Conyers Dill & Pearman
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Conyers Dill & Pearman is an offshore law firm. Founded in Bermuda in 1928 (although it can trace its roots back to 1903), the firm has subsequently opened legal practices in a number of other offshore financial centres, including the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and Mauritius. It also has offices in a number of onshore commercial centres, including London, Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai.
The firm's founder, Reginald Conyers, played an important role in the development of the nascent financial services industry in Bermuda in the 1920s and 1930s. Following on from the Bermuda Railway Company Act 1924, Conyers was faced with the legal problem of conveying huge numbers of land parcels by the company. This led to two things. Firstly, he took on two partners in his practice, Bayard Dill and James Pearman (and thus the firm was officially born). Secondly, in 1935 the firm was instrumental in the enactment of the first "exempt company" legislation in Bermuda, which leads some to claim that Bermuda was the world's first offshore financial centre.[1] Later, in 1957 another partner of the firm, David Graham, laid the basis for the development of Bermuda as a domicile for ship registrations in a letter to The Times.[2]
Perhaps uniquely amongst multi-jurisdictional offshore firms, Conyers' expansion has been entirely by way of organic growth, rather than by acquisition of smaller firms in jurisdictions it wishes to operate in. The firm can legitimately claim to be the first offshore firm to operate in multiple jurisdictions; the original Bermudian firm opening a British Virgin Islands office in 1996.
Conyers Dill & Pearman is a member of Lex Mundi, a leading association of independent law firms.
At the 2008 ALB China Law Awards,[3] Conyers Dill & Pearman was crowned:
- Deal of the Year - Real Estate & Construction Deal of the Year
In 2008 at the 2008 ALB Japan Law Awards and 2008 ALB China Law Awards,[4] Conyers Dill & Pearman was crowned:
- Firm of the Year - Offshore Law Firm of the Year
Conyers Dill & Pearman was awarded Deal of the Year - Equity Market Deal of the Year at the 2008 ALB Hong Kong Law Awards.[5]
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Footnotes
- ↑ In practice the Bermudian claim does not stand up to scrutiny; Liechtenstein enacted trust laws to attract tax exempt foreign capital in 1926.
- ↑ The firm's role in the development of offshore finance is noted in Tolley's International Initiatives Affecting Financial Havens (2001), ISBN 0-406-94264-1
- ↑ http://www.legalbusinessonline.com.au
- ↑ http://www.legalbusinessonline.com.au
- ↑ http://www.legalbusinessonline.com.au