Rocco  Cecere

Rocco Cecere 

Partner | Cayman

Insolvency and Corporate Disputes

  • Rocco is at the forefront of the most significant [share appraisal claims].
    Legal 500 2024
  • Rocco in particular is the most sophisticated lawyer in Cayman for [Section 238 claims] - his service is second to none.
    Chambers Global 2023
  • Rocco is our go-to lawyer.
    Chambers Global 2023
  • A bright star in the Cayman Islands.
    Chambers Global 2023
  • Rocco's understanding of germane legal precedent is second to none, and his abilities as a litigation tactician are unparalleled.
    Chambers Global 2024
  • Very strong technically.
    Legal 500
  • Rocco is a very able and experienced Cayman appraisal litigation attorney.
    Chambers Global 2023
  • Nobody knows Cayman Islands law better. Rocco always manages to put us several steps ahead of our opponents. He fights incredibly hard and effectively for us, but never loses sight of our commercial goals.
    Chambers Global Guide 2022
  • Rocco is a star – the best in the business.
    Legal 500 2024
  • Rocco is very commercial and great at cutting to the detail. He also has great corporate finance knowledge which puts him ahead of the pack.
    Chambers Global 2024
  • Rocco is a bright star in the Cayman Islands. He is at the forefront of the most significant Section 238 appraisals.
    Chambers Global 2023
  • Rocco has consistently exceeded my expectations with his intelligence, his tireless work ethic and his efficacy in tackling complex problems.
    Chambers Global Guide 2022
  • Rocco Cecere is a thoughtful strategist with good knowledge of Cayman fair value claims.
    Legal 500 2022
  • Rocco really understands the shareholder appraisal world. He and his team do a good job of making sure clients are comfortable with what's coming up next and making sure everything works together as seamlessly as possible.
    Chambers Global 2024
  • Rocco is the most knowledgeable lawyer in the Cayman Islands.
    Legal 500 2024
  • He is a very able and experienced Cayman appraisal litigation attorney.
    Chambers Global 2023
  • Rocco's client service and general level of service, level of sophistication and commercial awareness and vision are all very strong. Rocco is our go-to lawyer in the Cayman Islands.
    Chambers Global 2023

Overview

Rocco is the head of Collas Crill's Insolvency and Corporate Disputes team in the Cayman Islands. He is an experienced offshore commercial litigator, specialising in shareholder disputes, international insolvency and restructuring, and investment fund disputes. He has extensive experience conducting complex cross-border litigation, often involving fraud and asset tracing.

Experience

Rocco leads Collas Crill's market-leading s.238 merger appraisal team and is a highly sought after and trusted advisor to shareholders in merger appraisal disputes. His clients include some of the world's leading investment managers and institutional shareholders.

Rocco has unparalleled experience and expertise in merger appraisal litigation and has acted for shareholders in most of the major cases, including 51job, Inc., New Frontier Health Corporation, SINA Corporation, 58.com Limited, Changyou.com Ltd, eHi Car Services Ltd, Bitauto Holdings Limited, China Biologic Products Holdings, Inc., Nord Anglia Education, iKang Healthcare Group, Qunar Cayman Islands Ltd, Zhaopin Limited, and Kongzhong Corporation. He has also advised shareholders on numerous other Cayman Islands mergers which have not proceeded to litigation.

Rocco regularly advises shareholders of Cayman Islands companies on a range of matters including disputes against investment funds, derivative actions, and just and equitable winding ups involving minority oppression. Rocco also regularly acts as Cayman Islands counsel in respect of United States securities actions brought by shareholders against Cayman Islands companies.

In addition to his shareholder disputes practice, Rocco has a busy insolvency and commercial litigation practice. He acts for creditors, Cayman Islands liquidators and US SEC-appointed receivers.

Background

Prior to joining Collas Crill in 2019, Rocco worked at another leading law firm in the Cayman Islands. Before this, he gained valuable practical investment fund experience acting as European Head of Legal Affairs for one of the world’s largest hedge fund service providers.

Rocco is ranked in Band 4 in Chambers and Partners and recognised by Legal 500 2024 as a Next Generation Partner.

Memberships

  • Cayman Islands Law Society
  • RISA Cayman
  • INSOL International

 

 

Senior Legal Secretary
Kathleen Gillam  
My services
Insolvency
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For financially distressed companies in need of restructuring and reorganisation, or for those where the opportunity to do so has passed or failed, we work to achieve the most beneficial outcome in these difficult situations. 

Currently working on some of the largest and most complex cross-border insolvencies in the jurisdiction, we frequently advise top law firms from the People’s Republic of China, the US, the UK and other jurisdictions. We are regularly briefed by Sovereign Wealth Funds and Fortune 500 Companies to advise on particular restructurings, as well as investment managers from Europe and the US.

At whatever stage we are engaged, our involvement will assist in identifying the ongoing risks facing a client and to enable that client to continue to identify and effectively manage deteriorating relationships with creditors, financiers, investors or other interested parties.

Fraud, asset tracing, freezing, recovery and enforcement
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We're used to working as part of a multi-jurisdictional team, capable of reacting and responding quickly to urgent requests for assistance with locating and freezing assets. As sophisticated defendants become more adept at dissipating assets, we've been involved in cases that created new law in relation to a party's ability to trace assets and recover their losses. With their ability to deal with complex issues the team deliver clear, commercial advice on the availability and likely success of recovery methods.

Corporate disputes
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Our dispute resolution specialists collaborate seamlessly with our corporate advisory and banking teams across jurisdictions to advise multinational corporations, trust companies, banks, funds, insurers, governments and directors. We provide a global perspective, working closely with our clients to ensure that they are best placed to respond to customer issues, fraud risks, rapidly changing market conditions and regulatory demands.

Merger appraisal disputes
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Collas Crill’s Cayman Islands appraisal practice is headed by Partner Rocco Cecere, who is recognised as a leading practitioner in the field. Rocco’s team has significant experience in appraisal litigation.

Rocco is a member of the Grand Court’s users committee which drafted the procedural rules governing appraisals matters. The Cayman Islands merger regime is a relatively new and evolving law. Our cross-border team acts on dissenter and company side, from pre-merger stage all the way through to trial and any appeals.

Contentious risk and regulatory
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In regulatory disputes there are often fine lines between the usual wrangling with the regulator and something more serious – by matching our mix of experienced contentious and non-contentious lawyers to the particular problem at hand, we achieve better and more efficient outcomes. As regulatory experts, we frequently act on contentious matters and can leverage our experience to help clients achieve the highest regulatory standards and avoid common pitfalls.

11 Dec 2024

GRR 100 2024

Collas Crill has once again been included in the 2024 Global Restructuring Review (GRR) 100 - an annual guide to the world's leading law firms for cross-border restructuring and insolvency matters.  Firms listed in the guide have been vetted for the...

15 Nov 2024

Legal 500 Caribbean 2025

Collas Crill's teams in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and Cayman Islands have received another strong set of rankings in this year's Legal 500 Caribbean directory. The firm is consistently ranked across all of its key practice areas, having moved from...

29 May 2024

Enforcement and asset recovery in the Cayman Islands

This article first appeared in issue 17 of of ThoughtLeaders4 FIRE magazine: FIRE International Vilamoura Edition: 2024 There are likely to be very few claimants who would argue with the proposition that the real value in bringing proceedings is in ...

19 Mar 2024

Changes to the Cayman share capital reduction regime

Having exited the consultation stage and been heard and passed by the Cayman Islands' parliament on 23 February 2024, legislative changes to streamline the process by which Cayman companies can effect a reduction in their share capital will be brought in...

14 Mar 2024

Collas Crill strengthens market leading Cayman Islands merger appraisal team

Collas Crill has promoted Zachary Hoskin to Partner and appointed Harry Rasmussen as Counsel in its Cayman Islands Insolvency and Corporate Disputes team.Both Zachary and Harry have significant experience in shareholder disputes with a focus on represent...

19 Feb 2024

Chambers Global 2024 Guide: Collas Crill's growing reputation the Caribbean is recognised

Collas Crill's rankings in the Chambers & Partners Global 2024 Guide underpin its focus on client service.The directory and client testimonials highlight the firm's growing reputation in in the Caribbean.In the Chambers dispute resolution category, t...

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