Jack Deveney

We live in an increasingly contentious world. When your business is involved in any kind of legal dispute it's crucial to work with lawyers who are hands-on, cost-effective and flexible enough to respond quickly and intuitively to your unique situation and needs.

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It is a fact of life that all regulated businesses today face ever increasing pressure in the areas of compliance, regulation and risk management. Not only are our businesses required to comply with regulations and laws imposed within each jurisdiction, we need to be alert to impending changes in the UK, EU and elsewhere which could have an impact on the way we operate.

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Successfully navigating the modern global business environment, taking advantage of opportunities as they arise while avoiding legal and regulatory pitfalls, is a challenge for any entrepreneur, business or corporation, during all phases of the corporate life cycle.

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Data is the most valuable asset for many of our clients and data protection is a growing facet of offshore business. We have advised a number of institutional clients on their commercial obligations in terms of data security and data protection and regularly provide advice on contract terms in this difficult area. We also have significant experience in using the full range of legal remedies available to obtain access to data and information held, and so are ideally placed to advise clients on either side of the data protection equation.

We provide contentious and non-contentious advice and support, primarily for local financial services businesses, in complying with sanctions and anti-money laundering regulations. Our work ranges from initial strategic advice, liaison with stakeholders including regulators, clients and investigations and prosecution authorities – to litigation, where required.

Our dispute resolution specialists collaborate seamlessly with our corporate advisory and banking teams across jurisdictions to advise multinational corporations, trust companies, banks, funds, insurers, governments and directors.

We provide a global perspective, working closely with our clients to ensure that they are best placed to respond to customer issues, fraud risks, rapidly changing market conditions and regulatory demands.

Thanks to the depth of our experience and the resources of our team, we've acted on some of the largest pieces of litigation brought against directors offshore.

We're well placed to deal with the 'bet the farm' proceedings that can occur in these type of disputes and have represented parties involved in intra-company disputes, including executive, non-executive and independent directors, majority and minority shareholders, companies and liquidators. We understand that shareholder disputes are often not black and white and our team finds innovative and commercial alternatives to those which the Court may offer – taking a collaborative approach with our clients to ensure that the right result is achieved.

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Regulation and legal risk management are placing increasing burdens on companies and businesses in terms of time, costs and resources, and the consequences of getting this wrong can be severe.

We can assist with all regulatory and compliance issues in Jersey, Guernsey, BVI and Cayman including:

• anti-money laundering and proceeds of crime legislation
• FATCA and CRS reporting
• licensing
• economic substance
• beneficial ownership
• sanctions
• tax information exchange requests
• AIFMD

Additionally we can help with regulator investigations and visits, enforcement and remediation including representation before regulators, tribunals committees and courts. We have an excellent record in defending corporates and their directors and officers in regulatory proceedings.

Please view our Regulatory page for more information. 

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In regulatory disputes there are often fine lines between the usual wrangling with the regulator and something more serious – by matching our mix of experienced contentious and non-contentious lawyers to the particular problem at hand, we achieve better and more efficient outcomes.

As regulatory experts in the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Guernsey and Jersey we frequently act on contentious matters and can leverage our experience to help clients achieve the highest regulatory standards and avoid common pitfalls.

We combine pragmatic risk assessment with rigorous legal advice and compliance guidance to reduce exposure and protect reputation, while drawing on our cross-jurisdictional knowledge to design remediation strategies, negotiate with regulators and, where necessary, litigate effectively. 

Our collaborative approach ensures clients receive clear, actionable legal advice that balances regulatory obligations with commercial realities, delivers timely, proportionate solutions and supports remediation plans, helping prevent escalation into more serious enforcement action and preserve business continuity.

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We advise in relation to a broad range of legal issues involving crypto and digital assets:

• Collective investment schemes including advising Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) regarding licensing, regulation and the migration of structures between jurisdictions
• Corporate structures (including foundations, decentralised autonomous organizations (DAOs) and token offering structures) together with associated services, development and access agreements
• Private wealth structures including succession planning and dealing with digital assets as part of estate administration on death
• Digital asset fraud and recovery on insolvency, including obtaining freezing injunctions in relation to crypto assets
• Defence of directors, trustees, managers or other defendants facing civil, criminal or regulatory action as a result of dealings with digital assets  

We advise Web3 and digital firms looking for regulatory guidance and support in drafting terms of service; token issuers and digital businesses looking to incorporate virtual assets; financial services firms considering adding a digital assets offering; investors establishing structures and appointing agents/trustees/custodians to invest in or hold digital assets; and high-net-worth individuals and family offices conducting succession planning for digital asset holdings.

We can also advise regulated corporate service providers to make informed decisions on the use of crypto platforms and crypto asset exchanges.

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