Ogier-WSmiths Merger Completed

by Jason Gorringe, for LawAndTax-News.com, London

02 February 2007

It was announced on Thursday that international law firm, Ogier has completed its merger with WSmiths to create a new offshore group providing legal and fiduciary services in nine financial centres around the world, employing over 600 professional and support staff.

Ogier now has a presence in the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Ireland, Jersey, London, Montevideo and New Zealand.

One of the key benefits of the merger is that the group is able to offer clients advice on all aspects of BVI, Cayman Islands, Guernsey and Jersey law plus associated fiduciary services, through an extended network of offices covering all time zones and key financial markets including the rapidly growing Asian and Chinese markets.

Ogier combined with Boxalls in Cayman in 2003, to produce the first transatlantic merger of offshore firms.

“Since announcing the merger with WSmiths back in October we have very much been working as one group, integrating services and procedures and briefing our clients on our expanded capability. This now been formalised by the legal merger of the two businesses,” announced Chairman Jonathan White.

Duncan Smith, one of the founding partners of WSmiths and now Managing Partner of Ogier’s offices in Hong Kong, added:

“We are delighted by how well the merger has gone, feedback from our clients has been very positive as they see the opportunities arising from working with a truly multi jurisdictional group.”

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