Nelcia St Jean

McW Todman & Co, one of the British Virgin Islands' foremost litigation practices, has been named Commercial Litigation Law Firm of the Year in the British Virgin Islands at the 2024 Corporate INTL Global Awards. The recognition affirms the firm's long-standing reputation as a leading disputes practice in a jurisdiction that sits at the centre of international corporate and financial structuring, and where the calibre of local litigation counsel is a matter of considerable importance to clients and their advisers worldwide.

The firm was established in 1969 by the late Dr McWelling Todman CBE, QC, who was the first native British Virgin Islander to operate a law firm in the territory. From those pioneering origins it has grown into an institution that is closely identified with the development of the legal profession in the Virgin Islands. Based at Main Street in Road Town, Tortola, the firm has built its standing over more than half a century of practice, and it describes its approach as resting on three foundations: a solid law practice, creative thinking and experience that clients can trust.

Commercial litigation is at the heart of the firm's offering, and it is widely regarded as one of the top litigation practices in the Virgin Islands. Its work encompasses the full range of contentious matters that arise in a leading offshore centre, including corporate and insolvency disputes, applications for injunctive relief, the appointment of liquidators, the restoration of companies and proceedings before the Commercial Court of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. This breadth allows the firm to act in the complex, often cross-border disputes that flow from the many thousands of companies incorporated in the jurisdiction.

Beyond its contentious practice, the firm provides corporate formation and management services through its wholly owned subsidiary, McNamara Corporate Services Limited, enabling it to support clients across the entire life cycle of a BVI structure, from incorporation and ongoing administration through to the resolution of disputes. This combination of litigation strength and corporate services gives clients a single, trusted point of contact for both the creation and the defence of their interests in the territory, and reflects the firm's commitment to participating in the wider development of the Virgin Islands.

The firm's disputes practice is led by experienced partners including Nelcia St Jean, a British Virgin Islands barrister recognised in her own right for commercial litigation and corporate disputes, whose work exemplifies the depth of talent within the practice. Together with its long institutional history and its enduring commitment to quality, this bench of expertise underpins the firm's continuing prominence. The 2024 Corporate INTL Global Award celebrates McW Todman & Co as a firm that has helped to shape the practice of commercial litigation in the British Virgin Islands and that continues to set a high standard for the jurisdiction.