Admiralty and Maritime

The focus of our admiralty practice involves the representation of ship owners, insurers, charterers, manufacturers and other maritime-related parties in the areas of contracts, casualty, ship arrests, pollution and salvage, energy, finance, and related litigation. We routinely assist foreign counsel in matters abroad, and work closely with the lawyers in our ADR and litigation groups to achieve cost effective results.

Appellate Practice

London House Chambers’ attorneys are able to quickly and effectively handle appeals not only locally, but at the Caribbean Court of Justice and Privy Council. Our practice includes a former Caribbean Court of Justice Deputy Registrar and litigators with vast experience in handling appeals. No challenge is too great or too small. We readily embrace the widest possible array of issues.

Arbitration and Mediation

London House Chambers places special importance on speedy and cost effective dispute resolutions, assisting parties to resolve their disputes with certainty and reliability. Our attorneys act as advocates and are available to sit as arbitrators under the auspices of domestic and international institutions. We also assist clients to draft ironclad arbitration agreements that give a distinct advantage to those doing business in Guyana.

Our founding attorney, Dave Kissoon, over the course of his 15 year career, has participated in many mediations and arbitrations worldwide, obtaining an LL.M. from Cornell Law School with a focus on ADR. He was actively involved in several high profile disputes in the Caribbean arena, including those between the West Indies Players Association and the West Indies Cricket Board, and Christopher Gayle and the West Indies Cricket Board. He led WIPA’s team on various matters, mediating disputes on behalf of WIPA at the Caribbean Court of Justice, with the International Cricket Council, and with various heads of Caribbean Government.

Banking and Finance

Our banking and finance practice places special importance on satisfying the needs of financial institutions and large borrowers. We advise on all aspects of the relationship between bank and customer, including confidentiality and potential liability in negligence. Other areas of practice include loan transactions and related security in both personal and corporate arenas, guarantees, mortgages, swaps and derivatives, insolvency, receivership and company law, constructive trusts and tracing of assets, letters of credit, performance bonds, letters of comfort, bills of exchange, and clearing through third parties. We negotiate, structure, and document all types of financial transactions, including project finance, securitisation and debt restructuring, working closely with leading international law firms to successfully close both domestic and international transactions.

Bankruptcy, Insolvency, and Restructuring

London House’s insolvency attorneys represent clients in a range of commercial litigation and transactional matters, including domestic and international insolvency, creditor’s rights, bankruptcy, restructuring, and reorganisation. Our attorneys counsel management, investors, and secured and unsecured creditors and creditor’s committees, in reorganisation, foreclosure and liquidation proceedings, as well as out-of-court structuring, workouts, and other commercial transactions. We also represent private and publicly held business debtors in all aspects and at all stages of the insolvency process, participate in large insolvencies and restructurings on behalf of lenders, and advise boards of directors of public companies.

Competition Law

London House Chambers is well-poised to provide exceptional counsel to clients in Guyana, Barbados, and Belize for whom the Caribbean Court of Justice is the final court of appeal, and to clients throughout CARICOM, who engage in regional activities within the regime of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. We routinely advise clients on all aspects of trade and competition law.

Corporate and Contract

London House’s corporate department handles a wide spectrum of corporate matters including matters relating to company formation, dissolution and corporate governance. Our attorneys routinely advise on mergers and acquisitions, secured and unsecured loan agreements, joint ventures, compliance, distributorship, licensing, technology transfer, franchise and operating agreements, with a special focus on foreign investors doing business in Guyana. Our clients include entrepreneurial startup companies, mining companies, financial institutions, partnerships, closely held companies, and public companies, from large multinational conglomerates to local and regional businesses. They operate in a diverse range of industries and sectors, including aviation, energy, manufacturing, banking, insurance and financial services, private equity, venture capital, retail, gaming, hospitality, technology and pharmaceuticals. We also represent non-profit organisations, professional organisations, and families and individuals of high net worth.

London House also specialises in all aspects of corporate dispute resolution, including handling shareholder disputes and related litigation.

Energy, Oil and Gas

Working closely with our corporate and environmental department, London House Chambers provides exceptional service in this practice area related to energy exploration and production. We handle acquisitions and divestitures of oil and gas producing properties, simple and complex contract matters, all aspects of pipeline operations, condemnation, right-of-way disputes, contractor and surface owner disputes, title examination, drilling and production agreements, operating agreements, energy loans, leases, and can act as counsel for independents in all phases of operations. We also advise on all aspects of dispute.

We advise a sophisticated client base that includes public and municipal utilities; renewable energy producers, suppliers, distributors; manufacturing, technology, and managed-services companies; real estate developers and lenders; energy consumers; and energy investors. Our attorneys efficienntly handle a full range of regulatory, transactional, and litigation matters. We ensure environmental and regulatory compliance, negotiate acquisitions and new project development, and represent clients in all types of administrative hearings,environmental and energy litigation.

Environmental Law

With its heavy emphasis on mining and related activities, London House Chambers has developed significant expertise in the area of environmental law, due in part to the increase in regulations governing the management of hazardous materials. We are trained to spot potential environmental issues as well as to assist with disaster sites. The practice, which began with environmental issues affected by the mining industry, has expanded to include work for clients engaged in manufacturing, agriculture, forestry, electricity, banking, oil, gas, and a broad range of other business pursuits. We also provide clients with traditional legal services, including environmental regulatory counseling, and regulatory compliance.

Foreign Investment, Trade and Commerce

Guyana’s vast natural resources couple with affordable labour and attractive investment incentives has enabled it to become one of the fastest growing Caribbean economies. From mining and manufacturing, to agriculture and energy, foreign investors play a special role in Guyana’s development. London House Chambers, comprising of global lawyers, immediately recognised the need for investors to be provided with reliable advice and risk management. We routinely advise clients on all aspects of investing and doing business in Guyana and act as a direct liaison between our clients and Guyanese authorities and individuals, providing a seamless business experience.

Our professionals also offer investors a full complement of government-affairs services, including legislative and executive branch advocacy, policy analysis, assistance with government procurement and funding programmes, and crisis management. We offer a unique combination of business savvy, political acumen, and policy mastery.

Insurance

London House Chambers handles a wide variety of insurance and reinsurance litigation. Our work on behalf of insurance industry clients encompasses every part of the industry (from life and annuities, to property and casualty, to financial guaranty), and every type of dispute in which insurance expertise is required, including government investigations, securities litigation, policyholder class actions, coverage disputes, and reinsurance arbitrations. Our founder, Dave Kissoon, commenced his career at Essex Court Chambers, where he was involved with “the Star Sea”, one of the formative cases dealing with an insurer’s duty of good faith. Coupled with our regulatory and transactional practice, we believe we are unmatched in our ability to provide highly sophisticated lawyers focused on the industry.

Intellectual Property

London House Chambers has one of the most experienced trademark and patent practices in Guyana. We offer a wide range of Intellectual Property services in Guyana, including:

  • Trademark registration
  • Patent procurement
  • Clearance and due diligence
  • Patent, trademark, and copyright enforcement actions
  • Licensing arrangements and strategies negotiation
  • Intellectual property litigation and dispute resolution
  • Detailed portfolio management
  • Formation of partnerships, joint ventures, and outsourcing arrangements

By providing our clients with a central access point to our established network of Caribbean attorneys, London House Chambers offers a comprehensive regional service for the registration and maintenance of trademarks and patents in most West Indian jurisdictions.

Dave Kissoon, who heads our intellectual property practice, gained substantial intellectual property experience during his 15 years of practice, advising on various matters involving Fortune 500 companies, major record companies, concert tour promoters, entertainers, musicians, photographers, and authors, with respect to a diverse range of intellectual property matters. In addition, he regularly advised the West Indies Players’ Association on sports-related litigation and complex corporate transactions involving intellectual property issues surrounding player remuneration. His practice includes representation of a variety of clients in civil litigation involving claims of copyright and trademark infringement, counterfeiting, trade dress, false advertising, unfair competition, right of publicity, privacy, and defamation. Dave has also advised on how to pursue cybersquatters in federal court, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names (ICAAN) arbitration proceedings, and in complex World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) actions.

Additionally, Dave counsels clients in regard to the risk assessment issues of trademark, copyright use and licensing, online business operation, branding, marketing partnerships, and sponsorship agreements. He negotiates and drafts a variety of agreements, including developer agreements, buy-sell agreements, recording, software license, joint venture, sync license, ringtone, mastertone, and trademark licensing. He also has a sophisticated trademark and copyright filing and prosecution practice and is a licensed trademark and patent agent in Guyana.

Litigation

London House Chambers’ attorneys have a reputation for representing clients in a broad spectrum of litigation matters in the Caribbean Courts, United States Courts, and Foreign Tribunals. Due to our depth of experience, strategic approach, trial advocacy skills, and record of success, we have attracted a wide range of clients who rely on us to aggressively represent them in high-stakes litigation. We handle complex business litigation matters in a broad range of areas, including, contract law, sports law, competition law, directors’ and officers’ liability, white collar and complex criminal defense matters, employee benefits and executive compensation, environmental claims, intellectual property, labour and employment, professional liability claims, trusts and estates, tax, real estate, and construction. These attorneys work closely with their clients to implement innovative, cost-effective, and efficient management of each case and, when appropriate, utilise alternative dispute resolution options in lieu of the traditional litigation model.

Mining

London House Chambers is uniquely placed to advise clients who wish to invest or operate in Guyana’s rapidly expanding mining industry. With a special emphasis on forming and safeguarding investments, London House Chambers’ attorneys quickly assess the viability and desirability of opportunities, and are able to advise on the risks and rewards associated with each enterprise. Working closely with our corporate department, we are able to advise on corporate formation andgovernance, joint ventures, drafting ironclad agreements, reviewing prospecting licenses, and performing reliable due diligence.

Moreover, our founding partner, Dave Kissoon, a skilled blaster, is the exclusive supplier of explosives to the Guyanese mining market, – his company acting on behalf of Orica Explosives for more than 40 years. He has institutional knowledge and experience on all aspects of mining in Guyana, his formative years being spent in the Linden Bauxite mines. Accordingly, London House is able to offer not only textbook advice, but strong practical advice on all aspects of mining in Guyana, based on personal experience.

Probate, Trusts and Estates

London House Chambers’ attorneys focus on matters relating to wealth preservation, succession planning, estates and trusts administration, and related litigation. We provide a high level of personalised service to ensure that our clients’ unique and personal goals are met. In addition to serving high-net-worth individuals and families, we advise corporations, corporate executives, philanthropists, business owners, and real estate investors. We advise on both simple and complex needs. Whether a client simply needs to update a will or is involved in contentious trust administration litigation, we have the experience to resolve matters in a cost-effective and sensitive manner.

Public and Procurement Law

London House Chambers’ attorneys routinely act in administrative and judicial review matters, providing advice and litigation on the powers of Central and Local Government, other public and regulatory bodies, and those that deal with them on such matters as competitive tendering, public procurement, environmental issues, employment, and discrimination law. Our attorneys have acted in some of the leading public law cases in the courts and can provide a comprehensive service in this important field. Our attorneys actively litigate public law matters in New York, Guyana and Trinidad, and have litigated novel procurement law issues in Trinidadian Courts.

Real Estate and Conveyancing

The attorneys in London House Chambers’ real estate group represent clients in all facets of real estate development, acquisition, disposition, financing, leasing, investing, land use, planning, and zoning. Our clients include commercial and residential developers, real estate investment trusts, management companies, real estate investors, banks and lending institutions, architects, and building contractors. We routinely draft and execute agreements of sale, conduct title searches, register mortgages, and handle other matters in Guyana and abroad.

Sports law

London House Chambers has an established sports law practice, and founding partner, Dave Kissoon, has advised many prominent names and organisations in Caribbean sports, including the West Indies Players’ Association and various established West Indian cricket players in litigious and non-litigious matters. Areas of practice include broadcast contracts, players/managers contracts, image rights agreements, sponsorship and ticketing agreements, and other commercial agreements. We have also represented sportsmen in arbitrations and disciplinary hearings for sporting regulators, contract disputes, and drug offenses as well as on areas of employment law.