Mourant shares growing equity with new partners and associates

24.11.2006

Mourant du Feu & Jeune has appointed two new equity partners and six new associates. Roisin Cater and Gareth Rigby have become equity partners, and Felicia de Laat, Michael Haines, Justin Harvey-Hills, James Hill, Daniel O’Connor and Michael Williams all become equity-earning associates.

Roisin Cater heads Mourant’s Cayman office. A specialist in funds and corporate law, Roisin joined Mourant in 2005 having practised in Cayman since 1996, most recently with Ogier, and for two years as a Senior Listing Executive at the Cayman Islands Stock Exchange.

Gareth Rigby was educated in Jersey and then pursued a career in banking before re-qualifying as a barrister in 1998. He moved back to Jersey to join Mourant and then qualified as a Jersey lawyer in 2001. A specialist in funds, corporate and banking law, he counts Henderson, Deutsche Bank, British Land and Westfield amongst his clients

Stephen Ball, the recently appointed CEO of Mourant du Feu & Jeune, commented:

"In an era when equity stakes in offshore law firms are increasingly hard to come by, these two promotions show that Mourant is serious about offering proper rewards to star performers like Roisin and Gareth."

Mourant du Feu & Jeune’s new associates are all located in its Jersey office.

Felicia de Laat, a senior member of the funds team, works closely with some of Mourant\’s key clients including AXA and Schroders. She trained as a solicitor with a major Australian firm, before moving to Jersey in 2001. After a period working for another Jersey firm she joined Mourant du Feu & Jeune in February 2005.

Michael Haines works as an advocate in Private Client Litigation and specialises in criminal and family law and procedure. He was called to the English Bar in 1995 and then qualified as a Jersey advocate in 2003. He held the position of Assistant Judicial Greffier before joining Mourant in 2003.

Justin Harvey-Hills works as an advocate in Commercial Dispute Resolution and is also qualified mediator. He specialises in banking, financial services, corporate and trust litigation. Justin qualified as an English solicitor in 1997. He worked for City firms Linklaters and Simmons & Simmons before joining Mourant in 2003.

James Hill joined Mourant du Feu & Jeune in 2001 having previously worked in the City office of UK firm Eversheds. He has experience in a wide range of corporate, finance and fund related matters, both from his time in the City and in Jersey, where he has acted for many of the world’s leading banks and financial institutions. He played a significant role in promoting and then advising on the drafting of Jersey’s new PCC/ICC legislation.

Daniel O’Connor specialises in structures for capital markets and structured finance transactions, including tier one capital raising, investment funds, securitisations and CDOs. He qualified as a solicitor in Australia in 1993 and spent five years specialising in project finance, capital markets and collective investments before moving to Macquarie Bank. Daniel joined Mourant du Feu & Jeune in 2003.

Qualified in Australia and England, Michael Williams worked with a leading Australian firm and then with Clifford Chance in London before joining Mourant in 2006. He has a broad range of experience in the areas of banking, acquisition finance, debt and equity capital markets, structured products and private equity.

Stephen Ball added:

"I am particularly pleased to be able to announce so many new associates this year, demonstrating the continuing healthy growth and success of Mourant du Feu & Jeune. Our financial year to 30 September 2006 has been another record period for us. Associateship at Mourant du Feu & Jeune is unique in our market in that it offers the opportunity to earn equity in our business. Our new associates are our rising stars whose breadth and depth of expertise reflect Mourant’s position as a heavyweight in the offshore legal market."