Prior to joining Walkers, Matthew worked in the Banking and Finance departments at SJ Berwin in London and at Corrs Chambers Westgarth in Australia. He also has extensive in-house experience, having worked as Deputy General Counsel (Australia & New Zealand) at GE Capital and as General Manager, Group Legal & Governance at Australian Unity.

Admitted In:
British Virgin Islands
England & Wales (not practising)
Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia (not practising)
High Court of Australia (not practising)
New Zealand (not practising)

2023 Chambers Global - Notable Practitioner - Corporate & Finance including Investment Funds

2023 Legal 500 - Next Generation Partner - Corporate & Commercial - Matthew Cowman is very responsive, does not overcomplicate the matters, and is always very friendly and patient.’

‘Matthew Cowman is excellent and always makes us feel comfortable and reassured. Great service always.’

2023 Legal 500 - Next Generation Partner - Banking, Finance & Capital Markets

2022 Chambers Global Guide - Notable Practitioner - Corporate & Finance including Investment Funds

2022 Legal 500 - Recommended - Investment Funds

2022 Legal 500 - Next Generation Partner - Corporate & Commercial

2022 Legal 500 - Next Generation Partner - Banking, Finance & Capital Markets

2021 Chambers Global Guide - Notable Practitioner - Corporate & Finance including Investment Funds - "a clear expert in his practice area, able to provide responses and documents in a timely way." 

2021 Legal 500 - Next Generation Partner - Banking, Finance & Capital Markets

2021 Legal 500 - Next Generation Partner - Corporate & Commercial

ADVISORY

• BVI Annual Return - IntroductionThe BVI Business Companies Act (as amended) (the "Act") introduced the requirement for B...
  
• The British Virgin Islands and the EU List of Non-Cooperative Tax Jurisdictions - The EU has announced it is has added the British Virgin Islands (BVI) to its list of non-cooperative...
  
• BVI Beneficial Ownership - Economic Substance Reporting Regime - The Beneficial Ownership Secure Search System (Amendment) (No.2) Act, 2021 (“Amendment Act”) was...
  
• BVI ITA and Ministry of Finance requires entities to establish and maintain adequate systems and controls including a compliance manual - The following BVI legislative supplements to the Mutual Legal Assistance (Tax Matters) Act (“MLA A...
  
• BVI Business Companies (Amendment) Act 2022 - Summary of Key Changes - BVI Business Companies (Amendment) Act revisions effective 1 January 2023 The BVI Business Companies...
  
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NEWS

• Financial services focus group discussion - Walkers BVI managing partner Matthew Cowman, accompanied by a range of industry peers, sits down wit...
  
• Update on BVI - The British Virgin Islands ("BVI") government announced in a statement before the House of Assembly ...
  
• Walkers BVI Acts on ESG Bond Deal of the Year - Walkers' British Virgin Islands ("BVI") office is delighted to have acted as BVI counsel on the "ESG...
  
• Walkers Leads Legal 500 2023 Offshore Lawyer Rankings - Walkers is proud to receive 44 individual lawyer rankings in the 2023 Legal 500 Caribbean directory ...
  
• Walkers' BVI Office Celebrates its 20 Year Anniversary - Walkers, the international law firm, is celebrating 20 years of operating in the British Virgin Isla...
  
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MATTERS

• Walkers acts on major Norwegian cruise line transaction - We are pleased to have acted as British Virgin Islands counsel to NCL Corporation Ltd. ("NCL"), a su...
  
• Walkers BVI Advises on the Completed US$11.6 billion Merger of Pfizer and Biohaven - Walkers is pleased to have acted as British Virgin Islands ("BVI") counsel to Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)...
  
• Walkers Acts for Pfizer in US$11.6 Billion Acquisition of Biohaven Pharmaceuticals - Walkers is pleased to have acted as British Virgin Islands counsel to Pfizer Inc. on its proposed US...
  
• Walkers BVI Acts on first USD Sustainability-Linked Bond by bottler in the Americas - Walkers' British Virgin Islands ("BVI") office has acted as BVI counsel to The Central America Bottl...
  
• Walkers BVI Acts on US$500 Million Biohaven Structured Loan Facility - Walkers' British Virgin Islands ("BVI") office has acted as BVI counsel to Sixth Street Partners LLC...
  
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ARTICLES

• BVI VASP Update: A Two Step Approach - As widely expected, the British Virgin Islands ("BVI") is shortly bringing into force new legislatio...
  
• BVI | ICLG Mergers & Acquisitions 2022 - Walkers has once again worked with ICLG to create the British Virgin Islands chapter of their Merger...
  
• Key Trends for 2022 – Structured Finance - Despite the impact of the Global Pandemic, the structured finance market enjoyed strong performance ...
  
• Key Trends for 2022 – Asset Finance - The impact of Covid-19 is clearly the big talking point for 2022, with several questions arising: wi...
  
• Key Trends for 2022 – Banking & Finance - The continuing impact of Covid-19 is clearly the big talking point for 2022, with several questions ...
  
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EVENTS

• Walkers Virtual Fundamentals 2021 Seminar - Please join us on Tuesday 9 November for a live broadcast of Walkers Fundamentals where we will expl...
  
• Walkers Virtual Fundamentals Seminar - Please join us for pre-event networking, followed by a live broadcast of Walkers Fundamentals a...
  
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MEMO

• (Global) Comparison of Companies - Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Jersey, Guernsey and Ireland - The decision as to where to incorporate an offshore company can only be made based on the specific f...
  
• (BVI) (Cayman) Statutory Records - The decision as to where to incorporate an offshore company can only be made based on the specific f...
  
• (Global) Company Mergers in the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands and Bermuda - Businesses have been increasingly taking advantage of the statutory provisions relating to mergers i...
  
• (BVI) Statutory Mergers - Walkers is interested to note that businesses have been increasingly taking advantage of the statuto...
  
• (BVI) Squeeze Out Measures Under BVI Law - The object of this Memorandum is to provide a basic overview of the ways in which a dissenting minor...
  
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