Chancery Chambers: Barbados

Chancery Chambers is one of the more diversified law firms in the Caribbean. Based in Barbados, it provides a full complement of legal services to national and international clients. Its’ pillars of practice are international business law, real estate law and the law relating to charities domestically and internationally. The firm is regularly trusted with client referrals from its strong professional relationships and its international legal networks such as LAW, Terralex and Globalaw. The firm’s stature is enhanced by its substantial public and private sector experience at the national and international level, and its own very strong charitable focus.

The firm is developing beyond the established core competencies. In addition to the structured expansion programme for the existing practice areas, there is a dedicated corporate services division which is responsible for all aspects of corporate administration and management. Although independently focused on their particular areas of expertise, the firm’s professionals work collectively in cross-disciplinary practice groups to access information and advice to the advantage of clients and the development of the firm’s expertise. The firm’s mission remains to provide personalised service with a high degree of professional competence so as to be of substantial value to clients in the resolution of complex matters.

Practice Descriptions

Banking & Finance: Chancery Chambers continues to be engaged by many international banks and companies to provide advice and transactional support in secured and syndicated loan transactions and guarantees, structured finance, project finance, leasing and tax-based finance transactions. The partners of the firm are also board members of large banking and finance institutions.

Charities: Chancery Chambers provides advice to charities and to high net worth individuals and other clients on the formation of domestic charities, many of which have international connections.

Civil Litigation, Arbitration & Mediation: The firm provides counsel to clients on areas of Barbados law in complex commercial and investor-state arbitrations some of which have gone before ICSID, AAA and NYIAC. The firm’s founder is a panel member of ICSID designated by Barbados. The firm has established a bespoke contentious business practice (civil litigation, arbitration and other alternative dispute resolution) in the name Chancery Advocates, a set of barristers’ chambers, constituted of independent counsel specialising in commercial and financial litigation, arbitration, public law and public international law.

Development Consulting: Advise governments, regional and international organisations as well as development banks; feasibility and pre-feasibility studies are all undertaken by Chancery Chambers.

Insurance & Reinsurance: The firm provides advice to captive insurance, reinsurance and general insurance companies on various formation and transactional matters. It gives guidance on the use of Barbados’ segregated cell legislation which has become attractive to many captive insurance companies.

Legislative Advice: It has provided support for, and assisted in the drafting of legislation in jurisdictions in the Caribbean and Indian subcontinent. The firm has also been engaged as a Member of the Joint Ventures Model Contracts Committee of the International Trade Centre of the Conference on Trade and Development.

Mergers & Acquisitions (Corporate Finance): Chancery Chambers has over the past twenty five years been engaged in rendering advice on merger and acquisition activity locally, regionally and internationally. It is on record as having acted as Deal Counsel to two commercial banks in the Caribbean’s largest banking merger; and in that capacity, it provided open ended advice to both entities from an overall deal perspective.

Pensions & Employment: Chancery Chambers is engaged in all matters relating to Barbados’s employment and pension law; and also advises on the use of international pension schemes within the context of the laws of Barbados.

Real Estate: Chancery’s real estate practice is highly diversified ranging from mortgage and conveyancing work on behalf of young families to the more complex financial and tax structuring of real property acquisitions by high net worth individuals and companies. The firm also advises commercial client on various real estate matters including mortgages, commercial leases, sale and lease back transactions and real estate developments. It continues to act as part of the panel of lawyers of three local commercial banks.

Taxation: Chancery Chambers regularly provides tax advice and opinions in international and domestic transactions and in the structuring of investments. It has also been a leader in developing tax advantaged structures working in conjunction with accounting firms and regulatory authorities.

Corporate Services: The firm with its’ affiliate, Chancery Corporate Services Limited, offers professional advice and guidance for International and local clients on the use of the appropriate entities such as International Business Companies, Societies with Restricted Liabilities, International Financial Services Companies and Exempt Insurance Companies. It also provides corporate advisory, corporate secretarial and administrative services to local, regional, international and multinational companies.

Ancillary Services: Insurance Management and Securities Listing: Insurance management services are offered through the firm’s affiliation with Centurion Assurance Services Ltd., which is a registered insurance management company licensed to provide management services for captive and reinsurance companies.

International securities listing services on the Barbados Stock Exchange are offered through Centurion ISM Services Inc., which is a licensed Listing Sponsor for the new International Securities Market platform of the Barbados Stock Exchange.

Real Estate: Chancery’s real estate practice is highly diversified ranging from mortgage and conveyancing work on behalf of young families to the more complex financial and tax structuring of real property acquisitions by high net worth individuals and companies. The firm also advises commercial client on various real estate matters including mortgages, commercial leases, sale and lease back transactions and real estate developments. It continues to act as part of the panel of lawyers of three local commercial banks.

Taxation: Chancery Chambers regularly provides tax advice and opinions in international and domestic transactions and in the structuring of investments. It has also been a leader in developing tax advantaged structures working in conjunction with accounting firms and regulatory authorities.

Corporate Services: The firm with its’ affiliate, Chancery Corporate Services Limited, offers professional advice and guidance for International and local clients on the use of the appropriate entities such as International Business Companies, Societies with Restricted Liabilities, International Financial Services Companies and Exempt Insurance Companies. It also provides corporate advisory, corporate secretarial and administrative services to local, regional, international and multinational companies.

• Banking Law
• Charities
• Commercial Arbitration
• Corporate and Commercial
• Environmental Law
• Estate Planning
• Insurance
• International Tax Planning
• Real Estate
• Reinsurance
• Trust