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McKinney Bancroft & Hughes

Bahamas

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Key contacts
Senior partner:  John F. Wilson KC
Quick facts
Number of lawyers

34

Network memberships

Lex Mundi

Languages

English, French, German, Spanish, Cantonese, Taishanese

Key practice areas
Financial and corporate
Firm overview

McKINNEY, BANCROFT & HUGHES is one of the largest and oldest firms in The Bahamas and conducts an extensive international and domestic practice from its offices in the cities of Nassau and Freeport.
 
Established in 1945, McKinney, Bancroft & Hughes has grown into a full service and client centred premium law firm with one of the largest Litigation Departments in The Bahamas.
 
The firm delivers its legal services through twelve main Practice Areas including Trust & Private Client, Corporate & Commercial, Banking and Real Estate involving over thirty lawyers and is the exclusive Bahamian member of Lex Mundi, the world’s leading network of independent law firms in 100+ countries.
 
MB&H Corporate Services Ltd., an affiliate of the law firm, has established itself as a market leader in the provision of offshore services for wealth management. Licensed under the Financial and Corporate Services Providers Act, MB&H Corporate Services Ltd., through its team of professional and experienced staff, provides its local and global clientele with an extensive range of competitively priced corporate and financial services.

Key transactional practices
  • Asset finance
  • Banking
  • Competition
  • Financial restructuring
  • Financial services regulatory
  • Investment funds
  • M&A
  • Project development
  • Project finance
  • Real estate finance
  • Real estate funds
  • Restructuring and insolvency
  • Securitisation
  • Structured finance/securitisation
Key practice contacts

Admiralty, Shipping & Aviation
Contact: John F. Wilson KC

Banking & Finance
Contact: John F. Wilson KC

Company Formation & Management
Contact: April N. Turner

Competition Law
Contact: Michelle I. Deveaux

Corporate & Commercial
Contact: Kimberley A. Rolle

Family Law
Contact: Justine A. Smith

Financial Services & Regulation
Contact: April N. Turner

Foreign & Local Investment
Contact: H. Campbell Cleare III

Immigration
Contact: H. Campbell Cleare III

Labour & Employment
Contact: Genell K. Sands

Litigation and Dispute Resolution
Contact: John F.Wilson KC

Real Estate
Contact: Kimberley A. Rolle

Tax & Trade
Contact: Beatrice E. Miranda

Trusts & Private Client
Contact: Sean N.C. Moree KC

Recent transactional highlights
  • Advising a major global company upon entering into a credit agreement with a revolving credit facility of up to $1 billion. The credit facility obligations were secured by various vessels one of which was operated by a Bahamian entity.   
  • Advising a major global company in connection with entering into an amendment and commitment increase agreement, which needed to be acknowledged by the guarantors, which included a Bahamian entity.
  • Advised and played an integral part in the development of a $200 million project in the Bahamas. We were integral in the development of a 21st century, new-age approach to this project by creating structures which meet the requirement of all the parties to the transaction.  
  • Advising and representing executors of US $150 million cross border estate of wealthy entrepreneur with beneficiaries in diverse jurisdictions;
  • Advised the second largest cruise line company in the world in relation to the acquisition of property in key locations in The Bahamas. The acquired property will facilitate the expansion of the cruise line’s touristic ventures. The value of the land alone is in excess of $30,000,000.00.
  • Negotiated and drafted the relevant Heads of Agreement between the second largest cruise line and the Government and ancillary documents to facilitate the further development of a private island owned by the second largest cruise line company in the world. Approximately $200 million dollars has been invested thus far.
  • Advising the beneficial owners of a Fintech Company based in New York in relation to establishing a cryptocurrency exchange in The Bahamas. The Firm is working with government and regulators to explore this cutting-edge venture. 
  • Advising and representing a foreign institutional trustee and executors of the estate of one of the largest private donors to a leading institution in England;
  • Bahamian law advice and expert evidence, for and on behalf of a former trustee, in the Royal Courts of Jersey during the trial of civil disputes between numerous parties relating to over EUR€131.5 million placed in various trusts established by a wealthy industrialist;
  • Advised foreign based bank on the establishment of a Guaranteed Euro Medium Term Note valued at Two Billion Euros;

Sector expertise
  • Accounting
  • Aviation
  • Banking
  • Construction and materials
  • Consumer goods and services
  • Energy
  • Financial services
  • Food and beverage
  • Gaming
  • Government and public policy
  • Healthcare
  • Industrials
  • Insurance
  • Investment management
  • Media
  • Natural resources
  • Oil and gas
  • Real estate
  • Shipping
  • Tech and telecoms
  • Tourism
  • Transport
  • Utilities
Other offices

Freeport office
The Mall Freeport
Grand Bahama
Bahamas
T: +1 242 352 7425-7
F: +1 242 352 7214
E: freeport@mckinney.com.bs
W: www.mckinney.com.bs

Address:
4 George Street
Mareva House
Nassau
PO Box N-3937
Tel:+1 242 502 9750 Fax:+1 242 328 2520 Email:Contact Us Web Address:http://www.mckinney.com.bs
Rankings published in 2026
Financial and corporate
Tier 1
12 firms ranked
View full list

Tier 1

Graham Thompson
1 practice area
View full profile
Higgs & Johnson
1 practice area
View full profile
Lennox Paton
1 practice area
View full profile
McKinney Bancroft & Hughes
1 practice area
View full profile

Tier 2

Callenders & Co
1 practice area
View profile
Klonaris & Co
1 practice area
View profile

Tier 3

Alexiou Knowles & Co
1 practice area
View profile
Chancellors Chambers
1 practice area
View profile
Delaney Partners
1 practice area
View profile
Glinton Sweeting O'Brien
1 practice area
View profile
Harry B Sands Lobosky & Co
1 practice area
View profile

Notable

ParrisWhittaker
2 practice areas
View profile
Linked Reviews
Financial and corporate

McKinney Bancroft & Hughes 

Founded in 1945, McKinney Bancroft & Hughes has established itself as a leading full-service firm in financial and corporate law. As one of the largest and oldest firms in the Bahamas, it offers expert legal services to clients across various markets and countries. A member of Lex Mundi, the firm’s influence extends beyond the Bahamian jurisdiction to an international scale. Renowned for its work in banking and finance, McKinney Bancroft & Hughes represents both lenders and borrowers in diverse loan transactions and advises clients on project development and finance deals   

Highlights 

McKinney Bancroft & Hughes advised on transactions in the regulatory and transactional sectors. A landmark engagement involved advising Britannia Bank & Trust in a purchase of a Banking and Trust line of business that was one of the largest banking acquisitions in Bahamian history. The transaction’s complexity evolved significantly over time, requiring an integrated legal strategy spanning corporate structuring, tax, risk management, and regulatory compliance. The firm’s multidisciplinary approach was essential in navigating the shifting landscape of this high-stakes deal. 

Key clients 

Key clients include Deltec Bank & Trust, Pictet Bank & Trust, Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas, Taylor Wessing and Tropix Shipping.

Deal Highlights
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