Paul Wilkes  

Banks today face an ever increasing raft of challenges, both regulatory and commercial, as well as competition for deals from non-bank lenders and alternative funders. We provide our banking clients with a comprehensive service on- and off-transaction, including our plain English precedents for their business. We help our clients keep up with the changing landscape in order to remain competitive in the market place whilst delivering quality service to their own customers. Our clients focus on relationship banking and we work hard to support them in doing so. We also advise P2P lenders and invoice discounters on their lending and security arrangements, and their documentation.

For businesses, a relocation to the Channel Islands can bring significant advantages – Guernsey and Jersey's world leading financial services regulation and company laws are modern, business friendly and practical; a huge benefit for businesses in that sector. An added benefit of our financial services background for all businesses is the depth of highly skilled service providers on-island ready to assist your business. Guernsey and Jersey is ready to roll-out the welcome mat to new businesses and we're ideally placed to make introductions to the right people.

With a depth of multi-jurisdictional experience our offices in BVI, Cayman, Guernsey, Jersey, London and Singapore, we ensure that advice is provided in the context of other key global offshore centres and with a knowledge of the bigger, global picture. Our clients appreciate our pro-active attitude to providing sensible user-friendly advice, our accuracy and honesty in our approach to pricing matters, and our senior level involvement in all matters to ensure smooth progress and client satisfaction. In an increasingly complex, competitive and more tightly regulated market, we'll make sure your business or commercial venture reaches its full potential.

Fund financing covers a range of financing possibilities but most commonly involves capital call or subscription facilities. It is a specialist area that requires an understanding of fund structuring, the risks involved in lending to funds and specific security requirements. Underlying relationships between investors, borrowers and lenders are key to the success of the industry. We work with lenders and borrowers to maintain these relationships at every stage of the process, with our commercial, efficient and pragmatic approach to managing transactions.

Our uniquely diverse practice regularly assists with the establishment of both open and closed-ended fund structures. In addition to traditional private equity and real estate structures we have advised on a number of alternative and esoteric classes. We provide bespoke structuring solutions to allow our clients to build the fund they want as opposed to a generic template of the market standard. We advise clients at every step of the process, including preparing offer documents, investor negotiations, the preparation of agreements, and in the closing of transactions.

Our fund specialists offer advice on all aspects relating to the establishment, authorisation and structuring of funds and related investment vehicles. We have particular expertise acting for emerging managers who are building their business and acting for institutional investors, including acting for private equity funds and sovereign wealth funds on joint venture and fund investments, as well as planning their internal corporate structures. We provide a highly personalised service working with our clients and their onshore counsel to build in depth relationships over the long term.

Mergers & Acquisitions

The regulatory environment both in local jurisdictions and internationally, is becoming increasingly complex at a time when regulatory agencies are becoming more zealous in their approach to enforcement and investigations. We guide clients through the impact of enforcement of investigatory actions by regulatory bodies, offering dedicated strategic advice on a broad range of issues including enforcement notices, governance matters, complaints, insider trading and dealing and market manipulation.

Collas Crill's multi-disciplinary approach to providing Risk & Regulatory services ensures that every aspect of our clients' businesses is covered. By drawing on the skills and experience of a highly experienced team of lawyers with expertise from across the firm, we are able to deal with all legal compliance issues that could affect your business, whether contentious or non-contentious. The assistance we are able to provide ranges from strategic matters to specific operational issues.

Our investment practice is not simply limited to regulated investment funds. We also advise clients on a range of unregulated and private structures allowing new promoters to build a track record or investment clubs to access particular investments without incurring the time or financial cost of entering the regulatory regime. Our team's experience in this often overlooked area of the investment sector can help our clients manage regulation and plan their structures for future growth without unnecessary limitations.