Carey Olsen has been confirmed as the leading offshore law firm for London Stock Exchange (LSE) clients for the 15th year running in the latest edition of the Corporate Advisers Rankings Guide (CARG), which shows the firm now advises 91 LSE clients – 80 more than in 2005 when the guide was first published.
The firm’s total of 91 LSE clients is more than double the number of clients advised by the next nearest offshore law firm. In addition, Carey Olsen is also the leading offshore legal adviser to FTSE 250, AIM and financial and real estate sector clients.
Partner Ben Morgan, head of Carey Olsen’s corporate and finance practice in Guernsey, says: “To have been the leading offshore legal adviser to LSE clients for the past 15 years is a fantastic achievement. As the figures show, we have experienced extraordinary growth during that time. We have the largest offshore corporate team to service clients in this sector, advising on IPOs, secondary capital raisings, schemes of arrangement, capital reorganisations and reconstructions.
“The figures also show the attractiveness of using offshore vehicles when companies choose to list on global stock exchanges like the LSE. Particularly in the offshore public funds sector, institutions are attracted by the proportionate regulatory regimes, the depth of legal expertise and experience available, the calibre of the corporate service providers, including administrators, auditors and custodians, and the stable political and legal structure.”
Partner Guy Coltman, head of Carey Olsen’s corporate practice in Jersey, says: “Recognition from independent market analysis like this is always extremely rewarding. Our experience and relationships with public companies, international legal and tax advisers, as well as issuers, sponsors, lead managers and underwriters, allow us to provide an unparalleled client service, innovative solutions, and insight into the latest industry developments and standards.
“It also feeds into our wider corporate and commercial offering, particularly public M&A deals where clients from across the globe will instruct us because of the in-depth knowledge and experience we have gained from working so closely with publicly listed companies on the London Stock Exchange and further afield.”
Carey Olsen’s global equity capital markets team advises on the laws of Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Guernsey and Jersey from a network of nine international offices, including London, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Published on a quarterly basis, CARG tracks and records details of institutional advisers and their clients listed on the LSE.
Andrew Parson, managing director of Adviser Rankings Limited, the publisher of CARG, says: “For 15 years the CARG and our website www.adviser-rankings.com, have been the only source for law firms and their corporate clients, and we rank all adviser types, including law firms, by total number of clients and by FTSE 100, FTSE 250, FTSE SmallCap/Fledgling and AIM client numbers, as well as by the eight main FTSE sectors. As for all advisers, it is important to realise that every one of Carey Olsen’s client relationships recorded in CARG has been approved by each of their 91 clients.
“We have been following Carey Olsen’s stellar rise up our respected and widely publicised law firm rankings since 2005. Not only is Carey Olsen the leading offshore legal adviser, but it is also a stalwart when compared to all the law firms operating in the UK – an impressive feat when you consider that Carey Olsen was not ranked in any section in our first CARG issue in 2005. We look forward to reporting on the firm’s client rankings in the years to come.”
