Consistent “excellent” service boosts Carey Olsen Legal 500 rankings

Carey Olsen has furthered its position in the Legal 500 rankings for 2012. The firm has continued to “inspire confidence” in its clients through “knowledgeable” and “commercial” advice. Carey Olsen is one of “the firms most likely to be called in for big-ticket international work” according to this latest report.

Legal 500 is a leading source of information on the legal profession and Carey Olsen has been ranked in the top tier for seven out of eight practice areas in Jersey and six out of seven practice areas in Guernsey. Carey Olsen's London office has retained its tier one position. 21 lawyers from the firm were cited as ‘leading individuals' in their respective areas of expertise, being described as “accessible”, “pragmatic” and “outstanding” by clients.

Jersey's banking and finance specialists were upgraded to tier one, from tier two in 2011, boosting the firm's rankings across the islands. The team was highlighted for handling complex finance structures. The work done in establishing the Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank's Jersey branch and advising RBS International on a £65m investor call bridge facility were cited as particular activity of note.

Legal 500 maintained the firm's tier one position for commercial and banking in Guernsey and for corporate and commercial work in Jersey and highlighted that both practice areas provided “excellent” service, response times and are “committed to getting a deal through”.

The firm also achieved a top tier position in Jersey and Guernsey for dispute resolution with the practice being recognised for its advice on the largest money laundering prosecution case in Jersey. In Guernsey the team was recognised for banking and finance disputes, trust litigation and corporate insolvency advice.

Carey Olsen's fiduciary law group held its tier one position in both islands in the private client, trusts and tax category with clients reporting an appreciation of the firm's “excellent advice” highlighting the Guernsey's team's involvement in a case seeking to exonerate trustees from certain liabilities and Jersey's case concerning a substantial employee benefit trust.

Commercial property in both islands achieved tier one positions and was noted for taking “a pragmatic, commercial approach” and “industry knowledge (that) is second to none.” The team's role in relation to the waterfront development in Jersey and its advice in Guernsey to prime lenders on large commercial financing were cited.

The firm maintained its long-standing tier one position in Guernsey and retained its tier two position in Jersey in the investment funds category with partners across the firm receiving excellent personal recommendations.

For employment services, Carey Olsen maintained its tier one in Jersey and tier two ranking in Guernsey and is cited as providing “prompt and professional service”.

Legal 500's insurance category is only applied to Guernsey and the firm held its long-standing tier one position and the work on two schemes of transfer of Guernsey long-term insurance business was highlighted.

Jersey's structured finance and securitisation practice area also retained its tier one ranking and Legal 500 mentioned the expertise of the team in complex securitisation matters and proven record in cash box transactions.

Carey Olsen chairman John Kelleher (pictured) said: “The results reflect what our clients say about us to the research team at Legal 500 and we would like to thank them for responding and participating in the process.

“Our lawyers have been described as outstanding and the best in the islands and the rankings demonstrate the sheer breadth and depth of our practice teams and the high levels of service we deliver across the Channel Islands and in London. We're delighted to see banking and finance move from tier two to tier one in Jersey which reflects the team's capabilities with complex finance structures and our specialist technical knowledge.

“With our new Cayman office open for business, we fully anticipate that we will see the same excellent rankings for Carey Olsen in that jurisdiction as well next year.

“The fact that Carey Olsen has been ranked in tier one for 13 and tier two for two practice areas across the Channel Islands underlines our commitment to deliver consistently high standards across the board.”