Mary J. Mahabir, Q.C, is one of the newly appointed Directors of the Arbitration and Mediation Court of the Caribbean (AMCC) – a not for profit organization offering alternative dispute resolution services.
Ms. Mahabir brings a wealth of experience to the AMCC team. She is the founder of Lex Caribbean, the formation of which created the first and only pan-Caribbean law firm in the CARICOM region. She is the senior partner of the firm and its former managing partner. Ms. Mahabir currently heads the Corporate Commercial and Finance Group. She has been practicing at the Bar in Barbados for over thirty years, and is also called to the Bar in Trinidad & Tobago. Her vast experience in both the local and international business sectors, spans across the areas of corporate and commercial law, corporate finance, trusts and real estate. She had led major transactions in all of these areas.
In the area of corporate law, Ms. Mahabir has extensive knowledge in dealing with restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, share and assets sale and purchases, joint ventures, shareholder agreements, shareholder rights and corporate governance. She has worked in various sectors and advises on a broad range of commercial issues, including employment, pensions, insurance and commercial contracts, and her clients include major local and international companies.
She has a depth of experience in the area of corporate finance, advising on major capital market transactions and government financing transactions, including bond issues, commercial paper, complex loan arrangements, participations, inter-creditor arrangements and security sharing arrangements. She is well-versed in regulatory issues and requirements concerning both local and offshore lending institutions.
In the area of real estate, Ms. Mahabir has advised developers on effective structuring arrangements for both commercial and residential developments and has represented vendors and purchasers in various types of real estate structures. She has also represented major companies in complex lease arrangements.
Ms. Mahabir is a former member of the Ernst & Young Global Legal Network and a former director of Trust Services at Ernst & Young Trust Corporation.
She has written and edited a number of articles in the areas of corporate law, trusts, tax planning and property law, including “Parity with NAFTA and other Opportunities and Challenges Confronting Barbados and the Caribbean” (co-edited), and the regulation of mergers and joint ventures for the publication “Getting the Deal Done”. She is a member of the International Bar Association, the Foreign Lawyers Forum of the American Bar Association and an associate member of the Canadian Bar Association.
Ms. Mahabir’s involvement in the business and wider community is extensive. She is a member and former Vice-President of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce & Industry, a member and former director of the Barbados International Business Association and a member and former secretary of the Barbados Chapter of the International Fiscal Association. She sat for a number of years on the Council of the Barbados Bar Association and established its group health insurance plan. Among her many other accolades, Ms. Mahabir is a member of the Barbados National Trust and the Royal Commonwealth Society and is also the legal adviser to the Barbados Arts Council and the Barbados Council for the Disabled.