14/03/2008
The rapid development of law firm Ogier over the last 10 years has resulted in the coming of age of a significant player in Guernsey’s legal sector.
Ogier was established in Guernsey on 16th March 1998 by Advocate Roger Le Tissier as a sole practitioner with his then PA/Office Manager, Caroline Raines. From just two people in 1998, Ogier’s Guernsey office now employs more than 80 staff in a wide range of professional and supporting roles – and there are plans to expand further.
It’s hardly surprising that Ogier has established such a dominant footprint in Guernsey when one considers what the firm has achieved elsewhere in the world – earning it labels such as “offshore giant” and “offshore powerhouse” in The Lawyer magazine in 2007 and picking up a string of awards for its legal services in recent years.
Ogier was the first Channel Islands law firm to complete a transatlantic merger, with Boxalls in the Cayman Islands in 2003. The firm now employs over 700 professional and support staff worldwide and has a presence in nine jurisdictions, namely the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Ireland, Jersey, London, Montevideo and New Zealand.
With the completion of the 2007 merger, Ogier now provides legal services for Guernsey, Jersey, Cayman and BVI Law across all time zones.
Today, Ogier has five Group Partners in Guernsey and is one of the largest groupings of finance lawyers in the island. In a twist of fate, Nick Gamble, who joined the Guernsey office in 2007, instructed Roger Le Tissier back in 1998 (when Nick was at Nomura in London) to become the first ever client of the Ogier Guernsey office. Nick joined the firm as a Group partner and as a Consultant to the Guernsey Legal Practice. On being admitted to the Guernsey Bar Nick will become a partner of the Ogier Guernsey Legal Practice.
Ogier are often involved in large, complex offshore transactions, such as the establishment of the world’s largest private equity secondaries fund and the world’s largest listed fund of hedge funds. Such a track-record has earned the Guernsey office impressive rankings from industry commentators such as The Legal 500 and Chambers.
Ogier moved to an impressive building in St Julian’s Avenue in July 2006 in order to give the firm significant room for more growth. These premises are now full and extra office accommodation has been secured to house the expanding law and fiduciary firm into its next decade.
The partners and staff celebrated this significant milestone with champagne and birthday cake. Staff were also presented with a 10 year old vintage bottle of red wine to commemorate this special occasion.
Sarah Fitz, former Managing Partner in Jersey, and Jonathan White, Chairman of the Ogier Group, were in Guernsey that week to support the celebrations. Both Sarah and Jonathan spent many hours supporting the Guernsey office in its early years and continue to do so today.
Pictured above (L to R): William Simpson, Nick Gamble, Roger Le Tissier, Simon Davies, Marcus Leese
