Leading offshore law firm Harneys continues to expand its Global Litigation and Insolvency practice with the latest in a series of notable appointments taking place in the Cayman Islands, as highly rated attorney Paul Smith joins the firm as partner.
Paul joins Harneys from DLA Piper’s London office, where he was a partner in their Litigation and Regulatory group. With over 15 years of legal practice, specialising in complex international commercial disputes, he brings substantial expertise to Harneys’ fast growing and leading offshore Litigation and Restructuring group.
Nick Hoffman, partner and head of the litigation practice in Cayman, said: “We are delighted to welcome Paul to our Cayman Litigation team and we feel his experience, particularly in the areas of complex litigation, fraud investigations and asset tracing, perfectly complements the broad range of expertise within our group. Paul’s decision to join us represents the culmination of the group’s recent expansion, with six new members of the team coming from leading firms in Ireland, Australia and the UK. With the team now at 18 fee earners based in the Cayman Islands, we have the depth and capacity to be routinely instructed on some of the most significant and complex disputes being brought before the courts.”
In addition to his work in commercial disputes, Paul has been extensively involved in arbitration, mediation and regulatory investigations, with a particular focus on the banking and financial services sector. Before working at DLA Piper, he spent nearly five years with Herbert Smith Freehills in Tokyo, and spent the first five years of his career with Slaughter and May in London.
“I am excited to join such a dynamic and highly regarded team in the Cayman Islands, known for its innovative approach to solving high-profile, high-value disputes and insolvencies, spanning multiple jurisdictions,” Paul said.
This appointment follows similar senior hires globally. Most recently John McCarroll SC joined Harneys’ British Virgin Islands Litigation team, bringing over 30 years of experience in complex shareholder disputes and insolvency related matters. Prior to that, specialist multi-jurisdictional litigator, Andrew Johnstone joined Harneys’ Hong Kong office as a partner.
The expansion of Harneys’ Litigation and Insolvency team in the Cayman Islands is mirrored globally, with 88 team members now in the group. The firm has long been considered a leader in the key Caribbean offshore jurisdictions and is also the largest offshore firm in Hong Kong, with 50 lawyers based there. With additional offices in Singapore and Shanghai, its Asia network is also the largest of any offshore firm.