Tara Cooper Burnside, K.C.

Tara Cooper Burnside, K.C. is a Partner and Deputy Chair of the Firm’s Financial Services, Insurance Law & Regulation and Insolvency & Restructuring practice groups. She has detailed knowledge of the Bahamian insolvency regime and has worked on a number of cross-border insolvencies and restructurings including the compulsory liquidation of Moore Park Funding and the $100 million insolvency of the Realto Group. She is regularly retained to advise insolvency practitioners, and is a Fellow of INSOL International.

Tara is also a member of the Litigation practice group and specialises in commercial disputes, including shareholder disputes, trust litigation, contentious and non-contentious employment matters, involving both individual and collective rights. She has appeared on petitions for just and equitable winding up and relief from unfair prejudice and oppression. She has experience acting for and against directors facing allegations of breach of fiduciary duty.

Tara has served as an Acting Justice of the Supreme Court of The Bahamas (sitting in the Civil and Commercial Divisions) and is consistently ranked as a leading lawyer by Chambers Global and Legal 500 Caribbean.

Tara contributed The Bahamas chapter for the Insolvency Guide published by Chambers Global (2023). She co-authored with Philip Dunkley, K.C., the Bahamas chapter of “International Fraud and Asset Tracing”, 3rd Ed. (2015) (Thompson Reuters). She also co-authored the article “Trust Litigation – the Bahamian and Cayman Perspectives” in The Journal of International Tax, Trust and Corporate Planning (Issue 2, Volume 18, 2011).

Education

• University of California (LL.M. International Commercial Law), Davis, California
• Eugene Dupuch Law School (Certificate of Legal Education), Nassau, Bahamas
• University of the West Indies (LL.B.), Cave Hill, Barbados
• College of The Bahamas (A.A.) (Hons), Nassau, Bahamas

Bar admissions

Bahamas, 2001

Professional memberships

• Bahamas Bar Association
• Commonwealth Lawyers Association
• International Association of Restructuring, Insolvency & Bankruptcy Professionals (INSOL)
• Fellow, INSOL International
• News Update Editorial Committee, INSOL International

Community

• The Bahamas Constitutional Reform Commission (2015-2017; 2002 – 2007)
• Steering Committee, Caribbean-Canada Emerging Leaders Dialogues (CCELD15)
• Board of Directors of Faith Temple Christian Academy (2009 – 2012)
• Eugene Dupuch Law School Associate Tutor, Civil Procedure and Practice I (2009-2011)
• Eugene Dupuch Law School Course Director, Law of Association (2011-2013)
• Liquidation Rules Committee (2014 – 2017)

Experience

Tara has acted for clients on a wide range of contentious and non-contentious matters. These include:

• Advised on the insolvency and debt restructuring options available to an international shipping group operating more than 100 ships with holding companies and ship owning companies in The Bahamas;
• Acted as co-counsel for a Bahamian Trustee with respect to the administration of an insolvent trust;
• Acted as counsel to the liquidator of an insolvent Bahamas investment fund in a cross-border voidable transaction claim and matters generally;
• Acted as co-counsel for the majority shareholder of a Bahamian holding company with equity interests in various Asian operating companies in proceedings to wind up the company on just and equitable grounds;
• Acted for a major telecommunications service provider in an interconnection dispute with a competitor before the Utilities Regulation & Competition Authority (URCA);
• Advised an international banking group on the regulatory and employment issues arising in connection with a merger and acquisition transaction consisting of the sale of its banking subsidiary in The Bahamas;
• Assisted a major international bank with operations in The Bahamas with the formulation of its global resolution plan/ living will required to be submitted to the US FDIC under the provisions of the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act;
• Provided regulatory advice to international banks with operations in The Bahamas on various outsourcing/ off-shoring projects.
• Acted as Co-Counsel for the Bahamas’ national telecommunications operator, The Bahamas Telecommunications Company, in litigation commenced in the Bahamas to prevent the $200 million privatisation of the telecommunications operator. The litigation was successfully defended and the privatisation was completed.

Recognition

• Chambers Global (2019-2021)
• The Legal 500 Caribbean, “Recommended Lawyer” (2024)
• INSOL Fellow

Publications

• Co-author, Bahamas chapter, International Fraud and Asset Tracing, Thompson Reuters (3rd Ed., 2015)
• Co-author, Trust Litigation – the Bahamian and Cayman Perspectives, Journal of International Tax, Trust and Corporate Planning (Issue 2, Volume 18, 2011).