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 has assisted in the implementation of the Freedom of Information Law as a member of both the implementation and legal drafting sub-committees.​

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

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

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 - (Dispute Resolution) A Notable Practitioner. "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 - (Dispute Resolution) A Notable Practitioner. "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 – (Dispute Resolution) A Notable Practitioner. "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

2015 International Who's Who of Asset Recovery Lawyers

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

2015 - Chambers Global Guide – (Dispute Resolution) A Notable Practitioner.

'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 - Colette Wilkins is listed among the ten most Highly Regarded Individuals.

2011-2013 - The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers - identified as a leading practitioner in the field of insolvency and restructuring.

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

2012 - The 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'."​

Colette is a member of ICC FraudNet, a highly select network of independent, world class asset recovery attorneys in 54 countries. She regularly presents at conferences on issues at the nexus of insolvency and asset recovery, and has done so with other members of FraudNet, for instance, at the 2014 INSOL conference in Hong Kong and the AICPA Fall 2014 Conference in New Orleans.

ARTICLES

• Offshore? Yes. Off Limits? No. Asset Recovery in Paradise - When Somerset Maugham described the French Riviera as a “sunny place for shady people”, he could...
  
• On the Record - Third Party Access to Cayman Islands Court Transcripts and Evidence - The recent decision of the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal in The International Banking Corporation B...
  
• AHAB v SICL: Part II - Inside the Mega-Litigation - The most significant fraud trial ever to be heard in the Cayman Islands. After a trial lasting...
  
• The Making of an Expert: A Summary of the Duties of Expert Witnesses - As one of the leading offshore jurisdictions globally for the resolution of complex financial servic...
  
• When is a Consent Order not a Consent Order? Cayman Court Clarifies Position - Following an unprecedented course of events in a Cayman Islands case under section 238 of the Compan...
  
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NEWS

• Walkers IDR Among Top Global Law Firms in GRR 30 - Walkers' Global Insolvency & Dispute Resolution Group has been ranked as the 13th strongest global l...
  
• Walkers Leads Landmark Defence of Mega-Litigation - Judgment has today been handed down by the Honourable Chief Justice of the Grand Court of the Cayman...
  
• Walkers Wins Best Global Asset Recovery Firm at Who's Who Legal Awards - On Tuesday 8 May Walkers collected the Asset Recovery Global Firm of the Year award at the Who's Who...
  
• Walkers Has Most Band 1 Practices in the Chambers and Partners Global Guide 2018 of any Offshore Law Firm - This year Walkers received 10 Band 1 practice rankings in the Chambers and Partners Global Guide, mo...
  
• Walkers named a leading Global Restructuring & Insolvency Law Firm 2018, and Top Offshore Firm - Who's Who Legal, in collaboration with Global Restructuring Review, confirms Walkers as the leading ...
  
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ADVISORY

• The Cayman Islands’ New Arbitration Law - Arbitration has in the past decade or so become increasingly popular around the world as a method of...
  
• Privy Council Decision Provides Certainty, but Creates Surprising Commercial Results in the Context of Investors’ Claims for Unpaid Redemption Proceeds - Further to our advisory issued in August 2016 (click here), a recent judgment of the Judicial Commit...
  
• Investors' Claims for Unpaid Redemption Proceeds in the Winding Up of Cayman Islands Investment Funds - A recent judgment of the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal (Michael Pearson (in his capacity as Additio...
  
• Security for Costs in Applications for Leave to Appeal - In a recent judgment in Re BTU Power Company (In Official Liquidation) [(C.I.C.A. Cause No: 20 of 20...
  
• Weavering and Wilful Default: Negligence, However Gross, is not Enough - The Cayman Islands Court of Appeal has recently handed down its long awaited decision in Weavering M...
  
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EVENTS

• Colette Wilkins to Speak at INSOL New York 2018 - Partner Colette Wilkins is to speak (and Walkers is to sponsor) the 2018 INSOL International An...
  
• Walkers to Sponsor INSOL New York Offshore Day - Walkers is delighted to be sponsoring the INSOL offshore meeting on Sunday 29 April, the perfect sta...
  
• Ladies in Trusts | Afternoon Tea - Walkers is delighted to host this summer's Ladies in Trusts afternoon tea at the Ritz Carlton in the...
  
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MEMO

• (Cayman) Enforcement of Foreign Judgments - The purpose of this briefing note is to consider the availability of, and procedure for, enforcement...
  
• (Cayman) Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards - The purpose of this briefing note is to consider the availability of, and procedure for, enforcement...
  
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