Carey Olsen has added Bermuda law capabilities to its London office with the appointment of experienced corporate lawyer Sheba Raza.

Sheba, who joins the firm as counsel after 13 years in London with another offshore firm, is the first Bermuda-qualified lawyer to be based in Carey Olsen's London office and marks the continuing expansion of Bermuda law services made by the firm in the past year. It also means Carey Olsen is the only offshore law firm in London supporting clients with on-the-ground legal advice on the laws of Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands (BVI), the Cayman Islands, Guernsey and Jersey.

Sheba has built a diverse practice, acting for a broad range of financial institutions and public and private companies across the energy, insurance, real estate and financial services sectors. She specialises in finance matters and key areas of expertise include asset finance, capital markets, derivatives, general corporate lending, insurance finance, real estate finance and structured finance. Sheba is also experienced in segregated account company structures, cross-border acquisitions, corporate reorganisations and equity investment transactions.

Recognised in the Global and UK editions of highly respected legal directories Chambers & Partners (since 2014) and Legal 500 (since 2013), Sheba was praised in the most recent edition of Chambers Global for her 'tremendous experience' and as someone who helps to 'look for solutions rather than simply identifying problems'. She is also the only individual ranked in the 'Foreign expertise based abroad section' of the Bermuda rankings. Sheba is a well known figure in the offshore marketplace and serves as a director of The Bermuda Society, a key platform designed to promote and strengthen ties between Bermuda and the City of London.

Carey Olsen Bermuda managing partner Michael Hanson said: "Sheba is a fantastic appointment for the firm and we are delighted to welcome our first permanent Bermuda member of the team in London. With the significant increase in demand we are seeing for sophisticated Bermuda law capabilities from European-based clients, Sheba's appointment is both exciting and timely."

Carey Olsen London partner Jasmine Amaria commented: "The appointment of Sheba and the addition of Bermuda law capabilities in London is a real statement of the growth the office is experiencing following our move to larger, state-of-the-art premises at Forum St Paul's at the end of last year. The fact that we're now the only offshore law firm in London able to support clients with on-the-ground legal advice of Bermuda, BVI, Cayman, Guernsey and Jersey law is also a key differentiator."

In addition to practising Bermuda law, Sheba was admitted as a BVI solicitor in 2012. Prior to moving her legal focus offshore, Sheba spent seven years working for leading onshore firms in the City of London, including completing secondments at Barclays Capital and BNP Paribas SA.

Sheba added: "I am delighted to be joining such an ambitious, talented and dynamic firm as it builds on its existing success and continues to expand its global Bermuda footprint. I look forward to further strengthening and developing opportunities across the EMEA region for the Bermuda practice and the wider Carey Olsen group."

Carey Olsen Bermuda Limited is a limited liability company incorporated in Bermuda and approved and recognised under the Bermuda Bar (Professional Companies) Rules 2009. The use of the title "Partner" is merely to denote seniority. Services are provided on the basis of our current terms of business

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