An award-winning law firm, which has taken England by storm to become one of the fastest growing in the country, is set to disrupt the status quo in the Isle of Man.
Keystone Law launches operations this week, in Douglas, with the opening of a new Isle of Man law firm. Keystone is the first City firm to establish a presence in the Isle of Man in more than twenty years.
The driving force behind the endeavour is to provide domestic and international clients with the superior service standards and support of an award winning UK law firm, paired with the knowledge of leading local Isle of Man lawyers. In turn, by bolstering collaboration between offices, Keystone aims to boost the Isle of Man’s reputation as an international business centre, strengthening the symbiotic relationship between the UK and the Isle of Man, nurturing and facilitating business growth in both.
Keystone operates an innovative business model which has proved a huge success in England, challenging many leading firms to rethink how they operate. By removing the traditional partnership structure often found in the legal sector, clients benefit from a superior service that is unhindered by billing targets and inefficiencies.
The opening of the firm resonates particularly with Keystone’s Managing Director and founder James Knight, who grew up in the Isle of Man.
“For the past 14 years we have worked tirelessly to create a cutting edge law firm that is orientated around the needs of modern businesses,” James explains. “Keystone’s phenomenal success is due to the fact that we deliver a level of service and value that cannot be found elsewhere and this helps make our clients more successful than they would otherwise be. Until now, companies on the Isle of Man have been excluded from the Keystone story, so I am incredibly excited at the prospect of bringing these benefits to a place that is very close to my heart.”
The core team of the new legal practice is Geoff Kermeen, Stephen Rodd, Gillian Christian, Ben Hughes and Charlie Whipp, all of whom boast strong links with the Isle of Man business community and offer a compelling mix of experience, legal expertise and client service in the areas of corporate, commercial, banking, finance, dispute resolution, trust, pensions, insurance and regulatory law. In addition to Keystone’s founding Isle of Man lawyers, all of the existing UK firm’s partner-level lawyers will be made available to Isle of Man clients when they need general or specialist English law advice. At least six of Keystone Law Limited’s leading solicitors, specialising in the provision of aviation, real estate, employment, intellectual property and tax advice will also become part of the Isle of Man team.
Managing Director of Keystone Law Isle of Man, Geoff Kermeen, said:
“We are delighted to have been given the opportunity to establish, launch and operate a truly client-centred Isle of Man law firm. Although Keystone’s 170+ partner-level lawyer offering has been winning awards for its unique approach in the UK, our mission is to provide that same seamless service on the Isle of Man - combined with the experience of senior, experienced and, more importantly, local lawyers who know the Isle of Man and its business opportunities, environment and community like the back of their hand.”
Photo - left to right – Ben Hughes, Gillian Christian, James Knight, Geoff Kermeen, Stephen Rodd.
