HSM LAW
When is an Employee not an Employee in the Cayman Islands?
In the UK and around the world, a large amount of case law has developed around how to assess whether an individual is an employee or not. Companies such as Uber and Pimlico Plumbers have fought lengthy court battles to Read more +
HSM Review of the Immigration (Transition) (Amendment and Validation) Bill 2025 / Caymanian Protection Act
In October 2025, the Government proposed a change to the Immigration (Transition) Act (2022 Revision) (“the Current Law”) by publishing the Immigration (Transition) (Amendment and Validation) Bill 2025 (“the Bill”). In a 58-page document the Government set out the numerous Read more +
Moving Matters: Wills and The Domicile Trap
The concept of ‘domicile’ is an ancient but highly relevant set of legal rules which, in a nutshell, seeks to determine where an individual’s true home is during the course of their lifetime. As a broad statement of principal, if Read more +
10 Interns Join HSM’s 2025-26 Internship Programme
The HSM Group is proud to announce the launch of its 2025/26 internship programme in collaboration with the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre (CIFEC). HSM recently welcomed 10 ambitious interns to its team: Mia-Ariel Torres Gordon, Dimitri Seymour, Jureimi Monotero, Read more +
Cayman’s Virtual Notary Regulations Due To Expire 16 April 2022
The Coronavirus pandemic, and subsequent lockdowns, required timely amendments to many Cayman laws and regulations to enable the business community to continue to function. One such innovative change was the passing of the Notaries Public (Virtual Conduct of Notarial Acts) Regulations, 2020 which when combined with The Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment Act), 2020 enabled persons to sign property related deeds or instruments remotely and removed the need for their physical presence before the notary.
HSM Property Partner Linda DaCosta explains that through video conferencing (Zoom, Teams etc.), lawyers in the Cayman Islands were for the first time permitted to meet virtually with clients to present passports and sign documents without compromising public health and safety. The amended law allowed unprecedented continuity and facilitated transactions effectively ensuring business generally and property transactions were still taking place during lockdown.
Unfortunately as of 13 April 2022, the Notaries Public (Virtual Conduct of Notarial Acts) Regulations, 2020 were stated to only be in effect for a period of 2 years and will expire on 16 April 2022. Whilst COVID related issues continue, it can only be hoped that the Regulations will be extended. Even in a post-COVID world the need for such a provision to assist the elderly and disabled is obvious. Further in a Green Cayman it cuts down on at least a few otherwise unnecessary car trips to the lawyer’s office.
There is still opportunity for further improvements. The amendments did not effectively allow for statutory documents to be executed remotely by a person located outside Cayman, we would like to see the scope extended to at least cover Caymanians overseas.
HSM stands ready to assist any clients with any appropriate notarial assistance and count five notaries amongst our team members. Notarial acts can be done either at our offices or remotely if the Regulations are extended. In cases of urgency or where clients are unable to attend our offices, we can also notarise documents at our client’s homes or at a hospital.
HSM hope that the Government will extend the Regulations and make the change a permanent one, embracing the electronic world we now live in.