Gilead Cooper KC
Gilead Cooper KC
Barrister | Wilberforce Chambers
JURISDICTION
England and Wales, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, The Bahamas, Jersey, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Hong Kong SAR
TOP SPECIALISMS
Art and Cultural Property
Estates: Contentious
Trusts: Contentious
Office Location
United Kingdom
Short Biography
Before coming to the Bar, Gilead enjoyed a brief career in publishing, editing books on photography, popular science and astronomy. He also spent a couple of years teaching in pre-revolutionary Iran. Gilead joined Wilberforce Chambers in 2015, specialising mainly in trusts and estates litigation. He has a particular interest in Art Law, as well as NFTs and digital assets. He occasionally sits as an arbitrator.
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
The Garrick
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
tantum religio potuit suadere malorum
What was your first job?
Waiter. I was terrible at it.
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
The Matter with Things, by Iain McGilchrist
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?
The proportion of offshore work has been increasing steadily over the past few years; I hope that continues.
Giles Richardson KC
Giles Richardson KC
KC | Serle Court
JURISDICTION
England and Wales, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Bermuda
TOP SPECIALISMS
Commercial Litigation
Estates: Contentious
Trusts: Contentious
Office Location
London, United Kingdom
Short Biography
Giles specialises in trusts, probate, company and fiduciary obligations litigation, both in London and offshore, as well as associated professional negligence and fraud work. He also acts in high value financial remedy actions in the Family Division.
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
What was your first job?
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?
Francine Mason
Francine Mason
Partner | Rawlinson & Hunter
JURISDICTION
Bermuda
TOP SPECIALISMS
Accountancy
Insolvency
Trusts & Trusteeship
Office Location
Bermuda
Short Biography
Francine is a senior partner, specialising in the management and administration of complex, multi-jurisdictional relationships. Francine has experience in business development and marketing, client relationship management, administration, accounting and human resource services. She is a director of the Firm’s trust company and has been involved in Bermuda’s trust industry for more than 20 years. Francine obtained her professional designation while working with Deloitte Bermuda, spending time in their London office. She was with Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch & Cie both in Bermuda and Geneva, joining Rawlinson & Hunter in 2008 and becoming a partner in 2011.
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Life is Now - Live it to the fullest!
What was your first job?
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?
Fozeia Rana-Fahy
Fozeia Rana-Fahy
Director | MJM
JURISDICTION
TOP SPECIALISMS
Dispute Resolution or Arbitration
Estates: Contentious
Trusts: Contentious
Office Location
Bermuda
Short Biography
Fozeia is a Director at a leading Bermuda-based law firm MJM Limited. She has extensive experience acting in high value trust and estate litigation and is regularly instructed in many prominent international family trust restructurings and disputes. Fozeia also advises the insurance/reinsurance, banking, hotel and regulatory industries in contentious and non contentious matters. She is an accredited mediator and routinely gives presentations on topical issues for the private client, banking, and insurance sectors in Bermuda and overseas.
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
Bermuda: The Longtail Terrace at Coral Beach (especially on a balmy summer evening). New York: Coya
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Every hardship is an opportunity in disguise. Be willing to see it.
What was your first job?
Selling hats.
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
For foodies: Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?
An increased number of family trust related disputes (including divorce and capacity/undue influence issues).
Elspeth Talbot Rice KC
Elspeth Talbot Rice KC
Barrister | XXIV Old Buildings
JURISDICTION
TOP SPECIALISMS
Dispute Resolution or Arbitration
Estates: Contentious
Trusts: Contentious
Office Location
United Kingdom
Short Biography
Described in the directories as "the smiling assassin" Elspeth is a highly sought after court advocate who commands a wealth of international trusts expertise. She acts in international trust matters across the globe, combining her knowledge and depth of experience with incisive legal analysis, clarity of expression, practicality, supreme approachability, energy and zest, a strong court presence and superb advocacy. A market source has said " Elspeth embodies all of the qualities we look for in our leading counsel: intellectual rigour, fierce determination, engagement with the client and the detail of the case, composure under pressure, commerciality and articulate leadership. She manages also to be highly responsive, accessible, energetic and incredibly positive. This combination of skills and personality is incredibly hard to find in one person and consequently she is much in demand in the big cases, where her sense of purpose and direction are of immense value."
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
MCR, Lincoln's Inn
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
trust your instincts and be yourself
What was your first job?
riding instructor
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
The Shardlake series and the Burton and Lamb series
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?
greater use of AI products which are being developed.
Edward Cumming KC
Edward Cumming KC
Barrister | XXIV Old Buildings
JURISDICTION
England and Wales, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man
TOP SPECIALISMS
Commercial Litigation
Estates: Contentious
Trusts: Contentious
Office Location
United Kingdom
Short Biography
“The perfect modern barrister” and “the absolute best”, Edward Cumming KC has acted in some of the most significant and highest-profile trust and succession litigation in recent years. He is recommended as a leading KC in nine separate categories in the latest Chambers & Partners, and eight separate categories in the latest Legal 500. The directories, which have long recognised Edward as a “lion in court”, describe him as “just an amazing individual” and “a very smooth advocate, who is persuasive, articulate and nimble on his feet”, saying “Edward is an absolute superstar. He has a phenomenal work rate, huge intellect, an elephantine memory, and [is] utterly charming with it”. “He works incredibly hard, is commercial, is an outstanding advocate and is loved by clients for being aggressive and knowing their cases inside out. He is the first name that comes to mind for any high value and difficult case”.
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
Tomos Parry’s Brat
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Don’t believe the hype.
What was your first job?
Receptionist at the Premier Travel Inn at Tewkesbury Strensham services on the M5
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
Believe It by Nick Foles
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?
Craig MacIntyre
Craig MacIntyre
Partner | Conyers
JURISDICTION
TOP SPECIALISMS
Trusts & Trusteeship
Trusts: Contentious
Trusts: Planning
Office Location
Bermuda
Short Biography
Private client advisor. Problem solver.
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
New York: Marea. London: Upstairs at 5 Hertford Street
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Persist
What was your first job?
Grocery Packer, Miles Market, Bermuda, 1982
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?
Trump 2.0
Caljonah Smith
Caljonah Smith
Counsel | Appleby
JURISDICTION
TOP SPECIALISMS
Estates: Planning
Trusts: Planning
Office Location
Bermuda
Short Biography
Caljonah is Counsel in the Private Client & Trust and Corporate teams of Appleby’s Bermuda office with notable experience in connection with trusts and investment funds. Caljonah’s key areas of practice and in-depth experience include advising on all areas of non-contentious trust matters ranging from advising individuals, structures (including purpose trusts and unit trusts). She also advises on all non-contentious estate matters, including making applications for probate and reseal applications to the Supreme Court of Bermuda, and the drafting and review of estate planning documents such as trusts, wills, enduring powers of attorney and health care directives for local and international clients. Caljonah also assists in making applications under the charities act of Bermuda for organizations to be registered as charities.
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
What was your first job?
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?
Ben Adamson
Ben Adamson
Director | Conyers
JURISDICTION
TOP SPECIALISMS
Commercial Litigation
Trusts: Contentious
Office Location
Bermuda
Short Biography
Ben is a director in Conyers' Bermuda Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department, and has worked in at Conyers for 20 years. Prior to that, Ben was a barrister at Devereux Chambers in London. Ben was educated at Caius College, Cambridge and worked for several years in finance in the City of London before joining the London Bar. Over the past decade or more, Ben has been involved in many of the largest trust cases in Bermuda.
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
In Bermuda, this would currently be Harrys.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Be concise. Very.
What was your first job?
Apart from the usual teenage summer jobs in building sites during a year-off university, my first 'real' job was in the City of London, where I worked for Standard Chartered Bank.
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
Dance to the Music of Time, by Anthony Powell.
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?
I there is likely to be a slight slowdown in the mega-trust battles which have been a feature of the Bermuda Bar for the past 10 years.
Ashley Fife
Ashley Fife
Counsel | Carey Olsen
JURISDICTION
TOP SPECIALISMS
Estates: Planning
Family Office
Trusts: Planning
Office Location
Bermuda
Short Biography
Ashley Fife is counsel in the trusts and private wealth team of Carey Olsen Bermuda. He provides advice in relation to the structuring, restructuring and administration of private and commercial trusts and their underlying entities. Ashley advises on the formation of family offices and regulatory issues impacting upon trustees, corporate service providers, trusts and underlying entities e.g. FATCA and CRS, beneficial ownership registers, anti-money laundering/terrorist financing and economic substance requirements. He is the former chair of the Bermuda branch of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), a committee member of the STEP 'International Client' Special Interest Group, and a member of Bermuda's Trust Law Reform Committee and Trust Focus Group. Ashley received the STEP Founder's Award which is presented annually to individuals who have made an exceptional and outstanding long-term contribution to the Society.
What is your favorite restaurant to take a client or colleague to?
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
What was your first job?
What is the book you recommend to everyone?
What changes do you expect to see in your practice over the next year?