Ray Wearmouth

Ray is recognised by the leading legal directories as being one of the BVI's leading corporate, finance and restructuring lawyers. He has advised on many of the jurisdiction's most prominent transactions over the last 20 years.

Background and experience

Ray is recognised by the leading legal directories as being one of the leading corporate, finance and restructuring lawyers in the sphere of BVI law. In 2022, Ray was named one of the Top Offshore Lawyers by Asia Business Law Journal's A-List. He has advised on many of the jurisdiction's most prominent transactions over the last 20 years. Ray regularly deals with large and complex refinancing mandates, as well as corporate restructurings and reorganisations. He led teams on the BVI's first statutory plans of arrangement in the early 2000's, the BVI's largest known financial restructuring (US$ 18 billion of debt with over 100 facilities in 2009), the BVI's largest property portfolio receivership (42 BVI prop-co's), the BVI's largest listed debt exchange, as well as several multi-billion dollar debt restructurings and refinancings. He regularly works closely with contentious teams on special situation work-outs, as well as on formal insolvency proceedings. He acted for Toys "R" Us on its 2017 USA Chapter 11 proceedings, UK procedures, the related DIP financings and subsequent reorganisations and asset sales.

Ray is an experienced private equity lawyer who regularly advises some of the world's leading PE participants on the various stages of their investment life cycles, from start-ups through to IPOs, other exits and downstream M&A. He also has significant experience in dealing with contentious PE investments.

In addition to his transactional practice Ray also provides expert evidence on BVI law to overseas courts and tribunals in international disputes. This includes both corporate and finance matters, as well as evidence on the effectiveness of BVI security interests.

Ray is the Practice Partner of the BVI office.

Prior to joining Ogier in 2009, Ray was a partner of another leading BVI law firm for several years and had opened its Hong Kong office. Ray previously worked for Ogier in Jersey and prior to that DLA in England.

Ray is a member of the Company Law Review Advisory Committee (a statutory body) and was heavily involved in the drafting of the BVI Business Companies Act, 2004.

He has been actively involved in, and has advised the BVI government upon, several key pieces of BVI legislation and financial services initiatives, including in relation to international matters.

Ray is a Notary Public of the British Virgin Islands.

Admitted in:
2005 - Foreign Registered Lawyer, Hong Kong
2002 - British Virgin Islands
1994 - England and Wales (non practising)