary saw the office’s Corporate team praised for being “experienced and on the ball – they make transactions run smoothly, solve problems, and are one less thing to worry about”.
In Guernsey, the top-ranked Banking and Finance team provides an “almost unique marriage of quality advice, responsive service and people who make the job enjoyable” as well as being “comfortable acting on complex transactions and delivering at speed”. The Guernsey Employment team, which is also now ranked in Tier One, is recognised for its “pragmatic, invaluable guidance and support throughout the entire process” and for an ability to “navigate through legal issues with ease”.
Appleby’s top-ranked Employment team in Jersey is considered by one industry commentator as “my go-to team in the Channel Islands. They are responsive and collaborative, and work with us on any cross-border matters”. Similarly, the Jersey Corporate practice, which offers “excellent service levels”, also has “great experience and is well resourced in order to assist on any deals we speak to them about”.
A leading directory for the legal industry, The Legal 500 ranks law firms and lawyers following a thorough and independent research process which includes feedback from 300,000 clients, private practice lawyers and in-house peers as well as the assessment of a law firm’s own deals and confidential matters.
The Group’s individual rankings are as follows:
Hall of fame
Isle of Man: Charles Davies (Dispute Resolution), Mark Holligon (Dispute Resolution) and Caren Pegg (Employment)
Jersey: John Bisson (Commercial Property), Fraser Robertson (Dispute Resolution) and Andrew Weaver (Investment Funds)
Leading Individuals
Guernsey: Jeremy Berchem (Banking and Finance), Richard Sheldon (Employment), Stuart Tyler (Corporate and M&A) and Anthony Williams (Dispute Resolution)
Isle of Man: Tom Brook (Banking, Finance and Capital Markets); Garry Manley (Commercial Property; Corporate and Commercial; Insurance and Pensions), Claire Milne WS (Gambling), Caren Pegg (Dispute Resolution) and Juan Thornley (Corporate and Commercial; Insurance and Pensions)
Jersey: Simon Felton (Banking and Finance; Capital Markets), James Gaudin (Capital Markets) and Niall MacDonald (Employment)
Next Generation Partners
Guernsey: Richard Field (Dispute Resolution)
Isle of Man: Claire Corkish (Dispute Resolution), Katherine Garrood (Corporate and Commercial), Keira Gore(Dispute Resolution) and Eleanor Harding (Banking, Finance and Capital Markets; Shipping and Aviation)
Jersey: Christophe Kalinauckas (Banking and Finance; Capital Markets), Iain Miller (Corporate and Commercial) and Sam Williams (Dispute Resolution)
Rising Stars
Isle of Man: Michelle Brook (Insurance and Pensions), Sophie Corkish (Banking, Finance and Capital Markets; Corporate and Commercial), Alexandra Dernie (Commercial Property), Keira Gore (Employment), Sophia Howell-Evans (Banking, Finance and Capital Markets; Gambling), Darryl Jago (Corporate and Commercial), Erin Trimble-Cregeen (Dispute Resolution; Private Client, Trusts and Tax) and Melissa Wong (Commercial Property; Private Client, Trusts and Tax)
Jersey: Daniel Healy (Banking and Finance) and Paul Worsnop (Investment Funds)