Law firms shine bright in latest edition of The Legal 500

Tuesday 05 October 2021

Many of Jersey’s largest law firms have achieved top rankings and endorsements in the latest edition of The Legal 500 UK.

Carey Olsen say it has been ranked as the leading law firm in the Channel Islands after securing 18 top-tier rankings in the latest edition, four more than its nearest competitor.

15 of the firm's lawyers feature in the Legal 500 ‘hall of fame’, 22 are recognised as ‘leading individuals’, five are regarded as ‘next generation partners’ and a further 18 are ‘rising stars’.

Meanwhile, Ogier in Jersey has retained its top-tier rankings across its Banking and Finance, Capital Markets, Commercial Property, Corporate, Dispute Resolution, Employment, Investment Funds and Private Wealth service lines, with 39 individuals ranked or named in the independent directory.

The firm has also received a ranking in the new Regulatory and White Collar Crime category.

Mourant has been awarded 13 of the highest level, tier one, rankings in Guernsey and Jersey including moving up from tier 2 to tier 1 in Jersey white collar crime and regulatory.

42 of the firm’s partners, counsel and senior associates ranked as either a ‘leading individual’, a ‘hall of fame’ member, a ‘rising star’ or a ‘next generation partner’.

The Legal 500 UK has also recognised 31 Appleby lawyers from Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. The firm received notable rankings across its offices and has continued to hold top tier ranking in many sectors, including Banking and Finance, Corporate and Commercial, Gambling, Insurance and Pensions, Employment, Dispute Resolution and Commercial Property.

Viberts has been recognised as top tier in two areas: Family and Employment, with its other practice areas also being well ranked too. In addition, the directory has also acknowledged several of the firm’s lawyers in the ‘hall of fame’, ‘leading individual’, ‘next generation partner’ and ‘rising star’ categories.

Carey Olsen group managing partner Alex Ohlsson said: “Maintaining our position as the leading offshore firm in the Channel Islands in The Legal 500 UK rankings is testament to the depth and breadth of expertise we possess in our practice areas and the high levels of service we deliver across our offices in Guernsey, Jersey and London.”

Ogier’s Jersey practice partner Raulin Amy said: “We’re delighted to see this strong set of results for our Channel Islands team, which reflects the continued movement from strength to strength for our jurisdictional office and indeed the wider firm. 

“It’s particularly pleasing to see how Ogier’s sustained focus on culture, wellbeing, diversity and inclusion is being noticed by clients and really adds to their experience of working with us.”

Zoe Blomfield, Viberts’ Managing Partner said: “I am delighted that six of our lawyers have been recognised in their fields of practice. The client feedback and our overall Legal 500 rankings are testament to both the technical expertise and the excellent work consistently provided to clients across our practice areas.”

James Dickinson and James Gleeson of Dickinson Gleeson maintained their Hall of Fame individual rankings, while Guillaume Staal was recognised as a Next Generation Partner, who "understands the issues which need to be considered" and is a "real team player".

Pierre Ali-Noor from the firm was dubbed a Rising Star, and was praised for working "extremely hard and with technical precision."

Pictured: Members of the Dickinson Gleeson team who appeared in the rankings.

Practice head Craig Swart, meanwhile, was said to be "honest, approachable and commercial".

Dickinson Gleeson's litigation team was described as a "robust" bench for insolvency and trust disputes "known for high-quality work in complex disputes" in the rankings, while the firm overall was described as "solutions-driven" with clients that benefit from "direct and ongoing engagement" with the firm's most senior members.

Pictured top: Alex Ohlsson of Carey Olsen, Ogier's Raulin Amy, and James Gaudin, Office Managing Partner at Appleby.