Cains, the Isle of Man based law and professional services group, announces the appointment of three new Directors to Cains Advocates. The three new Directors are Robert Colquitt from the Litigation Practice and Geoff Kermeen and Tristan Head from the Corporate Practice. They will be formally welcomed to the Board with effect from 1st July 2013.
Robert Colquitt
Robert's practice focuses on all aspects of commercial and chancery litigation. He has represented a wide range of clients in legal proceedings that have involved trust disputes, fraud and asset tracing, breaches of financial services legislation, insolvency, commercial contract disputes and professional negligence. Of his more notable cases, Robert acted as Isle of Man counsel in the Rosewood Trust v Schmidt case, wherein the Privy Council re-defined the rights of trust beneficiaries to obtain trust information. More recently, Robert has acted as Isle of Man counsel to the liquidators of Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander (Isle of Man) Limited in the Light House Living/Elle Macpherson litigation (which is due to be heard by the Privy Council later this year). Robert has also (since 2007) acted for three Defendants to the Bitel litigation in the Isle of Man, the largest and arguably the most complex civil trial that the Isle of Man court has ever hosted.
Geoff Kermeen
Geoff, a Manxman, has been with Cains for almost 15 years, being based in London since 2005. Geoff’s practice includes a wide range of corporate and structured finance work, with particular experience in advising lenders, investors and developers in the UK and European commercial real estate sector. In recent years, he has advised upon many high profile CRE transactions for blue chip clients relating to prime assets (mainly located in London). He is a regular attendee at real estate industry events and is a member of the Investment Property Forum and the Movers and Shakers Property Networking Club. He also works closely with leading advisors in London in developing the Isle of Man’s important role in attracting international business and investment to the City and the UK.
Geoff is recommended by the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners in his practice area. He has a master’s degree in international business law.
Tristan Head
Tristan has extensive experience in domestic and cross-border corporate finance (including initial public offerings, rights issues and public/private bond issues) and public/private mergers and acquisitions. In addition to regularly advising both AIM and LSE Main Market listed Isle of Man companies, Tristan is recognised as one of the leading M&A lawyers in the Isle of Man and has particular expertise assisting clients with the sale and purchase of businesses operating in the Isle of Man’s financial services sector.
Recent experience includes advising Landkom International plc in relation to its acquisition by Alpcot Agro AG by way of an Isle of Man scheme of arrangement, advising Sasol Financing International plc in relation to its issue of loan notes in an aggregate principal amount of US$1,000,000,000 and advising the Caledonian Group in connection with the sale of its Isle of Man fiduciary and fund administration businesses.
Tristan studied law at Cambridge University (where he sang in the world famous King’s College Choir) and, prior to joining Cains, spent a number of years working in a leading law firm in the City of London.
Andy Corlett, Managing Director commented: ‘We are delighted to welcome Tris, Geoff and Rob to the Board of Cains Advocates.
All three have been with Cains for a considerable number of years and they not only are first class lawyers in their chosen fields, but they also have the requisite wider commercial skill sets to enhance the overall effectiveness of the Board.’
