Offshore & International Disputes

7BR is a leading UK and international multi-disciplinary set. We have provided expertise in complex and important offshore matters for over 30 years, with particular emphasis on international Business Crime, Commercial Disputes, Product Liability, and cross-border group actions. Our advocates, who have shaped the development of the Common Law in the English appellate Courts, provide key specialist advice where novel points of fact and law arise offshore. Our multi-disciplinary credentials enable us to provide strategic advice and representation across a range of practice areas and jurisdictions. We can provide bespoke teams to best meet the needs of clients and can quickly assist either on the ground or remotely from London. Our silks and juniors offer strategic and commercially realistic advice offshore, particularly during the formative stages of litigation.

Individuals are recognised by Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners Directories under several categories both in the Global, UK, and Asia and Pacific guides. We receive instructions from governments, corporates, offshore regulators, and private clients both on a referral and direct basis. We regularly advise or appear in litigation before the courts of Jersey, Isle of Man, Guernsey, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Dubai, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Israel, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, and the across the Caribbean.

We are instructed in contentious and non-contentious matters.

Areas of Relevant Expertise

• Banking and Financial Services
• AML
• Complex trust structures
• Asset-tracing and Recovery
• Cryptocurrency
• Employment
• Matrimonial Finance and Cross-Border Custody Disputes
• Conflict of Laws
• Enforcing Foreign Judgments
• All forms of Corporate Crime
• Mutual Legal Assistance
• Extradition
• Corruption and Bribery
• Insolvency
• Tax
• Personal Injury
• Clinical Negligence
• Investigations
• Sanctions
• Commercial Disputes where the focus is on claims of Civil Fraud

Our Negligence and Product Liability expertise, particularly in cross-border group actions, is recognised in the market and by the legal directories. We have acted for and against governments and insurers in major Healthcare claims in several jurisdictions. We regularly act in enforcement proceedings for and against offshore Financial Services regulators. We provide advice on Sanctions, Compliance and Enforcement and have provided sanctions training locally and offshore.

We have longstanding links with many of the jurisdictions we work in. Among our recent former members, we have several High Court judges, two Lord Justices of Appeal and (historically) two Lord Chief justices, all of whom have worked at the highest level in our Offshore and International team. In addition, former 7BR members have taken senior roles in the administration of justice in a variety of offshore jurisdictions.

Our associate retired judicial members Lord Hughes and Sir John Goldring accept advisory instructions and offer strategic advice in complex and sensitive investigations and disputes. Lord Hughes sits as an arbitrator at the LCIA and is a former Supreme Court Judge. Sir John Goldring is a former Lord Justice of Appeal and Senior Presiding Judge of England and Wales and has sat as a judge of the Cyprus British Overseas Territories, Court of Appeal of Jersey, and is the current President of the Court of Appeal of the Cayman Islands.

Our Silks, Juniors, Associate Members and Door Tenants have appeared in every major arbitration centre, the Privy Council, the European Court of Human Rights, Special Tribunal for Lebanon, The Hague, the International Criminal Court, and the Kosovo Specialist Chambers.

Examples of our work

• Defending the CFO of a global company facing $1 billion civil fraud allegations in a British Crown Dependency.
• Acting for respondents in a $1.5 billion private equity dispute involving the failed acquisition of a company.
• Acting for a former Iraqi Finance Minister in setting-aside proceedings concerning a petroleum dispute involving the former Prime Minister of Pakistan.
• Defending an arbitration in Singapore brought by the world’s largest commodity traders.
• Advising the SFO in multi-billion cross-border Fraud Investigations, including providing advice in each of the major Deferred Prosecution Agreements arising from cross-jurisdictional crime.
• Advising in the series of prosecutions in Cyprus of the CEO and members of the board of the Bank of Cyprus arising from the collapse of the Cyprus banking sector resulting in losses of €7.7 billion to the public.
• Appearing in the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal successfully challenging substantial money laundering convictions.
• Appearing as counsel in the civil and criminal courts of the Turks and Caicos Islands in proceedings arising from alleged corruption of public officials.
• Representing the senior partner of a large Chinese Law firm charged in Hong Kong with conspiracy to defraud the Stock Exchange and investors.
• Advising in a multi-billion offshore corruption investigation conducted by the National Crime Agency.
• Advising in the tracing and recovery of €1.3 billion to the Government of Italy.
• Representing the Government of Jersey in negotiating a $300 million asset sharing treaty between Jersey, the US, and Nigeria.
• Appearing in dozens of cases for and against the enforcement divisions of the Jersey and Guernsey financial regulators.