Stephen ffrench Davis

Stephen has practised as a barrister and acting solicitor in Gibraltar since being called to the Bar in Gibraltar in February 1997.  Stephen’s main specialist areas are the regulation and the conduct of trust and fiduciary services, Financial Services law, Commercial law and White Collar crime.   

For three years before coming to Gibraltar, Stephen was legal consultant to an international financial services group.  He has been a Consultant to international organisations and advised governments of several Commonwealth countries on proposals for legislative reform.  In the latter regard he was responsible for the drafting of a substantial proportion of the Financial Services legislation in the Commonwealth of Dominica and in Nevis.  He also provided critique of existing as well as proposed legislation in other Caribbean jurisdictions.
 
Stephen has a lot of experience acting for both claimants and defendants in debt cases. The downturn in the global economy has resulted in an enhanced level of activity in this area of practice. Such disputes are often, although not invariably, susceptible of a negotiated settlement: lenders, in particular those situated in those countries which have witnessed significant decreases in the value of real estate are often quite reluctant to repossess the property and sell it as this will realise a loss which is likely to exacerbate the lender’s own balance sheet deficit. Following the introduction of the Civil Procedure Rules, the process of obtaining judgment for debts is now considerably streamlined. We can in some instances offer fixed price debt recovery actions – subject to status. Enforcing judgments may extend to freezing orders or orders for the sale of property

Stephen ffrench Davis attended Ampleforth College, in Yorkshire before going on to read Law at Trinity College Dublin.