WINNERS

• 1st - Cains
Do not be fooled by Cains’ size – this is a firm which is punching well above its weight in the offshore sector. Last year the firm was listed by Hemscott as the firm with the most clients in the AIM 100, including 75 per cent of Indian AIM admitted businesses, worth a combined £3.83bn. The firm fought off competition from London heavyweights Norton Rose and Lawrence Graham to take the title.
This included acting for V Ships when the shipping management company sold its stake in V Holdings to a private equity house Exponent Private Equity in a deal worth $340m. Cains is an offshore firm with a difference.
Managing partner Andrew Corlett, mindful of changes happening in the legal world onshore, has instilled a management structure made up of directors rather than partners in recognition of the managerial skills needed by legal chiefs. It is this entrepreneurial spirit, which, say peers, gives Cains’ rivals some food for thought.

• 2nd - Carey Olsen
Channel Isles firm Carey Olsen remains firmly committed to being a law firm first and foremost.
This has helped the firm to achieve a series of notable firsts in the last year, including the first listing of a Jersey protected cell company on the London Stock Exchange and the first listing on Euronext Amsterdam of a Guernsey based fund.
Carey Olsen became the first offshore firm to announce an international best friend agreement with another offshore heavyweight, Maples & Calder.
Maples & Calder uses Carey Olsen as its main entrance into the Channel Isles. The endorsement from the world’s largest offshore firm shows Carey Olsen to be an innovative and forward-thinking firm with heavyweight backing.

• 3rd - Conyers Dill & Pearman
Conyers Dill & Pearman prefers to grow organically, a model which has spawned the opening of strategic offices around the globe. In March, Conyers became the first offshore firm to march into Moscow, signalling a bold aim to grow its international reach.
The Bermudian headquartered firm has a history of taking calculated risks which have later paid off. It was the first to open in Hong Kong in 1985 and Singapore in 2001, ahead of its rivals.
Conyers has successfully modelled itself as the “smaller, quality alternative” on the Cayman Isles and is recognised by its peer group as being “one to watch”.

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Open to any offshore jurisdiction around the world.

Judges will be looking for evidence of:

• Strategic clarity
• Technical legal excellence and quality control
• Growth in market share
• Context of the firm’s progress within jurisdiction(s) in which they operate

One stand-out deal will be taken into account but entrants should demonstrate consistent excellence throughout the whole year.

Entries welcome from:
Private practice teams	√
Nominations by in-house teams	√

Previous Winners:
2007	Ogier
2006	Walkers
2005	Mourant du Feu & Jeune
2004	Mourant du Feu & Jeune