Walkers celebrates 50 years with alumni gathering
(CNS Business): Deputy Governor Franz Manderson and Financial Services Minister Wayne Panton, both former Articled Clerks at Walkers, were among the guests at the firm’s 50th Anniversary celebrations, which it celebrated by hosting a special Alumni Evening for the many articled clerks who have undergone legal training with them over the years.
A large number of former and current articled clerks at Walkers, as well as Cayman Islands Governor Helen Kilpatrick, gathered at the firm’s offices for the celebrations on 10 July. Alumni included now retired practitioners, those still practicing law in the Cayman Islands and many others who have gone on to successful careers outside the law, Walkers said in a release.
Former Walkers trainee and funds lawyer Charlie Kirkconnell, who is currently CEO of Cayman Enterprise City, remarked, “It was difficult for me to step away from an established career to pursue a career in law but the knowledge that I would receive first-rate training through Walkers’ Articled Clerk Programme and then exposure to high quality transactional work as a Walkers Associate made the decision easier. Ultimately I chose to return to the world of business but over the course of five years I acquired skills and experience that I continue to use on a daily basis, although in a different context.â€
Walkers has been training and developing the careers of Caymanian lawyers since 1983 and has worked with over 50 trainees during the past three decades. Walkers was the first firm in the Cayman Islands to develop a comprehensive Articled Clerk Training Programme and since the establishment of the firm’s formal Trainee Committee in 2002, has trained 30 Caymanian articled clerks, all of whom went on to be admitted as lawyers in the Cayman Islands.
“As we celebrate Walkers’ 50th Anniversary we felt it was important to recognise the many individuals who completed their legal training with the firm over the years. They are all success stories for Walkers and the Cayman Islands. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them all for their contributions to our growth and to the development of the legal profession here,†commented Ingrid Pierce, Walkers’ Global Managing Partner. “We wish them every success, wherever their individual paths may take them.â€
Among the attendees were Walkers’ Cayman-based partners, along with the firm’s current intake of four Caymanian articled clerks, who are due to be called to the Bar in 2015.
Partner David Collins, who completed his articles with the firm, said he was extremely proud of Walkers’ reputation as a leader in the training and development of Caymanian lawyers. “It has been wonderful to share stories with so many talented individuals that also completed their legal training with the firm,†he said. “It is particularly pleasing for me to see such quality in the younger lawyers as they progress through our ranks. Many of our Caymanian associates now spend time working in our overseas offices, gaining vital international exposure. We are also delighted that Dorothy Crumbley, another Caymanian who articled and spent her entire legal career at Walkers, has now been promoted to Partner here in Cayman. She is a great example and inspiration to our current articled clerks.â€
Among the former Walkers trainees currently posted across the firm’s international network, Martin Davies, who specialises in private equity, has been working in Walkers’ Singapore office for the past year. Finance lawyer Shamar Ennis recently began a one-year secondment in Hong Kong. Nadine Watler, who was called to the Bar in Cayman in 2013, completed a portion of her articles in Walkers’ Singapore office, while David Collins has just returned to the Cayman Islands, having spent the past five years working in Walkers’ Singapore and London offices. In addition, Terry-Ann Arch, another young Caymanian lawyer, is currently in Walkers’ Dubai office, gaining valuable overseas experience in her field of Asset Finance.
Category: Finance, Financial Services, Local Business
