Walkers is pleased to announce that 32 attorneys across its global offices have been promoted in Walkers' recent 2020 promotion round, with 16 women and 16 men recognised for their hard work and outstanding performance.

Nine attorneys have been invited to join the partnership and a further nine have been promoted to senior counsel, or local equivalent. Additionally, 14 of Walkers' global associate bench have been promoted to senior associate.

Walkers' Global Managing Partner, Ingrid Pierce, states, "We are delighted to announce our newly promoted lawyers and welcome those who have joined the partnership. These appointments underscore Walkers' commitment to investing in our people and ensuring excellence through comprehensive, ongoing professional training and development."

Nine New Partners Announced

British Virgin Islands

Omonike Robinson-Pickering becomes a partner in the BVI Finance & Corporate Practice.

Omonike joined Walkers' BVI office in 2009 and advises on a range of finance, general corporate and commercial matters. Her finance and corporate experience includes asset finance transactions, debt and equity finance, investment fund financings, general corporate financings, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and corporate restructurings. She also advises on succession matters, including applications for grants of personal representation. Omonike has previously worked in Walkers' Singapore, Hong Kong and Cayman Islands offices.

Cayman Islands

Hugh Anderson becomes a partner in the Cayman Finance & Corporate practice.

Hugh specialises in corporate and finance transactions with extensive experience in subscription finance, hedge fund finance, mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, as well as banking and securities investment business regulatory matters. Hugh acts for lenders, borrowers, sponsors on a broad range of finance and corporate transactions including capital call facilities, NAV facilities, acquisition financings, asset based facilities, and complex cross border and syndicated credit facilities. Hugh also acts for corporates on mergers and acquisitions, public listings, joint ventures, corporate restructurings and venture capital investments. Hugh's clients include international banks, financial institutions and asset managers.

Justin Hart becomes a partner in the Cayman Finance & Corporate practice.

Justin regularly represents lenders, borrowers, agents and sponsors on a broad range of finance and corporate transactions including secured hedge and private equity credit facilities (including subscription credit facilities), asset based credit facilities, complex cross-border and syndicated credit facilities, venture debt financings, mergers and acquisitions, public listings, joint ventures and corporate restructurings. Justin's clients include leading international banks and financial institutions, asset managers, private equity houses and international law firms.

Peter Kendall becomes a partner in the Cayman Insolvency & Dispute Resolution practice.

Peter has over a decade of experience advising on a broad range of restructuring and insolvency matters and frequently acts for institutional stakeholders, creditors and insolvency practitioners on a variety of contentious and insolvency related matters, with a particular focus on cross-border insolvency mandates. Peter regularly appears in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, as well as representing clients in proceedings before both the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal and the Privy Council. Peter has been recognised in the 2021 Who's Who Legal Guide of Restructuring & Insolvency professionals in the Cayman Islands.

Hong Kong

Stuart D'Addona becomes a partner in the Hong Kong Insolvency & Dispute Resolution practice.

Stuart has a broad range of experience in contentious matters, including in shareholder and investment funds disputes, fraud claims, and insolvency and restructuring cases. Stuart also advises fiduciaries and other officeholders and appointees on a wide range of matters. He has acted on numerous high profile matters advising financial institutions, investment funds, investors, companies and individuals in the BVI and Cayman courts.

Shamar Ennis becomes a partner in the Hong Kong Finance & Corporate practice.

Shamar has a broad range of experience in corporate and finance matters with a focus on capital markets and structured finance transactions. She has worked on a number of securitisations, secured note programmes, DPR programmes, CDOs, CLOs and repackagings as well as some innovative project financings involving the capital markets. Shamar has advised a range of US, Latin American and other financial institutions acting in various roles on cross-border transactions involving Cayman Islands debt issuance vehicles. Shamar trained, qualified and practiced in the Cayman Islands office, and was also previously seconded to the Hong Kong office before relocating in late 2020.

Guernsey

Zoë Hallam becomes a partner in the Guernsey Finance & Corporate practice.

Zoë advises on a broad range of finance and corporate transactions, with a particular focus advising borrowers and lenders on fund financings, particularly subscription line facilities. Her clients include leading international banks and financial institutions, and numerous hedge fund managers and PE houses. In the corporate sphere Zoë acts for publicly listed and private companies on matters such as corporate restructurings, shareholder arrangements, dividends and distributions, mergers and continuations in and out of the jurisdiction. Her clients cover a range of industry sectors including oil and gas, financial services, biotechnology and media.

Kim Paiva becomes a partner in the Guernsey Finance & Corporate practice.

Kim has a broad range of expertise encompassing Banking & Finance, Corporate and Investment Funds matters, and specialises in asset financing deals, advising borrowers and lenders on matters of Guernsey law, particularly in respect of aircraft and ships. Kim has ten years' experience advising on Guernsey law, largely advising lenders and borrowers in respect of financing arrangements, restructuring, real estate and acquisitions. She is also part of the market-leading Walkers Global Aviation Group, and advises both owners and financiers in relation to transactions involving aircraft registered or to be registered on 2-REG (Guernsey's Aircraft Registry).

Jersey

Jon Le Rossignol becomes a partner in the Jersey Finance & Corporate practice.

Jon specialises in the financing of real estate holding structures established in Jersey, and in advising on non-contentious restructuring of such structures, and enforcement of Jersey security. He has more than a decade's experience advising lenders and borrowers on the full life-cycle of Banking and Finance matters. Jon's clients include global financial institutions, debt funds and trustees.

We also recognise the following nine new senior counsel, or local equivalent, appointments:

• Ben McCosker is promoted to senior counsel in the Bermuda Insolvency & Dispute Resolution practice.
• Christopher Brett-Young is promoted to senior counsel in the Cayman Investment Funds practice.
• Andrew Howarth is promoted to senior counsel in the Cayman Regulatory & Risk Advisory practice.
• Terry-Ann Arch is promoted to senior counsel in the Dubai Finance & Corporate practice.
• Audrey Coker is promoted to counsel in the Hong Kong Finance & Corporate practice.
• Victoria Raymond is promoted to counsel in the Hong Kong Insolvency & Dispute Resolution practice.
• Muireann Nic Dhonncha is promoted to of counsel in the Ireland Finance & Capital Markets practice.
• Andrew Chissick is promoted to senior counsel in the London Insolvency & Dispute Resolution practice.
• Tania Toh is promoted to counsel in the Singapore Corporate & Investment Funds practice.

Finally, the following Walkers lawyers have been promoted to senior associate:

• Tamara Cameron – BVI – Insolvency & Dispute Resolution
• Laurent Thibeault – Guernsey – Insolvency & Dispute Resolution
• Adam Pickering – Guernsey – Regulatory and Corporate, Finance & Funds
• Sonya Saxena – Hong Kong – Finance & Corporate
• Robert Gregory – Hong Kong – Insolvency & Dispute Resolution
• Natalie Carter – Hong Kong – Finance & Corporate
• John Crook – Hong Kong – Insolvency & Dispute Resolution
• Charlotte Howell – Hong Kong – Insolvency & Dispute Resolution
• Conor Daly - Ireland – Regulatory
• Jennifer Brady - Ireland – Asset Management & Investment Funds
• Kate Kenneally - Ireland – Asset Management & Investment Funds
• Robert Upton – Ireland – Real Estate
• Lauren Stott – Jersey – Finance & Corporate and Investment Funds
• Joseph Barker-Willis – Jersey - Finance & Corporate and Investment Funds