Voisin law firm has made two senior internal promotions

Tuesday 10 February 2015

Jeffrey Giovannoni, Advocate and Notary Public, has been appointed Partner, and English Solicitor Katherine Guillemot has been promoted to Manager of the Probate and Estates department.

Advocate Giovannoni joined Voisin in October 2000 and qualified as an English solicitor in November 2002. He became an Associate in January 2004 after having taken some time off to complete his military obligations as an officer in the Swiss army. He qualified as a Notary Public in 2008 and was sworn in as an Advocate of the Royal Court of Jersey on 16 February 2012.

His main expertise lies in corporate law, trust law and pension law. He is regularly involved in corporate finance transactions which have included projects for the London Olympics and in the aircraft, automobile and oil sectors. He advises on both local and international mergers and acquisitions and has been involved on projects in Russia, Eastern Europe, Africa, the USA and in the Middle East. He also advises trust companies on their local and international pension products. As an Advocate of the Royal Court, Advocate Giovannoni has appeared in court on both civil and criminal matters. As a Notary Public, Advocate Giovannoni deals with the taking of oaths, the swearing of affidavits and the certification of signatures on documents required for both local and international purposes.

Advocate Giovannoni is fluent in French and German and, as a result, is usually the first port of call for advising Voisin’s private clients from continental Europe. He is married to Benjamine and has two children, Amaury and Alaïs, with a third on the way. In his spare time Advocate Giovannoni (39) enjoys skiing, plays tennis and squash and is currently training for the Sark to Jersey rowing race.

Mrs Guillemot gained a first-class degree in Educational Studies from the University of Hertfordshire and she joined Voisin in August 2000. After furthering her studies with the Nottingham Law School, she successfully completed the Post-Graduate Diploma in Law and subsequently achieved a commendation for the Legal Practice Course in July 2008.

Qualifying as an English Solicitor in February 2010, she was initially based in the litigation department where she gained a wealth of experience in matters such as: contentious probate, trust litigation, personal injury claims, medical negligence claims and insolvency (both locally and multi-jurisdictional).

As Manager of Voisin’s Wills and Estates department she specialises in the administration of local and foreign estates, the preparation of wills for both Jersey domiciled and foreign-domiciled clients who hold assets in the Island, and the administration of curatorships for individuals who are unable to manage their financial affairs.

With her litigation experience, Mrs. Guillemot is able to advise upon and prepare a variety of applications to the Royal Court to include seeking directions where there are will disputes, the formation of tutelles, the lodging of caveats to prevent the issuing of Jersey grants and for curatorship matters where court approval is required.

Mrs Guillemot (36) is married to Steve and likes to keep fit and go cycling in her spare time.

Ian Strang, Managing Partner, Voisin, said: "Promoting excellent employees is one way to recognise and reward their contributions and dedication to Voisin’s business success. We are confident that the promotion of Katherine Guillemot will drive the Wills and Estates team forward and we are delighted that Jeffrey Giovannoni has elevated his responsibilities to Partner. It’s a strong start to the year for Voisin and we look forward to an ambitious and prosperous year ahead."