Gemma Bellfield (nee Lardner)

Gemma is a highly regarded commercial litigator and restructuring and insolvency specialist. Gemma advises and represents Cayman-domiciled companies, directors, liquidators, creditors and shareholders in relation to non-contentious insolvency, Restructuring and Insolvency matters as well as contentious litigation and insolvency proceedings in the Grand Court the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal and the Privy Council. Her clients include Cayman-domiciled, PRC-operated and HKEX listed companies, both onshore and offshore insolvency practitioners, private equity funds, financial institutions and hedge funds.

Background and experience

Gemma advises on a broad range of complex commercial and cross-border disputes including contentious insolvency proceedings, shareholder claims and corporate governance issues.

She regularly advises and appears on behalf of both creditors and defendant companies in relation to creditors' winding up petitions, advises companies and creditor groups in relation to restructuring, schemes of arrangement and capital reorganisation, advises shareholders of Cayman-domiciled companies on winding up on the just and equitable ground; advises and appears for liquidators on sanction applications and other matters arising in relation to the liquidation estate, and advises fund managers and directors in relation to solvent and insolvent wind-downs.

Gemma is part of Ogier's multi-disciplinary Restructuring and Insolvency team. She specialises in formal and informal insolvency procedures, statutory remedies, and investor and shareholder rights/actions, with experience in distressed funds and private equity.

Her experience includes a number of key cases for the development of the insolvency, Restructuring and Insolvency regime in the Cayman Islands, including but not limited to In the matter of China Shanshui Cement Group Limited (Cause no. FSD 161 of 2018), In the matter of FamilyMart China Holding Co Ltd (Cause no. FSD 195 of 2018), In the matter of G3 Exploration Limited (Cause no, FSD 197 of 2020), In the matter of CW Group Holdings (Cause no. FSD 113 and 122 of 2018) and In the matter of the Torchlight Fund LP (Cause no. 103 of 2015).

Prior to joining Ogier, Gemma was an Associate at another major offshore law firm, having worked in both their Cayman and Hong Kong offices. A graduate of the University of Sydney, Gemma spent five years working in the Banking, Restructuring and Insolvency Team of Henry Davis York Lawyers in Sydney before relocating offshore in early 2016.

Gemma is a frequent speaker on industry panels, co-chaired the Offshore Day at INSOL 2024, and writes extensively on legal developments in her jurisdiction for a range of industry publications. She is also a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, the International Insolvency Institute's NextGen Program and a member of its Executive Committee, a member of the International Women's Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC), former Chair of the Cayman Islands IWIRC network and current At-Large director of IWIRC International. Gemma was voted RISA Next Gen Practitioner of the Year in 2021, nominated as one of INSOL’s Future Forty in 2022 and selected as a member of ABI's 40 under 40 class of 2024.

Admitted in:
2016 - Cayman Islands
2011 - New South Wales, Australia and High Court, Australia