February 2020
Lennox Paton ranked top law firm by Chambers Global
Lennox Paton has received a Band 1 ranking from Chambers & Partners in its annual publication Chambers Global (2020).
Chambers Global identifies and ranks over 190 countries across the world and also includes Region-wide and Global-wide sections. Often referred to as ‘the gold-standard’, Chambers Global delivers insight and analysis on the global legal profession.
Chambers commented:
‘A top-level Bahamian firm, Lennox Paton offers a full range of services and “top-of-class lawyers in many different areas.” The firm possesses particularly strong capabilities in litigation and other strands of disputes work, with a deep bench of practitioners to draw upon for contentious commercial issues.’
‘It also assists an impressive list of clients with the full spectrum of transactional matters. In one example, it acted for Canada’s Parkland Fuel on the Bahamian aspects of its USD1.2 billion acquisition of SOL Investments. The firm is widely regarded as “one of the best in the industry”.’
We are delighted to announce that 7 of our lawyers are ranked in the Chambers Global 2020 guide.
Senior Partners Brian Simms QC, David Johnstone and Michael Paton have been consistently ranked in Band 1 for a number of years. Additionally, Managing Partner Scott Cruickshank and Partners Michelle Neville-Clarke, Christopher Jenkins and Sophia Rolle-Kapousouzoglou each maintain their ranking in Band 3.
Brian Simms QC, (Band 1) has established himself as a popular choice for global companies encountering disputes in the Bahamas. His wide-ranging practice covers contentious trusts, insurance liability and insolvency matters. One commentator described him as “excellent, an incredibly strong lawyer.”
David Johnstone (Band 1) maintains his status as a top-rated real estate practitioner. He is especially noted for his strengths in resort development and high net worth property acquisitions. He also fields expertise in condominium law, and acts on behalf of several international developers operating in the Bahamas.
“A superb, brilliant attorney,” Michael Paton (Band 1) is a leading practitioner in financial services matters. Additionally, he is praised for his “excellent service“ to clients in the trusts and estates arena and is a deft hand at investment fund launches and M&A.
Scott Cruickshank (BVI – Band 3) is noted for his many years’ experience handling a wide range of commercial disputes, including significant asset tracing and insolvency matters. One commentator acknowledged his “extensive experience with trust litigation” before further complimenting his “very good interpersonal skills.“
Michelle Neville-Clarke, (Band 3) has a broad practice which touches on matters in banking and finance, M&A, investment funds and securities. One source cited her as an “excellent” attorney with a “good reputation.”
According to one source, litigator Christopher Jenkins (Band 3) is “a very pragmatic individual who thinks outside the box and finds resolutions.“ He typically acts on disputes relating to real estate transactions, and offers complementary expertise in insolvency and asset tracing.
Interviewees remark that Sophia Rolle-Kapousouzoglou (Band 3) is a strong performer in contentious insolvency proceedings, and also wields great skill in other commercial disputes. One source opined: “She has accomplished a lot for her years.”
Over the past year, Lennox Paton has continued its success with further rankings from: Chambers High Net Worth Guide (Band 1), The Legal 500 Caribbean 2020 (Tier 1 Firm), ePrivate Client Offshore Top Firms, Top 100 in the Global Restructuring Review, IFLR1000’s financial and corporate law rankings (Tier 1 Firm), Who’s Who legal 2019 and the CityWealth leaders list 2020.