Our People

Mark practises in all areas of general civil and criminal litigation, and has significant experience in the Supreme Court of Bermuda and the Court of Appeal. He has appeared in a plethora of high profile cases over a 23 year career including the Privy Council Appeals. He is a qualified mediator in addition to undertaking Tribunal work. He is a member of the International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA) and locally has in depth knowledge in relation to the development of Bermuda Casino Gaming.

Mark was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1992 and subsequently the Bermuda Bar. He was a founding partner and later consultant of Wakefield Quin Limited and was appointed Attorney-General of Bermuda in 2012 during which time he guided important Legislation through Parliament, created the Civil Asset Recovery Authority and spoke on several occasions both locally and Internationally on Bermuda's Anti-Money Laundering (AML)/Know your Client (KYC) Regime. In 2014 he was a moderator at the Ukrainian Asset Recovery Forum in London.

He was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1998 and also received a Judicial appointment as an Acting Magistrate in 2002.

In 2015 he was appointed by the Governor to the Electoral Boundaries Commission and is also the chairman of the Parliamentary Joint Select Committee on the protection of children.

Mark has a reputation as a tenacious trial advocate and negotiator in addition to conducting advisory and private client work.

Grant Spurling provides considered legal advice and counsel with respect to corporate authorisations and compliance, contractual preparation and analysis, corporate best practices including Director duties, and corporate structuring in relation to acquisitions and start-up businesses in Bermuda. In addition to general commercial matters, Grant regularly provides financial technology clients with tailored advice for entities seeking to leverage Bermuda’s digital asset business regulatory platform, including Initial Coin Offerings and Digital Asset Business licenses. Grant also advises clients with respect to general civil and commercial disputes, including contractual disputes and shareholder actions. Prior to joining Chancery Legal, Grant practiced as an associate at a large international offshore law firm, supporting significant transactions including complex insurance structures, cross-border corporate financing, and commercial dispute resolution.

In addition to his legal advice and representation services, Grant serves as Director of Corporate Administration at Chancery Legal’s affiliate licensed Corporate Service Provider; Harbor View Corporate Services Ltd.

Grant completed his legal education at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England, graduating with First Class Honours and incorporating a year of study at Renmin University in Beijing, China. Grant was called to the Bar of England and Wales by The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, London, and subsequently the Bermuda Bar. Grant also holds a B.A. Degree from McGill University, Canada.

John's areas of expertise include banking and financial services, senior, structured and mezzanine financing, secured and unsecured lending, development financing, investment funds and partnerships as well as more general corporate transactional matters.

John was educated in Scotland, graduating from Aberdeen University in 1989, completed his traineeship in Edinburgh and is admitted as a Solicitor in Scotland. In 2016 he relocated to Bermuda from the UK. He is a member of the Bermuda Bar Association, the Law Society of Scotland, a Notary Public and also a Writer to the Signet (WS). Since John's move to Bermuda he has become increasingly involved with the insurance industry, the regulators and the implications of the recently enacted Economic Substance regime. Before Bermuda, John held partnership positions with HBJ Gateley and McClure Naismith. He was head of the UK Banking Group at McClure Naismith from 2000-2015. Prior to partnership, he was a Director and "in house" Counsel within a leading UK financial institution.

John was heavily involved in one of the 1st mortgage securitization programs in the UK in the mid-nineties and also worked on the launch of a European internet mortgage fund. More recently he advised on the set up and launch of a private banking operation. During the course of the past 3 years he has advised a number of insurance companies and reinsurers on various transactional matters including regulatory approvals and updating Private Acts of Parliament in conjunction with the Bermudian Legislature.

Throughout John's career he has acted for a range of Banks, Insurers, SPV's, joint venture entities, institutional clients, investment funds, startups and individuals. Many clients commend John for his "unique clientside" perspective and his straightforward, commercial approach.

Aqueelah’s main practice areas are civil litigation, concerning landlord & tenant matters, personal injury claims and debt collection; children and family litigation, which includes applications for divorce, applications for care & control, custody, access and maintenance concerning children and domestic violence protection orders; immigration advice regarding obtaining PRC or Bermudian status and applications for residency and work permits; and criminal litigation.

Aqueelah graduated from the Bermuda High School for Girls in 2014, with an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. She then graduated from Nottingham Trent University (NTU) in 2017 with a Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB). Further, she graduated from NTU in 2019 with a Legal Practice Certificate (LPC) and Master of Laws degree (LLM).

Aqueelah completed her pupillage training with the Ministry of Legal Affairs and Constitutional Reform. As a result, she was admitted to the Bermuda Bar to practice as a Barrister & Attorney-at-Law on 12 November 2021.

In November 2021, Aqueelah began her legal career as a Crown Counsel in the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP). Throughout her stint at DPP, she conducted several traffic and criminal trials and appeared at all levels of the Bermuda court system, namely the Magistrates Court, the Special Courts and the Supreme Court.

Aqueelah is described as a confident litigator with a keen eye for detail. She diligently prepares for all matters, is empathetic and fearlessly pursues the best outcome for her clients.

William is a Senior Property Attorney and head of the Property Department at Chancery Legal whose practice covers all areas of property law in Bermuda.

William has extensive experience advising on complex and high value residential property transactions, the purchase sale and leasing of commercial buildings as well as acting for property developers acquiring land and disposing of newly constructed properties.

Prior to joining the team at Chancery Legal, William was an England & Wales qualified solicitor and equity partner at a Top 50 firm of solicitors with a property practice advising on a range of transactions; from the sale and purchases of hotels and restaurants, representing property developers in the acquisition of development sites valued between $25 and $100m and the purchase of small country estates.

William read Criminology and Forensic Science at Keele University graduating in 2009 with First Class Dual Honours, he then completed the Graduate Diploma in Law in 2010 before attending the University of Law in Bloomsbury, London for the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC), being called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2012 by The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn (non-practicing). He then passed the Legal Practice Course and subsequently practiced as a solicitor.

William’s clients praise him for the speed in which transactions are concluded from first instruction and his friendly and uncomplicated approach to the law.