Practice Areas
Banking & Finance
Hamel-Smith’s Banking & Finance Practice Group is dedicated to meeting the needs of financial institutions and significant commercial borrowers. We negotiate, structure, and document all types of financing transactions, including project finance, securitisation and debt restructuring. Having been engaged in almost all of the major energy-based projects in Barbados, Hamel-Smith has extensive experience in large project financings from both the lender and borrower perspective and we regularly work with leading international law firms to successfully close significant cross-border financing transactions. Our Banking & Finance practice is complemented by the strength and expertise of the lawyers in our other Practice Groups who provide their specialized input on the cross-disciplinary issues that can arise in financing transactions. In particular, where appropriate, we draw on the experience of Hamel-Smith’s Dispute & Risk Management Practice Group to help develop and implement strategies which mitigate our clients’ legal and commercial risks.
LAWYERS:
Insolvency
Constitutional litigation
Judicial Review litigation
Our Judicial Review Litigation practice specializes in the scrutiny of administrative decisions. We ensure that statutory authorities operate within legal bounds, providing clients with a clear path through the judicial review process and advocating for fair and lawful administrative actions.
Commercial & Business Transactions
Hamel-Smith serves a large number of the leading local, regional and international companies that do business in Barbados. Our focus is on helping our clients to achieve their business objectives, by providing practical advice and effective solutions. We are proud of the key role that we play in helping new enterprises to grow and international companies to enter the Barbados market. We have experience in advising on a wide range of commercial issues and in negotiating, structuring, and documenting all types of business transactions. Our Corporate, Commercial & Business Transactions practice is complemented by the strength and expertise of the lawyers in our other Practice Groups who provide their specialized input on the cross-disciplinary issues that can arise in commercial transactions. In particular, where appropriate, we draw on the experience of Hamel-Smith’s Dispute & Risk Management Practice Group to mitigate our clients’ legal and commercial risks and our Intellectual Property Practice Group to protect and maximise the value of our clients’ IP assets.
LAWYERS:
Mergers & acquisitions
Hamel-Smith has significant experience in handling acquisitions and mergers, including those with a cross-border element. We have acted for acquirers as well as targets, including in regulated sectors as energy and telecommunications. Our lawyers have a deep understanding of the legal and regulatory framework in Barbados and of the acquisition and merger structures and techniques that work most effectively and efficiently within this framework. We have also been able to add value by strategic tax structuring to achieve stamp duty efficiencies, and by advising on the structuring of share sale and joint venture agreements to procure compliance with restrictions against assignment of key contracts such as exploration and production licenses. Our Mergers & Acquisitions practice is complemented by the strength and expertise of the lawyers in Hamel-Smith’s other Practice Groups who provide their specialized input on the many cross-disciplinary issues that arise in M&A transactions.
LAWYERS:
Commercial agreements
LAWYERS:
Corporate Services
Real Estate
Estates & Probate
Intellectual Property
Update copy to “Hamel-Smith’s Intellectual Property Practice is focused on helping local, regional and international business clients to protect and maximise the value of their IP assets. We obtain and maintain the registration of trademarks, patents and other forms of intellectual property. We advise and assist with licenses and assignments. We draft and review employment and consultancy contracts to ensure that issues such as ownership of intellectual property rights and confidentiality are covered. Drawing on the strength and expertise of the lawyers in Hamel-Smith’s Dispute & Risk Management Practice Group, we handle intellectual property disputes, including litigation, at all levels of the Barbados judicial system. By providing our clients with single-point access to our established network of Caribbean Attorneys, Hamel-Smith also offers a complete and coordinated service for the registration and maintenance of trademarks and patents in the other Caribbean jurisdictions.