Hazel is a corporate and commercial lawyer who, as part of her varied practice, provides corporate advice on complex Isle of Man company law issues and commercial advice to clients in relation to a wide variety of transactional work. Hazel has significant experience advising Isle of Man companies listed on the AIM, LSE Main Market, NEX Exchange and TISE capital markets in relation to REITs, debt and bond listings, IPOs, reverse takeover, restructuring and rights issues. Other areas of expertise include acquisition and asset finance (including aircraft financing), corporate banking and finance, business and asset sales, and joint venture arrangements.
Hazel also advises on regulatory and compliance issues, offering expert advice to clients on their legal obligations under the Island’s financial services legislation.
She also advises on data protection and GDPR, with a focus on corporate matters and contractual obligations with third-party service providers.
Expertise
- Corporate law (Isle of Man)
- Capital markets and funds
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Joint ventures and private equity
- Lending and security documentation
- Regulatory, corporate governance and compliance issues
- Data protection including GDPR
- Fintech sector (Isle of Man)
Experience
Regulatory & Compliance
- Advised an Isle of Man-based investment platform on the application of MIFID II to its business.
- Advised several Isle of Man banks in relation to standard terms and conditions, facility documentation and security documentation.
- Advised a UK investment bank in relation to Isle of Man licensing requirements and the Isle of Man law aspects of the purchase documentation for various loan books.
- Advised blockchain/digital asset companies in relation to aspects of regulation within the Island, and provision of advice in respect of the regulatory requirements of ICO issuing companies.
Sales & Acquisitions
- Advised on the proposed private acquisition of a controlling shareholding and the subsequent reorganisation of an Isle of Man close-ended investment company with a substantial European property portfolio.
- Acted on the Isle of Man aspects of premium segment listed Isle of Man company in respect of its £4 billion acquisition of a high-street bookmaker including advising on the financing aspect of the transaction.
- Assisted with the sale of two regulated businesses (both Class 4/5).
- Numerous transactional matters, including assisting in the sale of a UK-based data centre portfolio with a deal value of$1.1 billion 71,000 square metres.
- Advised Boston Limited (an Isle of Man-based regulated corporate service provider and multi-family office) in its acquisition of the Class 4 & 5 regulated business operated by Turnstone (Isle of Man) Limited.
- Acted for an Isle of Man fiduciary service provider in its purchase of two Class 4 & 5 regulated businesses.
- Advising a Swiss Bank in connection the refinancing of a loan related to the purchase and operation of an Isle of Man registered aircraft.
- Acted for Auxesia Limited in its sale of the pharmacovigilance business Panacea Limited to Ergomed Plc.
Capital Markets & Funds
- Acted for a Jersey Regulated Fund in its re-domicile to the Isle of Man and subsequent listing (as an unregulated CEIC) on ISDX. Acted for the Issuer in respect of a £3.5 billion debt listing on TISE (IOM branch).
- Acted for both investor into a trade finance company and a trade finance company in relation to their on-lending to clients.
- Advising a major UK-based investment group in respect of a significant number of debt listings on the TISE Qualified Investor Bond Market.
- Assisted (as part of a cross-practice team) a major English bank with the financing of the public takeover offer made by an Isle of Man company in connection with its acquisition of the remaining shares in an Isle of Man incorporated company listed on AIM and its subsequent de-listing.
- Advised Fundamentum Social Housing REIT on its listing on TISE together with continued advice in relation to its continuing obligations.
IP & Data Protection
- Provided general commercial advice to a number of Isle of Man-based e-sports and online gaming companies including preparation of T&Cs, EULAs, and IP licensing arrangements.
- Provision of advice to various clients in relation to data protection requirements and the implementation of GDPR.
- Advised a UK investment bank in relation to Isle of Man licensing requirements and the Isle of Man law aspects of the purchase documentation for various loan books.
Other
- Acted for the purchaser of shares in an OGRA licence holding company.
- Numerous transactional matters, including assisting in the sale of a UK-based data centre portfolio with a deal value of$1.1 billion 71,000 square metres.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Recognition
Recognised as a Next Generation Lawyer in The Legal 500 for Isle of Man: Banking, Finance and Capital Markets (2021-2024)
Recognised in The Legal 500 for Isle of Man: Corporate and Commercial (2023-2024)
“Hazel made me feel that no question was too trivial and was an integral part of the success of our public listing. We really couldn’t have done it without her.” The Legal 500 2022
Recognised in The Legal 500 2020 for Isle of Man: Banking and Finance and Isle of Man: Corporate and Commercial
Recognised as a Next Generation Lawyer in The Legal 500 2020 for Banking and Finance
Recognised as a Next Generation Lawyer in The Legal 500 2019 and 2018 for Investment Funds and Capital Markets, and Banking and Finance
Career
Hazel qualified as a solicitor in 2008. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2019, she worked at the following firms:
- DQ Advocates
- Adelphi Legal Solutions