Offshore & International

Cases

A substantial body of our work has an international dimension. Although based in London, our expertise is by no means confined to advice and representation in relation to English cases. Our members regularly act in non-UK cases - and there are many - where our expertise in English law, our oral and written advocacy skills and our litigation experience mean we can add real value. In such cases, our members advise; appear as advocates before foreign courts and tribunals; otherwise assist in the conduct or resolution of disputes (including all forms of ADR); and provide expert evidence of law in foreign proceedings.

Our international and offshore work draws on our broad range of specialist skills. Examples of the types of issue, both contentious and non-contentious, in which we have international experience include:

Cross-border insolvencies
The operation of private equity funds, hedge funds and other investment vehicles
Commercial disputes
Fraud, asset tracing and recovery actions, including world-wide freezing orders/injunctions
The variation and operation of offshore/non-UK trusts
Advice and drafting in non-contentious matters, for example in structuring/restructuring offshore trusts, companies, partnerships and other corporate structures, including related tax considerations
Breaches of duty by directors, officers and trustees
Professional negligence claims
Shareholder and joint venture partner disputes
Disputes about jurisdiction
The enforcement of judgments/arbitration awards worldwide

The range of services we offer include:

Advising and drafting documents
Appearing as advocates in courts, tribunals and arbitrations outside the UK
Being present at and assisting in the conduct of cases before non-UK courts where court advocacy rights are restricted to local lawyers
Advising and representing clients in all aspects of Privy Council appeals from countries outside the UK
Giving expert evidence of law in proceedings conducted outside the UK

The main areas of expertise relevant to our international practice are:

Our experience in all of these areas means that we bring cross-disciplinary expertise to complex matters.

We act for clients in many countries and jurisdictions around the world. Jurisdictions in which we have recently worked include the following:

Anguilla
Bahamas
Barbados
Bermuda
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
Channel Islands
Gibraltar
Grenada
Hong Kong
Isle of Man
Singapore
Sweden

Members of Maitland are full members of the local Bars in a number of non-UK jurisdictions, including Hong Kong, the Dubai International Financial Centre and in the Caribbean.

Our barristers are called to the local Bar on an ad hoc or temporary admission basis, for example in the Cayman Islands, Belize, Grenada, Jamaica,Trinidad and Tobago, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and other parts of the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Brunei and the Isle of Man. All of our barristers have rights of audience in the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human
Rights.

Maitland has been involved in arbitrations and other tribunal hearings ranging as far afield as Singapore, New York, Zurich, Paris, Milan, Luxembourg and Stockholm. A number of Judges who sit outside the UK (including in the Eastern Caribbean, the Cayman Islands and the DIFC) have been known to us professionally for many years. Several of our senior members sit as fee-paid judges themselves not only in the UK but also offshore.

Members are available to travel (if necessary at short notice) for the purposes both of giving advice and to attend court hearings. Junior members are available for longer term commitments abroad either for the purposes of dealing with a particular case or by way of a secondment. Where it is impractical or unnecessary to travel, we have two suites available for video-conferencing.

For more information about our barristers or our international credentials please contact our senior clerk John Wiggs.

Maitland Chambers is recommended in Chambers UK and Chambers Global.