Harneys has appointed former XXIV Old Buildings barrister David Herbert as head of the firm’s growing Cayman Islands litigation and insolvency team.

Herbert, whose appointment as partner and Head of Cayman Islands Litigation & Insolvency takes effect 1 November, has been associated with Harneys since 2003 and was seconded to the firm’s Cayman Islands office full-time in 2009.

Herbert is a Chancery barrister who has practised at leading offshore set XXIV Old Buildings since 2003. His primary areas of expertise are insolvency and restructuring, trust advice and litigation, and company and business disputes. Recently Herbert acted for Harneys in the high-profile liquidation of the SPhinX Group and is currently acting in the USD10 billion Saad Group fraud litigation.

Herbert has acted in numerous cases of note during his career, both in England and offshore, including Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran v The Barakat Galleries Ltd and Hickling v Baker in the English Court of Appeal and the St George v Hayward litigation in the Bahamas.

Global Head of Litigation & Insolvency, Phillip Kite, says: “David brings outstanding depth of experience to this role and his appointment demonstrates our continued commitment to the Cayman Islands and to building the leading litigation practice in the jurisdiction.”

Head of the Cayman office, Kieron O’Rourke, says: “We were delighted when David was seconded to us two years ago and we are even more delighted now that he has joined the partnership. David has an outstanding track record of results for his clients and shares our vision for the continued growth of Harneys in the Cayman Islands.”

Herbert says: “I have worked closely with Harneys since 2003 both in BVI and in Cayman, and I am delighted now to be joining the firm on a permanent basis. In the two years I have been in Cayman I have been impressed with the dynamic, high-calibre litigation team and the high-profile international case load it has developed and I look forward to leading it from strength to strength.”

Herbert, who is recommended by Legal 500 as a junior barrister in the areas of fraud and professional negligence, received his legal education at City University and Inns of Court School of Law. He holds an undergraduate degree in modern history from Oriel College, Oxford, and a graduate degree in art history from the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London. Herbert was admitted to the Bar of England and Wales in 2000; the British Virgin Islands in 2003 and the Cayman Islands in 2009.