Oscar N. Johnson, Jr., K.C.

Oscar N. Johnson, Jr., K.C. served as Managing Partner and Global Managing Director of Higgs & Johnson from 2012 to June, 2020. He currently serves as Co-Managing Partner of the Firm. He is the former chair of the Litigation practice group and practises a full range of Corporate and Commercial law, specialising in Commercial and Civil Litigation, Admiralty Law, Insurance Law and Employment Law.

Oscar regularly appears in the Supreme Court (High Court), and the Court of Appeal of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, and before the Privy Council.

Oscar has appeared as Counsel in a number of important international cases including: Slim America, Inc.; Premium Sales Corporation; Globe-X Canadiana and Globe-X Management; Americas International Bank (In Liquidation); Debtworks, Inc and Suisse Security Bank & Trust and as Junior Counsel in Grupo Torras. He has acted in various matters including: a $1.124 billion multi-jurisdictional court enforcement in the Bahamas and restructuring of financing relating to five self-propelled oil rigs, a project related to the $32 million restoration of a production facility; a $22 million damages claim relating to the allision of a bulk crude oil tanker with a terminal jetty; a matter in respect of a damages claim in the amount of $16 million defending the property owner of a distillery against the claim of an adjoining developer; and an action by underwriters to avoid a directors and officers policy of insurance in the sum of $1.5 million.

In 2017, his legal work in landmark court actions which clarified the principle of freedom of contract to limit liability in commercial maritime agreements in cases involving collisions, or allisions globally led to the firm’s selection as a finalist for the Law Firm of the Year category at the 2017 Lloyd’s List Americas Awards.

In December 2021, Oscar was appointed Queen’s Counsel. Legal directories, Chambers Global and Legal 500 Caribbean, consistently rank Oscar as a leading lawyer in the General Business Law: Dispute Resolution practice.

Oscar has authored Bahamas-specific chapters in “International Professional Practice” and “The Use of Videoconferencing in The Bahamas”. He has served as a member of The Bridge Authority, the Disciplinary Tribunal, the Arbitration Tribunal, as advisor to the Nassau Tourism & Development Board and on the Board of Directors of St. Andrew’s International School. He is a member of the International Bar Association and the Bahamas Bar Association where he previously served as a member of the Ethics Committee. Oscar recently completed the Executive Program – Blockchain and Crypto Applications: From Decentralized Finance to Web 3 from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Having obtained the Diplome D’Etude Collegiale from John Abbott College, Ste Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Oscar went on to study History and Political Science at McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1981. In 1984 he obtained an LL.B. (Hons) from the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies in England. In 1985 he was called to the Bar of England and Wales as a member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn and to the Bahamas Bar. Oscar joined Higgs & Johnson as an Associate the same year and became a Partner in 1992.

Education

• John Abbott College, Quebec, Canada (D.E.C.)
• McGill University, Montreal, Canada (B.A.)
• School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (LL.B.) (Hons.) London, England

Bar admissions

• England and Wales, 1985
• Bahamas, 1985

Executive Training

• Blockchain and Crypto Applications: From Decentralized Finance to Web 3, MIT Sloan School of Management

Professional memberships

• The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn
• Bahamas Bar Association
• International Bar Association

Experience

Appeared as Counsel in the following international cases:

• Slim America, Inc.
• Premium Sales Corporation
• Globe-X Canadiana and Globe-X Management
• Americas International Bank (In Liquidation)
• Debtworks, Inc, and Suisse Security Bank & Trust
• Grupo Torras (Junior Counsel)

Acted in other various matters including:

• A $1.124 billion multi-jurisdictional court enforcement in the Bahamas and restructuring of financing relating to five self-propelled oil rigs
• A $22 million damages claim relating to the allision of a bulk crude oil tanker with a terminal jetty
• A project related to the $32 million restoration of a production facility
• An action by underwriters to avoid a directors and officers policy of insurance in the sum of $1.5 million
• A matter in respect of a damages claim in the amount of $16 million defending the property owner of a distillery against the claim of an adjoining developer

Recognition

• The Legal 500 Caribbean, “Leading Individual” (2019-2024)
• Chambers Global, “Leading Lawyer” (2017-2024)
• Lloyd’s List Americas, Law Firm of the Year (Shortlisted, 2017)
• Global Law Experts (2015)

Publications

• Guilty Till Proven Innocent: Safeguarding the Rights of Pre-Trial Detainees Across the Commonwealth, International Board of the CHRI (2022)
• Enforcement of Foreign Judgements in The Bahamas, Lexology, Getting the Deal Through (2021-2020)
• The Bahamas: Employer Obligations During COVID-19 (April 2020)
• International Professional Practice (Bahamas chapter)
• The Use of Videoconferencing in The Bahamas