Stephen Wilson, KC

GrahamThompson ("GT") prides itself on its unique combination of expert legal skills and real-world experience in working out effective solutions to complex problems.  With 65 years of continuous history and the first-rate balance between seasoned practitioners and dynamic young lawyers, GT is excellence-driven in every way and accordingly, well known as a leading Bahamian law firm.

Producing and sustaining a satisfied clientele drawn locally and from across five continents is the common focal point of the Firm's efforts.  Integrity, hard work, understanding the "bigger picture" that frames the specific legal needs of clients, creativity, rigorous ethical restraint in the charging of fees, and uncompromising loyalty to the client, are key ingredients of the GT ethos. 


The Firm, well known as the largest commercial law firm in the Bahamas, has successfully expanded from its main downtown Nassau location in recent years to better serve its broad range of corporate and private clients. In 2000, the Freeport, Grand Bahama office was opened, followed by the launching of licensed affiliate GTC Corporate Services in 2001, and the Lyford Cay, New Providence office in 2011.  In December 2012, GT expanded to Providenciales, in The Turks and Caicos Islands, where it already enjoys a reputation as one of the leading firms for civil and commercial litigation, and more recently, for transactional real estate matters.

The Firm has built up an enviable reputation both domestically and globally in a variety of important legal disciplines. Our attorneys are sought after by leaders in the real property, resort development, banking and capital markets sectors. We are highly regarded for our expertise in trust and estate planning, commercial matters, civil litigation, family law, securitization, employment and immigration matters.

The Firm is consistently ranked a tier-one law firm by the leading international rating publications, including CHAMBERS AND PARTNERS, IFLR 1000, and CITY WEALTH LEADERS LIST, among others.
  Currently, two of the Firm's Partners have been appointed Queens Counsel (QC).


Unique among law firms, GT has all through the years made notable contributions to high public service. GT’s former Partners have played critical roles in the Bahamas’ judiciary including three of the nation's past Attorneys-General, the former Chief Justice, several Justices of the Bahamas Supreme Court, and the Chairman of the Judicial Review Commission. Other Partners have served the Bahamas government as Senators, a Minister of Labour & Housing, a Gaming Board Chairman, a Water & Sewerage Corporation Chairman, a Broadcasting Corporation Chairman, and the Vice-Chair of the College of The Bahamas. Presently, our Partners serve as Chairman of the Utilities Regulatory Commission and the Chairman of the Constitutional Commission.  This record of service to successive governments and the judiciary is wholly without parallel in the history of the legal profession of the Bahamas.

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Stephen Wilson QC heads the Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice group in the Turks and Caicos Islands (“TCI”) office. Stephen has appeared in many of the TCI’s recent headline cases involving disputes in the tourism and hospitality, banking, real estate, insurance and construction/building sectors. 

Stephen is ranked as a BAND 1 ATTORNEY by CHAMBERS GLOBAL,as follows: "Stephen Wilson, QC is a litigation expert and fantastic advocate, who regularly handles large commercial disputes and is instructed on a variety of civil matters. Market sources say he is well researched, articulate and prepared, and is committed to his clients."(Chambers Global 2015).  "Highly regarded litigator Stephen Wilson QC made the move to Graham Thompson ... in late 2012. He acts for clients on a broad range of disputes including insolvency and employment matters." (Chambers Global 2014)

In addition to Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Stephen works on Admiralty & Shipping, Banking & Finance, Corporate & Commercial, Intellectual Property, Employment & Labour and Property & Development matters with members of his office and with attorneys at the Firm’s other offices.

Stephen is sought after in TCI for his expertise with complex corporate and commercial disputes.  He has worked on multi-jurisdictional claims, multi-party actions, contract breaches, and insolvencies and liquidations involving local and international parties.  He has many years of experience with debt recovery, enforcement of security and judgments, taxation of costs, and receivership appointments.  He has assisted clients with shareholder disputes, board room power struggles, and corporate reorganizations and restructurings. 

Stephen incorporates arbitration and alternative dispute resolution techniques into the settlement of cases to benefit his clients. Stephen is highly regarded for his knowledge of constitutional and administrative law and his litigation practice further encompasses libel, slander, defamation, nuisance claims, tort law, possession, fraud, unjust enrichment and contentious probate. Stephen is also a leading lawyer with regard to intellectual property litigation in TCI.

Within the Admiralty, Shipping and Aviation practice group, Stephen’s expertise includes admiralty litigation, arrest of vessels, marine cases and maritime law.  Stephen also works on related environmental issues including coral reef damage and other natural resource claims.

In the Insurance sector, he has experience with a wide variety of contentious matters including professional liability, professional negligence claims, personal injury and product liability.

Stephen has successfully worked on a variety of complex litigious Employment and Labour matters.  He represents both employers and employees in wrongful dismissal cases, layoffs, redundancies, discrimination, equal pay and sexual harassment situations.  He has broad knowledge of the nuances of employment contracts including non-compete, non-disclosure and non-solicitation agreements.  He understands the challenges and the difficulties of disciplinary and discharge issues, layoffs and redundancies, unfair dismissal, overtime and service charges.  Stephen has worked with numerous corporate clients on workforce restructuring and advised international clients on multi-jurisdictional labour compliance matters.

Stephen advises high net worth clients relocating or investing in TCI. His abounding energy and willingness to make himself available at his clients’ convenience means that he is an ideal person to hold investors’ hands as they deal with the challenges inevitably faced when entering a new jurisdiction.

In the Real Property & Development sector, Stephen has in-depth experience of all aspects of commercial and residential construction, sale, purchase, lease and transfer, including bonds and guarantees.  He is familiar with all phases of the planning and development of mixed-use developments, fractional ownership units, condominiums, time shares, subdivisions and commercial buildings, including applicable agreements and approvals.  Stephen has worked with home owners’ associations on a variety of structuring and litigation matters.  Stephen further assists his clients with all legal aspects of financing related to commercial and residential real estate.

In the Banking & Finance and Corporate & Commercial practice groups, Stephen is highly regarded for his expertise with financial services law and regulation.  His knowledge extends to asset financing, leases, project finance and corporate finance, on behalf of private clients, privately held companies and other corporate entities.   He is also experienced in corporate formations, joint ventures and restructurings.

Recent transactions include:

• Assisting mulit-national construction company on entry into the TCI market and facilitating joint venture with local construction company;
• Successfully representing strata unit owners in landmark case regarding freedom to let strata properties;
• Leading Counsel in an arbitration involving a dispute between the major shareholder of a Hong Kong listed company and a Bahamian financial institution;
• Representing the minority shareholder of a Bahamian company with valuable interests in Asia;
• Representing the Receiver of a property development company in a dispute with the company’s director;
• Advising the Joint Provisional Liquidators of a Bermudian reinsurance company in respect of a multi-million dollar property restructure in TCI;
• Representing the Official Liquidator of TCI companies involved in a $220 million international foreign exchange Ponzi scheme;
• Advising developers and operators of major hotels and resorts in Providenciales and representing them in commercial and labour disputes;
• Advising the TCI branches of leading Bahamian and Caymanian commercial banks and representing them in commercial and labour disputes;
• Representing a leading TCI general contractor in multi-million dollar building and construction arbitration; and
• Advising commercial airline operators entering the TCI market on labour and industrial relations matters.

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