One of the world’s top offshore law firms has been caught up in the latest data breach which could see information from its wealthy clients published in the press. Offshore law firm Applebys has issued a statement after admitting that it suffered a 'data security incident' last year. It strongly defended its practices and its clients responding to enquiries that 'have arisen from documents that journalists claim to have seen and involve allegations made against our business and the business conducted by some of our clients.' It issued the statement after it was contacted by a group of investigative journalists who are proposing to publish details of the sensitive data concerning the firm's clients.
Highly regulated
The firm said it took 'any allegation of wrongdoing, implicit or otherwise, extremely seriously. Appleby operates in highly regulated jurisdictions and like all professional organisations in our regions, we are subject to frequent regulatory checks and we are committed to achieving the high standards set by our regulators.' It went on to say the firm had 'thoroughly and vigorously investigated the allegations and we are satisfied that there is no evidence of any wrongdoing, either on the part of ourselves or our clients. We refute any allegations which may suggest otherwise and we would be happy to cooperate fully with any legitimate and authorised investigation of the allegations by the appropriate and relevant authorities.'
Legitimate
Defending the offshore industry, it added: 'We are an offshore law firm who advises clients on legitimate and lawful ways to conduct their business'.The firm said it was 'disappointed' that the media may choose to publish material 'obtained illegally'. It warned that the leak may result in 'exposing innocent parties to data protection breaches'.
Global
Applebys is one of the top law firms servicing the offshore world. It has offices in a number of offshore locations - BVI, Cayman Islands, Guernsey,Jersey, Mauritius, Seychelles, Isle of Man - as well as two offices in China. It employs around 470 people, including 60 partners, operating from 10 offices around the globe.
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