Stephen Leontsinis

Partner | Cayman | BVI

He really understands from a practical perspective what is in the best interests of the client and how all of the pieces of a dispute fit together, often juggling multiple perspectives and viewpoints.
Chambers Global 2023
Stephen is a fantastic leader of his team, a great advocate for the firm, and an excellent technician.
Legal 500 2024
Stephen is highly collaborative, has solid technical skills and never loses sight of the commercial objectives. He is very solution orientated.
Legal 500
He is an excellent advocate, with a calm and reassuring courtroom manner that resonates well with the Cayman judiciary.
Chambers Global Guide 2025
Exceptionally good at seeing the big picture and working strategically to meet necessary goals.
Chambers and Partners
Stephen Leontsinis is a charismatic practice leader and a formidable advocate. His strategic input into restructuring and insolvency engagements is second to none.
Chambers Global Guide 2025
Very good and commercial operator with a very personable manner and unique ability to bring opposing sides together.
Chambers and Partners
Stephen Leontsinis is a superb litigator and great leader of this growing team, which he has quickly established as a go-to litigation practice.
Legal 500
Stephen is standout practitioner – drives culture of the firm which is a USP in their way of working collaboratively.
Legal 500 2022
His knowledge of the Cayman market and all its main players is second to none.
Chambers Global Guide 2022
Stephen is a phenomenal advocate who is very astute, commercially minded and results-driven.
Chambers Global Guide 2022
Superb – the best litigator in Cayman.
Legal 500 2024
Stephen is outstanding at stakeholder management and business development.
Legal 500 2022
Stephen has an excellent strategic mind. He is a stand-out advocate who is equally effective in the boardroom or behind the scenes.
Legal 500 2022
Clients find Stephen Leontsinis 'client-focused and pragmatic.'
Chambers and Partners
Leading individual.
Legal 500

Stephen has a demonstrated history of advocacy in the practice of corporate and commercial litigation, with an emphasis on offshore insolvency and restructuring of companies. Stephen is qualified in South Africa, England and Wales, Cayman and BVI.

Experience

Stephen's practice has a strong focus on company law including corporate insolvency; schemes of arrangements; capital reductions; shareholder disputes; director's liability; international asset tracing; the enforcement of foreign judgments; worldwide Mareva injunctions, Anton Piller orders, and Norwich Pharmacal orders.

"The Cayman Islands is an extremely sophisticated, competitive jurisdiction and the practice of its laws, whilst challenging, is very rewarding. I am honoured to have grown and led our Cayman Islands Dispute Resolution team since April 2015. We aim to bring a fresh, innovative approach to providing our clients with added value to the normal legal services that they would otherwise expect from any other top tier law firm on the Island."

Stephen has significant contentious litigation experience arising from the representation of both liquidators, shareholders and creditors of companies and hedge funds including the claw back of fraudulent conveyances and undue preferences, allegations of investment fraud and investment manager disputes.

Since he began heading up our team of Cayman litigators, Stephen has grown the team from two to eight lawyers, all with a strong background in insolvency and restructuring matters. Prior to joining the firm Stephen spent two and a half years in Miami as a member of a boutique litigation firm in the United States which focused on cross border insolvency and trust disputes.

Background

Stephen was called as an advocate of the High Court of South Africa in 2003 and has subsequently qualified as a solicitor-advocate of the High Court of England and Wales and a solicitor-advocate of the Supreme Court of the Eastern Caribbean. He was called to the Cayman Islands Bar in January 2009 and BVI Bar in 2013.

Stephen has been ranked in Chambers and Partners since 2018 and recognised as a Leading Partner in Legal 500 since 2021.

HR and Practice Manager

Tiffany Turrell

My services

Contentious regulatory

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.

Corporate disputes

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.

Insolvency

For financially distressed companies in need of restructuring and reorganisation, or for those where the opportunity to do so has passed or failed, we work to achieve the most beneficial outcome in these difficult situations.

At whatever stage we are engaged, our involvement will assist in identifying the ongoing risks facing a client and to enable that client to continue to identify and effectively manage deteriorating relationships with creditors, financiers, investors or other interested parties.

International arbitration and mediation

With offices in the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Guernsey, Jersey and London, we can advise you on every aspect of international arbitration. Our dedicated arbitration specialists will work alongside you to quickly determine the best approach for a successful conclusion.