Colette Wilkins QC

Colette Wilkins QC

Partner

T +852 2596 3307
M +852 6012 9796

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Practice Areas

Colette Wilkins QC has been a commercial litigator for 30 years, specialising in contentious insolvency, high value asset recovery, investment fund disputes and issues relating to corporate governance and fraud. She advises office-holders in complex cross-border liquidations, and regularly represents creditors and liquidators in insolvency and related proceedings to determine and protect interests in insolvent estates. Colette advises and appears for clients on issues relating to corporate governance and fraud as well as other areas of commercial litigation. She has been a partner in the Insolvency and Dispute Resolution Group since 2009 and since then has been commended in all the leading independent legal directories who take soundings from clients and peers including Chambers Global (Band 1), Legal 500 (Tier 1) and Who's Who Legal (Thought Leader).


Leading her team at Walkers, Colette represented SICL and eight other defendants in the year-long Saad trial in which claims and counterclaims exceeded US $15 billion and on appeal to the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal. Colette also represents the liquidators of these companies in their Cayman Islands liquidations. She has appeared in many other leading cases in both the Grand Court and the Court of Appeal in the Cayman Islands including Parmalat, App Re v Mangino, SPhinX, Al Sadik Investcorp, Governor v Information Commissioner, Fortuna, Caledonian, Pugachev, Re Wyser-Pratte, Camulos v Kathrein, and HSH Cayman v ABN AMRO.

Colette was a member of the Law Society Committed tasked with responding to the Law Reform Commission Paper entitled "Directors' Duties – Is Statutory Codification Needed?" Colette addresses issues relating to Cayman Islands asset recovery and insolvency at conferences on a regular basis and was a speaker at the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law Colloquium on Civil Asset Tracing and Recovery in Vienna in December 2019.

Colette is one of the two attorneys appointed by the Chief Justice to sit on the Cayman Islands Grand Court Rules Committee. She was appointed to the rank of Queen's Counsel in 2021 following the recommendation of the Cayman Islands' judiciary to the Foreign & Commonwealth office.

Prior Employment Experience

Colette started her career as a barrister in Lincolns Inn, London. After her admission to the Bar in 1989, Colette was a pupil at a leading commercial set of Chambers in London, One Essex Court. She accepted the offer of a tenancy in Lincoln’s Inn in 1990 at 1 New Square, Lincoln’s Inn (now New Square Chambers), where she practiced successfully in all areas of corporate and personal insolvency law, including voluntary arrangements, bankruptcy, administration petitions, schemes of arrangement and compulsory liquidations. She appeared regularly in the High Court, including the Companies Court and the Court of Appeal, often representing creditors and office holders in proceedings to determine and protect contractual and proprietary interests in insolvent estates.

Colette acted and advised frequently in shareholder disputes, and appeared on petitions for just and equitable winding up and for relief from unfair prejudice. She has considerable experience acting for and against directors facing allegations of breach of fiduciary duty, including director disqualification proceedings. She was a contributing author to the Oxford University Press publication Freedom of Information (2003 edition) and in the Cayman Islands assisted in the implementation of the Freedom of Information Law as a member of both the implementation and legal drafting sub-committees.

Admitted in & Qualifications

Admitted In:
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
England and Wales (not practising)

Qualifications:
Honours Degree in History (Magna Cum Laude), University of Wales, UK
Diploma in Law, City University, London, UK
Bar Finals, Inns of Court School of Law, UK

Other Distinctions

2022 Chambers Global - Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - "She is phenomenal - very strong and very well respected." "She has always been hands-on in the matters she's been involved with. She is consistently sensible and good."

2022 Legal 500 - Leading Individual - Dispute Resolution - 'Colette Wilkins is one of the best in the business, with her finger on the pulse.’

2021 Who's Who Legal - Global Elite Thought Leader - Commercial Litigation - Colette Wilkins QC possess an excellent reputation in commercial litigation as an "impressive insolvency-focused litigator."

2021 Queen's Counsel designation (Cayman Islands)

2021 Who's Who Legal - Thought Leaders - Litigation

2021 Who's Who Legal - Thought Leaders Global Elite - Asset Recovery - Colette Wilkins “stands out from the crowd” with one source remarking: “Colette is the creme de la creme of the Cayman Islands when it comes to asset recovery.”

2021 Chambers and Partners - Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - Colette Wilkins is an "excellent strategic thinker". Interviewees say she is "very defensive of her clients" and "quick to identify risks," in addition to being "a good advocate."

2021 Who's Who Legal - Global Elite Thought Leader - Restructuring & Insolvency - Colette Wilkins sits among the world’s top restructuring and insolvency minds, with peers across the globe recommending her as “an exceptional lawyer” and “a wonderful advocate with a dedicated client following”.

2021 Legal 500 - Leading Individual - 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).’

2020 Who's Who Legal - Thought Leaders Global Elite - Asset Recovery

2020 Who's Who Legal - Thought Leaders - Litigation

2020 Who's Who Legal - Global Leader - Restructuring & Insolvency

2020 Chambers and Partners - Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - "One source stated that she "is very good at giving tactical and sensible advice, has a good sense for the courtroom politics and anticipates problems that need overcoming."

2020 Legal 500 - Leading Individual - Dispute Resolution

2019 Who's Who Legal - Thought Leader - GIR

2019 Who's Who Legal - Thought Leader - Restructuring

2019 Who's Who Legal - Global Leader - Asset Recovery

2019 Who's Who Legal - Global Leader - Litigation

2019 Chambers Global Guide - Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - Interviewees say that she is "extremely good"

2019 Who's Who Legal - Restructuring & Insolvency: Analysis - Global Thought Leader - 'Colette is a "great lawyer who is much in demand.'"

2019 Legal 500 - Leading Individuals - Dispute Resolution - "Colette Wilkins has 'an excellent grasp of the bigger picture and the ability to command a room with quiet authority'"

2018 Who's Who Legal - Litigation

2018 Chambers Global Guide - A Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - "Colette Wilkins has extensive experience and is described as being "up there with the best lawyers in Cayman." "Her reputation is phenomenal and she is a wonderful advocate who will always represent the client in the most diligent manner."

2018 Legal 500 - Recommended Lawyer - Dispute Resolution - "Colette Wilkins is ‘calm, measured, thoughtful and committed to advising clients in a principled, constructive and effective way’."

2017 International Who's Who Legal Asset Recovery Lawyers

2017 Chambers Global Guide - Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - "Clients comment on her 'exceptional knowledge of the Cayman legal system,' as well as her 'commerciality and pragmatism'."

2017 Legal 500 - Recommended Lawyer - Dispute Resolution

2016 Who's Who Legal - Leading Individual - Restructuring & Insolvency

2016 International Who's Who of Asset Recovery Lawyers

2016 Chambers Global Guide - Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - "Sources hold Colette Wilkins in very high regard, highlighting her impressive work ethic, commitment to client service and 'commanding presence' before the court."

2016 Legal 500 - Recommended Lawyer - Dispute Resolution

2016 Who's Who Legal - Leading Individual: Restructuring & Insolvency

2015 International Who's Who of Asset Recovery Lawyers

2015 Chambers Global Guide - Notable Practitioner - Dispute Resolution - 'Colette Wilkins is a well-respected litigator with extensive commercial and insolvency experience. "She's a very good advocate, excellent technically and offers superb service," said one interviewee.'

2015 Legal 500 - Recommended Lawyer - Dispute Resolution

2015 Global Investigations Review - 100 Women in Investigations

2014 Lawyer of the Year - Restructuring and Insolvency Specialists Association - Cayman Islands

2014 Legal 500 - Recommended Lawyer - Dispute Resolution - "Colette Wilkins is a ‘commercially astute, extremely capable litigator who is an asset to any team’."

2014 Who's Who Legal 100 - Asset Recovery and Insolvency & Restructuring

2013 Chambers Global Guide - "Colette Wilkins is a very well-respected individual in the litigation arena and is said to be 'exactly what you want in offshore counsel – responsive, with good judgement and commercially sound', according to clients."

2012-2013 The International Who's Who of Asset Recovery Lawyers - 10 Most Highly Regarded Individuals

2011-2013 The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers - Leading Practitioner - Insolvency & Restructuring

2009-2013 The International Who’s Who of Insolvency & Restructuring Lawyers

2012 Who's Who Legal 100 - "...sources commend Colette Wilkins as 'a fantastic litigator - very bright and always on the ball'."

2012 Chambers Global Guide - "Colette Wilkins is a well-respected insolvency and corporate restructuring litigator. 'She is a calm and impressive lawyer who brings a very measured approach to her cases'."

2012 Legal 500 - Recommended Lawyer - Dispute Resolution - "Colette Wilkins 'is a real class act'."

2011 Chambers Global Guide - “Colette Wilkins... sources describe her as ‘an impressive advocate who stands her ground'.”

2011 Legal 500 - "Shrewd operator."

2009 Chambers Global Guide - “Colette Wilkins… has rapidly developed an excellent reputation as a fantastic litigator. ‘A dependable, incisive and user-friendly attorney,’ she impresses clients with her ‘commercial, articulate and highly efficient counsel'."

Boards & Associations

Colette is a member of the Chancery Bar Association, INSOL, IWIRC, RISA Cayman Islands and the American Bankruptcy Institute. She is also the Cayman representative for ICC Fraudnet and is a member of both the Grand Court Rules Committee and the Insolvency Rules Committee.

News, Matters and Publications

ADVISORY
ARTICLES
NEWS
EVENTS
MEMO

'Interviewees say she is "very defensive of her clients" and "quick to identify risks," in addition to being "a good advocate."'

Chambers and Partners

 

'Among the world’s top restructuring and insolvency minds, with peers across the globe recommending her as “an exceptional lawyer” and “a wonderful advocate with a dedicated client following.”'

Who's Who Legal - Global Elite Thought Leader

 

“Colette is the creme de la creme of the Cayman Islands when it comes to asset recovery.”

Who's Who Legal - Global Elite Thought Leader

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