Stephen Wilson QC heads the Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice group in the Turks and Caicos Islands (“TCI”) office. Stephen has appeared in many of the TCI’s recent headline cases involving disputes in the tourism and hospitality, banking, real estate, insurance and construction/building sectors.
Stephen is ranked as a BAND 1 ATTORNEY by CHAMBERS GLOBAL, as follows:
"Stephen Wilson, QC of Graham Thompson receives significant praise for his expertise in civil and commercial litigation...with a very impressive track record in heavy commercial work across the jurisdiction." (Chambers Global 2016) "[He] is a litigation expert and fantastic advocate, who regularly handles large commercial disputes and is instructed on a variety of civil matters. Market sources say he is well researched, articulate and prepared, and is committed to his clients." (Chambers Global 2015). "Highly regarded litigator Stephen Wilson QC made the move to Graham Thompson ... in late 2012. He acts for clients on a broad range of disputes including insolvency and employment matters." (Chambers Global 2014)
In addition to Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Stephen works on Admiralty & Shipping, Banking & Finance, Corporate & Commercial, Intellectual Property, Employment & Labour and Property & Development matters with members of his office and with attorneys at the Firm’s other offices.
Stephen is sought after in TCI for his expertise with complex corporate and commercial disputes. He has worked on multi-jurisdictional claims, multi-party actions, contract breaches, and insolvencies and liquidations involving local and international parties. He has many years of experience with debt recovery, enforcement of security and judgments, taxation of costs, and receivership appointments. He has assisted clients with shareholder disputes, board room power struggles, and corporate reorganizations and restructurings.
Stephen incorporates arbitration and alternative dispute resolution techniques into the settlement of cases to benefit his clients. Stephen is highly regarded for his knowledge of constitutional and administrative law and his litigation practice further encompasses libel, slander, defamation, nuisance claims, tort law, possession, fraud, unjust enrichment and contentious probate. Stephen is also a leading lawyer with regard to intellectual property litigation in TCI.
Within the Admiralty, Shipping and Aviation practice group, Stephen’s expertise includes admiralty litigation, arrest of vessels, marine cases and maritime law. Stephen also works on related environmental issues including coral reef damage and other natural resource claims.
In the Insurance sector, he has experience with a wide variety of contentious matters including professional liability, professional negligence claims, personal injury and product liability.
Stephen has successfully worked on a variety of complex litigious Employment and Labour matters. He represents both employers and employees in wrongful dismissal cases, layoffs, redundancies, discrimination, equal pay and sexual harassment situations. He has broad knowledge of the nuances of employment contracts including non-compete, non-disclosure and non-solicitation agreements. He understands the challenges and the difficulties of disciplinary and discharge issues, layoffs and redundancies, unfair dismissal, overtime and service charges. Stephen has worked with numerous corporate clients on workforce restructuring and advised international clients on multi-jurisdictional labour compliance matters.
Stephen advises high net worth clients relocating or investing in TCI. His abounding energy and willingness to make himself available at his clients’ convenience means that he is an ideal person to hold investors’ hands as they deal with the challenges inevitably faced when entering a new jurisdiction.
In the Real Property & Development sector, Stephen has in-depth experience of all aspects of commercial and residential construction, sale, purchase, lease and transfer, including bonds and guarantees. He is familiar with all phases of the planning and development of mixed-use developments, fractional ownership units, condominiums, time shares, subdivisions and commercial buildings, including applicable agreements and approvals. Stephen has worked with home owners’ associations on a variety of structuring and litigation matters. Stephen further assists his clients with all legal aspects of financing related to commercial and residential real estate.
In the Banking & Finance and Corporate & Commercial practice groups, Stephen is highly regarded for his expertise with financial services law and regulation. His knowledge extends to asset financing, leases, project finance and corporate finance, on behalf of private clients, privately held companies and other corporate entities. He is also experienced in corporate formations, joint ventures and restructurings.