Carey Olsen Bermuda hires ILS experienced lawyer Gavin Woods

Offshore focused law firm Carey Olsen Bermuda has announced the hire of Gavin Woods, a lawyer with considerable experience in the ILS, catastrophe bond and collateralized reinsurance space gained in his most recent role at Appleby.

Woods will join the Carey Olsen Bermuda corporate practice from his most recent role that saw him spending eight years focused on insurance, reinsurance and insurance-linked securities (ILS) law with Appleby in Bermuda.

Prior to his time at Appleby which culminated in becoming Partner at the firm, Woods had spent four years at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in both London and New York.

He has expertise in corporate finance, corporate structuring and insurance regulatory matters, with particular experience in the incorporation and licensing of insurance and reinsurance companies, listings on the Bermuda Stock Exchange including ILS, and alternative reinsurance capital vehicles such as catastrophe bonds and other insurance-linked securities.

Woods has worked on some of the highest profile ILS investment funds, catastrophe bond structures, collateralized reinsurance platforms and traditional insurance and reinsurance M&A transactions in his time with Appleby.

Michael Hanson, managing partner of Carey Olsen Bermuda, commented, “With the Bermuda office appointing 10 fee earners in just 10 months of operations our growth has far exceeded our initial estimates. In line with this, the corporate practice is seeing unprecedented demand for its expertise and we are anticipating significant M&A work in Bermuda through 2018 and into 2019. Gavin brings with him a fabulous reputation in the US and Bermuda markets and we are very excited to have him join the team. I am also particularly pleased about Gavin’s record of mentoring young Bermudian Attorneys, something we are both very keen to continue.”

Woods will join the Carey Olsen Bermuda team once his notice period with his current employer expires.