Shelley White
Partner
Cayman Islands
Shelley specialises in complex multi-jurisdictional proceedings involving breach of fiduciary duty, fraud and asset recovery.
She is key member of the Insolvency & Dispute Resolution team. Her practice covers insolvency and asset recovery, trusts and commercial litigation and she heads Walkers' Cayman Islands Trust Disputes team.
Shelley a specialist advocate, appearing in the Cayman Islands Courts at all levels. She is a highly experienced litigator and she has acted in some of the most high profile proceedings in the Cayman Islands over the last 15 years, including representing Irving Picard, the bankruptcy trustee of Bernard Madoff and BLMIS, PwC Cayman in SPhinX, Investcorp Bank BSC in Al Sadik, the Grant Thornton liquidators and SICL in AHAB v. Saad and SICL v. Maan Al Sanea, the GHF Parties in Abraaj, the liquidators of HQP Corporation and Asia Cement Corporation in the ongoing China Shanshui proceedings.
Shelley is a long serving member of the editorial board of the STEP Trusts Quarterly Review and was a member of the editorial board of Insol World for 3 years until 2024. Also in 2024, Shelley was appointed by Chief Justice Ramsay Hale to the Grand Court Rules Committee.
Shelley joined the firm in 2010 after spending the first 7 years of her career as a barrister at Chancery Commercial Chambers in Lincoln's Inn, London.
Shelley a specialist advocate, appearing in the Cayman Islands Courts at all levels. She is a highly experienced litigator and she has acted in some of the most high profile proceedings in the Cayman Islands over the last 15 years, including representing Irving Picard, the bankruptcy trustee of Bernard Madoff and BLMIS, PwC Cayman in SPhinX, Investcorp Bank BSC in Al Sadik, the Grant Thornton liquidators and SICL in AHAB v. Saad and SICL v. Maan Al Sanea, the GHF Parties in Abraaj, the liquidators of HQP Corporation and Asia Cement Corporation in the ongoing China Shanshui proceedings.
Shelley is a long serving member of the editorial board of the STEP Trusts Quarterly Review and was a member of the editorial board of Insol World for 3 years until 2024. Also in 2024, Shelley was appointed by Chief Justice Ramsay Hale to the Grand Court Rules Committee.
Shelley joined the firm in 2010 after spending the first 7 years of her career as a barrister at Chancery Commercial Chambers in Lincoln's Inn, London.
Winner of Litigation Lawyer of the Year, 2024
Experience and recent work
Throughout her career Shelley has developed particular experience acting for liquidators at all stages of high value liquidations, dealing with restructuring officer applications, provisional liquidations, recognition, appointments and powers, information gathering, complex sanction applications and disputed remuneration matters.
Qualifications
Admitted in:
- Cayman Islands
- British Virgin Islands
- England and Wales (not practising)
Education:
- MA in Jurisprudence, St Peter's College, Oxford University, UK
- Distinction on the BCL, St Peter's College, Oxford University, UK
Shelley is a Full Member of the Society of Trusts and Estates Practitioners (STEP), a member of the International Women's Insolvency & Structuring Confederation (IWIRC) and a member of the Restructuring and Insolvency Specialists Association (RISA). Shelley is the founder of the International Ladies in Trusts Association (ILITA), providing networking opportunities to women in the trusts industry. Shelley is an honourary international member of the Chancery Bar Association and was an elected member of the Bar Council from 2007 until 2010. She is also a member of the Cayman Islands Legal Practitioners Association.
2025 - Legal 500 - Leading Partners - Dispute Resolution
Lexology Index - Thought Leaders - GIR & Global Elite Thought Leader - Asset Recovery
Lexology Index - Thought Leaders & Recommended - Commercial Litigation
Lexology Index - Thought Leaders & Global Elite Thought Leader - Restructuring & Insolvency
Lexology Index - Recommended - Private Client
2024 Chambers Global - Band 2 - Dispute Resolution
2023 Chambers Global - Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - "Shelley is extremely responsive and is closely involved in all aspects."
2023 Legal 500 - Leading Individual - Dispute Resolution - "Shelley White is experienced in a variety of matters including discovery, insolvency and trust litigation. Responsive, user friendly and persuasive." and "Shelley White is outstanding. Her critical thinking, deep knowledge of her markets and delivery of strategic yet commercial advice is second to none across the Cayman and wider offshore firms. A go-to practitioner for complex disputes, she never lets a client down."
2022 Who's Who Legal - Recommended - Asset Recovery
2022 Who's Who Legal - Recommended - Restructuring & Insolvency - "Shelley White draws praise as “a top-tier lawyer” with a diverse practice covering an array of insolvency matters and related dispute resolution."
2022 Chambers HNW Guide - Offshore Trusts - "She's outstanding as a litigator and trusts litigator - she is as good as they get. She is as bright as they come, and she's hard-working and personable." Another interviewee states that "she is very clever and an excellent practitioner."
2022 Who's Who Legal - Thought Leader - Commercial Litigation
2022 Chambers Global - Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - "She is a terrific operator. She is very switched-on, very smart and plays with a straight bat."
2022 Legal 500 - Leading Individual - Dispute Resolution - 'Shelley White is not only extremely bright, but a real client person. No one will fight your corner harder.'
2022 Legal 500 - Recommended - Trusts & Private Client - 'Lucy Diggle and Shelley White have been particularly helpful on a recent contentious matter getting to the heart of the matter very quickly.' and ‘Shelley White is a stand-out in the team. She is thorough, responsive, unafraid to challenge others to think harder, and supportive of her clients and her team.’
2021 Who's Who Legal - Recommended - Asset Recovery - 'Shelley Whited draws widespread plaudits from market sources thanks to her excellence in insolvency and trust-related disputes.'
2021 Who's Who Legal - Recommended - Commercial Litigation - Shelley White is "completely dedicated to a result, exceptionally bright and no-nonsense" remark market commentators.
2021 Who's Who Legal - Recommended - Private Client
2021 Chambers HNW Guide - Offshore Trusts - 'A barrister says: "Shelley is a star in the litigation firmament. She was a barrister in London and continues to have a very successful litigation practice in Cayman." Another source says White is "incredibly sharp" and adds: "She is quite good at sensing what the client needs at various points, whether it is the big picture or a deep dive into the detail."
2021 Chambers and Partners - Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - "She is dynamic, forceful, focused and very available."
2021 Private Client Global Elite - Ones to Watch
2021 Who's Who Legal - Recommended - Restructuring & Insolvency - Shelley White is “an immensely hard-working and knowledgeable practitioner” with deep expertise in insolvency litigation proceedings.
2021 Legal 500 - Next Generation Partner - Dispute Resolution - ‘The stand out partners are Shelley White and Colette Wilkins, with whom I have toiled in the trenches for ten years on one enormous multi-faceted manner. They are both highly intellectual, highly practical and highly commercial, which is a winning, but rare, combination. The commitment to client objectives is unwavering and the level of partner involvement is excellent (and necessary on complex and high value disputes).’
2021 Legal 500 - Recommended - Trusts & Private Client - ‘The Cayman contentious trust team is led by Shelley White, who is incredibly sharp, responsive, and an excellent communicator, able to translate highly technical matters into clear and effective client friendly advice.’
2020 Who's Who Legal - Private Client
2020 Chambers HNW Guide - Offshore Trusts - Cayman Islands - 'Shelley White is "a brilliant lawyer" who is "an excellent litigator" according to sources. One market insider notes: "She is incredibly bright and has real intellectual rigour. She can cut through legal issues very incisively and she also brings good commercial acumen," adding that "she brings both sides of the coin to the table." Another source remarks that "she fights your corner until the bitter end."'
2020 Citywealth Top 100 Trust Litigators
2020 Who's Who Legal - Global Leader - Restructuring & Insolvency
2020 Who's Who Legal - Global Leader - Private Client
2020 Chambers and Partners - Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - "incredibly bright"
2020 Legal 500 - Next Generation Partner - Dispute Resolution
2020 Legal 500 - Recommended Lawyer - Trusts & Private Client
2019 Who's Who Legal - Thought Leader - GIR
2019 Who's Who Legal - Global Leader - Asset Recovery
2019 Chambers HNW Guide - Ranked Lawyer - "She is strong on private client litigation, she is an excellent advocate. She is one of the best advocates. She does a really great job in court, she is tenacious and prodigiously hard-working." A market insider says: "Her performance is excellent. She is very responsive, she really follows through with the advice she gives and makes sure the client is satisfied"."
2019 Chambers Global Guide - Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - Sources consider her to be "among the top names in trusts litigation." One client said: "She is outstanding from a litigation and restructuring perspective."
2019 Legal 500 - Recommended Lawyer - Dispute Resolution - "Shelley White is 'astonishingly bright and across every detail and nuance as well as the commercial endgame'"
2018 Chambers Global Guide - Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - "She is a really good lawyer. She has great attention to detail and a very analytical mind."
2018 Legal 500 - Recommended Lawyer - Dispute Resolution - "The 'resilient and absolutely delightful to work with' Shelley White is ‘an excellent operator, who is fantastically bright and gives lightning-fast responses, and has an unfailing work ethic’."
2017 Who's Who Legal: Private Client - Recommended Lawyer
2017 International Who's Who Legal Asset Recovery Lawyers
2017 Chambers Global Guide - Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - "Shelley White is especially noted for her expertise in contentious trusts matters. Sources describe her as 'a bubbly, lively person who is very easy to work with', highlighting her 'very confident and impressive' advocacy style as one of her greatest strengths."
2017 Legal 500 - Recommended Lawyer - Dispute Resolution
2016 International Who's Who of Asset Recovery Lawyers
2016 Chambers Global Guide - Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - "She's technically very, very good and her client service is very good too".
2015 Legal 500 - Recommended Lawyer - Dispute Resolution - "White ‘really impresses with her hands-on approach – she gets to the nub of issues extremely quickly and is committed to her client’s cause’."
2014 Legal 500 - Recommended Lawyer - Dispute Resolution - "White ‘gives very high-quality advice and is very responsive’."
2010 Chambers UK Guide - "...'a very bright spark' and 'a good fighter in court'. She 'will always go the extra mile for her clients'."
2010 Future Leaders Award - Women in the City Finalist (sponsored by Barclays Wealth)
2009 Chambers UK Guide - "...she 'wins plaudits for being modern in her approach and in tune with what her clients want', has 'excellent communication skills' and is 'a hit with clients for going into cases on short notice and seeing the matter through to the end'."
2008-2009 The Times and Management Today - '35 under 35' - 'the definitive list of Britain's Female Business Talent' which recognises young women who are 'tipped as ones to watch for the future'.
2008 Legal 500 - Leading Junior in Insolvency - "...she 'has demonstrated commitment energy and perseverance' and has 'excellent analytical skills in obtaining equally excellent results in court'."
Shelley was also Scholar of St Peter's College, Oxford and is a Queen Mother Scholar and Harmsworth Entrance Exhibitioner of the Middle Temple.
Lexology Index - Thought Leaders - GIR & Global Elite Thought Leader - Asset Recovery
Lexology Index - Thought Leaders & Recommended - Commercial Litigation
Lexology Index - Thought Leaders & Global Elite Thought Leader - Restructuring & Insolvency
Lexology Index - Recommended - Private Client
2024 Chambers Global - Band 2 - Dispute Resolution
2023 Chambers Global - Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - "Shelley is extremely responsive and is closely involved in all aspects."
2023 Legal 500 - Leading Individual - Dispute Resolution - "Shelley White is experienced in a variety of matters including discovery, insolvency and trust litigation. Responsive, user friendly and persuasive." and "Shelley White is outstanding. Her critical thinking, deep knowledge of her markets and delivery of strategic yet commercial advice is second to none across the Cayman and wider offshore firms. A go-to practitioner for complex disputes, she never lets a client down."
2022 Who's Who Legal - Recommended - Asset Recovery
2022 Who's Who Legal - Recommended - Restructuring & Insolvency - "Shelley White draws praise as “a top-tier lawyer” with a diverse practice covering an array of insolvency matters and related dispute resolution."
2022 Chambers HNW Guide - Offshore Trusts - "She's outstanding as a litigator and trusts litigator - she is as good as they get. She is as bright as they come, and she's hard-working and personable." Another interviewee states that "she is very clever and an excellent practitioner."
2022 Who's Who Legal - Thought Leader - Commercial Litigation
2022 Chambers Global - Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - "She is a terrific operator. She is very switched-on, very smart and plays with a straight bat."
2022 Legal 500 - Leading Individual - Dispute Resolution - 'Shelley White is not only extremely bright, but a real client person. No one will fight your corner harder.'
2022 Legal 500 - Recommended - Trusts & Private Client - 'Lucy Diggle and Shelley White have been particularly helpful on a recent contentious matter getting to the heart of the matter very quickly.' and ‘Shelley White is a stand-out in the team. She is thorough, responsive, unafraid to challenge others to think harder, and supportive of her clients and her team.’
2021 Who's Who Legal - Recommended - Asset Recovery - 'Shelley Whited draws widespread plaudits from market sources thanks to her excellence in insolvency and trust-related disputes.'
2021 Who's Who Legal - Recommended - Commercial Litigation - Shelley White is "completely dedicated to a result, exceptionally bright and no-nonsense" remark market commentators.
2021 Who's Who Legal - Recommended - Private Client
2021 Chambers HNW Guide - Offshore Trusts - 'A barrister says: "Shelley is a star in the litigation firmament. She was a barrister in London and continues to have a very successful litigation practice in Cayman." Another source says White is "incredibly sharp" and adds: "She is quite good at sensing what the client needs at various points, whether it is the big picture or a deep dive into the detail."
2021 Chambers and Partners - Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - "She is dynamic, forceful, focused and very available."
2021 Private Client Global Elite - Ones to Watch
2021 Who's Who Legal - Recommended - Restructuring & Insolvency - Shelley White is “an immensely hard-working and knowledgeable practitioner” with deep expertise in insolvency litigation proceedings.
2021 Legal 500 - Next Generation Partner - Dispute Resolution - ‘The stand out partners are Shelley White and Colette Wilkins, with whom I have toiled in the trenches for ten years on one enormous multi-faceted manner. They are both highly intellectual, highly practical and highly commercial, which is a winning, but rare, combination. The commitment to client objectives is unwavering and the level of partner involvement is excellent (and necessary on complex and high value disputes).’
2021 Legal 500 - Recommended - Trusts & Private Client - ‘The Cayman contentious trust team is led by Shelley White, who is incredibly sharp, responsive, and an excellent communicator, able to translate highly technical matters into clear and effective client friendly advice.’
2020 Who's Who Legal - Private Client
2020 Chambers HNW Guide - Offshore Trusts - Cayman Islands - 'Shelley White is "a brilliant lawyer" who is "an excellent litigator" according to sources. One market insider notes: "She is incredibly bright and has real intellectual rigour. She can cut through legal issues very incisively and she also brings good commercial acumen," adding that "she brings both sides of the coin to the table." Another source remarks that "she fights your corner until the bitter end."'
2020 Citywealth Top 100 Trust Litigators
2020 Who's Who Legal - Global Leader - Restructuring & Insolvency
2020 Who's Who Legal - Global Leader - Private Client
2020 Chambers and Partners - Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - "incredibly bright"
2020 Legal 500 - Next Generation Partner - Dispute Resolution
2020 Legal 500 - Recommended Lawyer - Trusts & Private Client
2019 Who's Who Legal - Thought Leader - GIR
2019 Who's Who Legal - Global Leader - Asset Recovery
2019 Chambers HNW Guide - Ranked Lawyer - "She is strong on private client litigation, she is an excellent advocate. She is one of the best advocates. She does a really great job in court, she is tenacious and prodigiously hard-working." A market insider says: "Her performance is excellent. She is very responsive, she really follows through with the advice she gives and makes sure the client is satisfied"."
2019 Chambers Global Guide - Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - Sources consider her to be "among the top names in trusts litigation." One client said: "She is outstanding from a litigation and restructuring perspective."
2019 Legal 500 - Recommended Lawyer - Dispute Resolution - "Shelley White is 'astonishingly bright and across every detail and nuance as well as the commercial endgame'"
2018 Chambers Global Guide - Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - "She is a really good lawyer. She has great attention to detail and a very analytical mind."
2018 Legal 500 - Recommended Lawyer - Dispute Resolution - "The 'resilient and absolutely delightful to work with' Shelley White is ‘an excellent operator, who is fantastically bright and gives lightning-fast responses, and has an unfailing work ethic’."
2017 Who's Who Legal: Private Client - Recommended Lawyer
2017 International Who's Who Legal Asset Recovery Lawyers
2017 Chambers Global Guide - Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - "Shelley White is especially noted for her expertise in contentious trusts matters. Sources describe her as 'a bubbly, lively person who is very easy to work with', highlighting her 'very confident and impressive' advocacy style as one of her greatest strengths."
2017 Legal 500 - Recommended Lawyer - Dispute Resolution
2016 International Who's Who of Asset Recovery Lawyers
2016 Chambers Global Guide - Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - "She's technically very, very good and her client service is very good too".
2015 Legal 500 - Recommended Lawyer - Dispute Resolution - "White ‘really impresses with her hands-on approach – she gets to the nub of issues extremely quickly and is committed to her client’s cause’."
2014 Legal 500 - Recommended Lawyer - Dispute Resolution - "White ‘gives very high-quality advice and is very responsive’."
2010 Chambers UK Guide - "...'a very bright spark' and 'a good fighter in court'. She 'will always go the extra mile for her clients'."
2010 Future Leaders Award - Women in the City Finalist (sponsored by Barclays Wealth)
2009 Chambers UK Guide - "...she 'wins plaudits for being modern in her approach and in tune with what her clients want', has 'excellent communication skills' and is 'a hit with clients for going into cases on short notice and seeing the matter through to the end'."
2008-2009 The Times and Management Today - '35 under 35' - 'the definitive list of Britain's Female Business Talent' which recognises young women who are 'tipped as ones to watch for the future'.
2008 Legal 500 - Leading Junior in Insolvency - "...she 'has demonstrated commitment energy and perseverance' and has 'excellent analytical skills in obtaining equally excellent results in court'."
Shelley was also Scholar of St Peter's College, Oxford and is a Queen Mother Scholar and Harmsworth Entrance Exhibitioner of the Middle Temple.
Team Members
Other team members with related expertise
