Advertising feature, in association with Locate

Profile The Maples Group

The Maples Group – through its leading international law firm, Maples and Calder – advises global financial, institutional, business and private clients on the laws of the British Virgin Islands, the , , Jersey and Luxembourg. The Group is also an independent provider of fiduciary, fund services, regulatory and compliance, and entity formation and management services. With a growing demand from clients based in Jersey to use the Group’s services there, the Group decided to set up on-Island and, a year later, they are clearly impressed with how the business has flourished.

Chris Byrne, Managing Partner of Maples and Calder; Robert Lucas, Head of the Maples Group’s Jersey fiduciary services business; and Cleveland Stewart, Senior Vice President in the Maples Group’s fiduciary services business, explain more about the business

L-R: Cleveland Stewart, Christopher Byrne and Robert Lucas

40 February/March 2020 www.blglobal.co.uk Advertising feature, in association with Locate Jersey

Can you give us an insight into Maples and interesting, and there’s a real culture and Calder and the fiduciary services Locate Jersey really of enjoying home life to the full. business, and how they fit into the covered all bases Locate Jersey was very helpful to both Maples Group globally? my family and I, and supported me in Chris Byrne (CB): Maples and Calder, for us – including getting the necessary paperwork to enable the Group’s law firm, opened an office in me to work here. Jersey in September 2018. quickly ensuring that I’m a former member of the Cayman The Group decided it was a natural Islands Basketball Association and I was evolution to expand its international the correct licensing also fortunate to play for the Cayman offering into Jersey and Luxembourg Islands National team. During that time, to complement its existing services and was in place I had the opportunity to travel across jurisdictions. It was also recognised that Europe, including a stop in Jersey for a large number of existing clients the Island Games. I knew I would like were using Jersey and Luxembourg in it from that short visit. transactions and there is certainly a real I’ve been able to continue pursuing my benefit in being able to service clients in passion and I now teach basketball in more than one place, across multiple time Jersey and am also a member of the Jersey zones. So we followed these clients to the Basketball Association. jurisdictions they favoured. Robert Lucas (RL): The Maples Group’s It’s just over a year since you opened the fiduciary services business arrived a bit office – how has the first year been and later than the law firm and started offering how do you see the business evolving? services locally in early 2019. Jersey’s they really covered all bases for us – RL: The first year has been astounding business community, which offers high- including quickly ensuring that the correct really – we have grown above and beyond quality professional ancillary services, has licensing was in place. expected targets, which is a breath of been incredibly supportive of us. We get the impression that this is a fresh air. Because of this, we have forecast This provision is really key locally – the two-way relationship – the industry is significant future growth and will naturally combination of legal and fiduciary services proud of the fact that Jersey is a leading need more people to support this. offers a turnkey solution that so many offshore jurisdiction, and the Maples CB: It is especially pleasing to hear that clients expect and value in this day and age. Group’s presence here supports the island’s existing Maples Group clients have told CB: The Maples Group has five offices strong, positive reputation in that regard. A us that their business could not have come in Europe, including very established leading global firm has chosen Jersey, both to Jersey otherwise. operations in Dublin, London, Leeds, out of client demand and choice. For example, we recently had a US Luxembourg and Amsterdam. Our Jersey In terms of office space, we started at the fund manager client referred from our teams have been fully integrated into the Regus building, but soon had to expand Cayman Islands office in order to set up European business and, of course, more and find a permanent address. We wanted a Jersey cellular structure to be used in widely into the global business. The Group to be on the Esplanade, near to where the connection with an Australian transaction. employs more than 2,000 staff globally, International Finance Centre is based, and That particular client had never used with nearly 700 employed within our so eventually settled on Sir Walter Raleigh Jersey before. We want it to be clear that European operations. House. We have turned it into a very we are interested in bringing new business Cleveland Stewart (CS): In addition to the modern workspace and we were incredibly to the island and are actively marketing clear demand that necessitated a presence impressed with the speed and quality of Jersey through all of our global offices here, our European offices find Jersey to be the work done by contractors. Not all and our 2,000-plus staff members. We a comparatively straightforward, flexible jurisdictions are that proactive and helpful. want the Maples Group to be seen as a and yet robust jurisdiction to deal with. RL: It is important to note that we have beneficial addition to Jersey as a thriving This really counts when you’re dealing with global colleagues travelling to Jersey international financial services centre and complex matters, and the ease of doing regularly, and we’ve found that it has I look forward to seeing the business business with Jersey is a winning card. far better travel connections than certain develop and grow as a result. n other island jurisdictions – and that makes Was the process of opening/establishing a real difference to us. the office straightforward? CS: While Robert and Chris were already CB: Locate Jersey was very encouraging based in Jersey, my wife and I moved over FIND OUT MORE and helpful from the outset – at the end from the Cayman Islands. Settling in has This advertising feature was produced in of 2017, the Maples Group approached been very easy and the work/life balance association with Locate Jersey. Visit them for assistance with the move and here is fantastic – my weekends are free www.locatejersey.com www.blglobal.co.uk February/March 2020 41