Carey Olsen Bermuda “stands out above its competitors”, according to the 2021 edition of Legal 500 Caribbean.

The firm, which was only launched at the end of 2017, is now ranked across six practice areas with six of its lawyers also gaining individual recognition.

A leading directory for the legal industry, Legal 500 grades law firms following a thorough and independent research process, which includes interviews with clients and peers as well as information provided by the firms themselves.

The firm's dispute resolution team is singled out within the directory for how it 'stands out above its competitors for its responsiveness, technical expertise and commercial awareness' as well as for being 'subject matter experts'. The trusts and private wealth practice is described as 'outstanding', 'extremely responsive and attuned to the needs of their clients' and skilled 'in dealing both with technical trust matters and any court-related requirements'.

The firm's other ranked practice areas comprise banking, finance and capital markets; corporate and commercial; insurance/reinsurance; and regulatory and compliance.

Individually, partner Keith Robinson is once again ranked as a Leading Individual in both the dispute resolution and trusts/private client categories. He is hailed as 'a master in trust litigation' and 'head and shoulders above other litigators in Bermuda', while another source describes him as 'both pragmatic and intellectually rigorous … and definitely a leading light of the Bermuda Bar'.

Corporate partners Mary Ward (banking, finance and capital markets) and Gavin Woods (insurance/reinsurance) are ranked as Leading Individuals for the first time. Mary is described as 'a big hitter and the person you want on your team for any big, complex or technical situation', while Gavin is 'known as a leader in the field' with a 'depth of knowledge you only get from having been involved in back-to-back significant market transactions'. Managing partner Michael Hanson is described as 'highly savvy' and the 'go-to guy for board and C-suite whether it relates to board governance, corporate or employment disputes and regulatory advice'.

In addition, counsels Ashley Fife (trusts/private client), Henry Tucker (dispute resolution) and Kyle Masters (regulatory and compliance) are all ranked as Rising Stars.

Mr Hanson said: "These are another outstanding set of rankings results for the firm, particularly with the additional individual recognition this year for Mary, Gavin and Kyle. Legal 500 is a highly respected publication and the strong endorsements we have received across the firm in this year's directory are, as always, the result of the continued commitment and hard work of all our staff and their ability to deliver excellent client service."