Jennifer Colegate

Jennifer Colegate is a Partner based in Baker & Partners’ Cayman Islands office. She is a commercial litigator specialising in cross-border insolvency and restructuring, with expertise in investigations, asset tracing and enforcement and recovery.  

Jennifer has extensive experience advising on various issues arising in complex cross-border insolvencies, arising from her engagement by the provisional liquidators to a number of Lehman Brothers entities in the Asia-Pacific region, and more recently in connection with private banks, investment funds and holding companies domiciled in the Cayman Islands. 

Work experience

Jennifer has assisted in advising on restructurings of SIVs, RMCB and CMBS vehicles and other structured products adversely affected by the financial and liquidity crises touching on a range of jurisdictions. Related to her insolvency work, Jennifer has regularly advised on matters concerning asset-tracing and recovery, including advice to directors of financial distressed companies. In addition to her time in private practice, Jennifer has spent extended periods of time on secondment to banking clients in both London and Hong Kong. 

Notable engagements: 

• Advising various corporate entities both limited and SPC companies registered in Cayman on the prospective appointment of restructuring officers  
• Acting for petitioning creditor of GEMS Global Schools Ltd, following a successful enforcement application within the jurisdiction   
• Advising Celsius in connection with various enforcement issues  
• Acting for the SEC Receiver to the TCA Global Credit Group  
• Advising the former Chairman of the Abraaj Group  
• Advising the liquidators of nine Lehman Brothers Hong Kong entities on a range of issues and reported cases arising (2009-2016).  Issues included advising the liquidators on the day to day conduct of the liquidation; close-out issues under ISDA swap contracts; litigation regarding the construction and claims of title in dematerialized securities assets subject to repo agreements; trust claims vs estate claims and various recovery actions across the region.   
• Assisting as part of the legal team advising Vietnamese ship building corporation on the successful implementation of an English law scheme of arrangement 
• Advising the administrative receivers in restructuring the Golden Key SIV 
• Advising the liquidator of New Cap Reinsurance on an application under s426 Insolvency Act 1986 for the purpose of instigating clawback actions 

Prior to moving to Cayman, Jennifer worked in the restructuring team of Mayer Brown JSM in Hong Kong. Before moving to Hong Kong in 2012, Jennifer was a Senior Associate in London specialising in contentious insolvency matters, having joined Mayer Brown International LLP in 2007 following completion of pupillage at South Square Chambers. 

She is listed in Legal 500 2024 as a Next Generation Partner and in Band 5 in Chambers & Partners.

• Chambers Ranked in Global, 2023 
• Chambers Ranked in Global, 2024  
• WWL Asset Recovery, Recommended, 2024 

Expertise

Jennifer advises a range of corporate entities, directors, fiduciaries and officeholders in respect of issues arising under the laws of the Cayman Islands.  

Jennifer’s clients are located in various jurisdictions including Switzerland, the Middle East, Asia and North America.  In terms of industries, Jennifer regularly advises clients in the oil & gas markets;  commercial landlords; real estate investors and investment funds.       

Education

Jennifer obtained a First Class Law Degree before completing the BCL at Oxford University.  Jennifer is a Denning Society Scholar of Lincoln’s Inn having been awarded scholarships in support of her studies to complete her Bar Vocational Studies.