Gillian M.H. Clarke, SC

Gillian Clarke, SC is one of the founding Partners of our Firm and heads the Corporate Department. She follows in the footsteps of her grandfather and her father in being recognized as a Senior Counsel. She has 34 years of experience in corporate and commercial work. Gillian is top ranked in Chambers Global Guide 2024 in general business law and has been ranked for 23 years.

Gillian has participated over many years on several national public/private sector consultations on Barbados’ corporate, securities, tax and economic substance legislation and policy, often with a focus on the global business and financial services sector, including service as a member of the task force which advised and supported the Government of Barbados on the OECD BEPS Initiative, and currently as a member of the Barbados Tax Task Force. She is also a member of the Legal Professional, and Corporate and Trust Service Providers’ Committees of BIBA, the Association for Global Business, and is a member of the Commercial Law Committee of the Barbados Bar Association.

Following on the heels of a B.Sc. (Hons.) in management studies, with concentration in Hotel Management, Gillian earned her LL.B. (Hons.) from The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus in 1986. She then received her Legal Education Certificate from the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica in 1988. She joined her father at the legacy firm of Clarke & Co. as an Associate that same year, having been admitted to the Bar in Barbados.

Gillian’s practice spans a range of corporate and commercial matters, including corporate structuring, tax planning, mergers and acquisitions and finance. She also advises on the establishment of charitable trusts, registered charities and non-profit companies. She has been an advisor to the Barbados Gallery of Art Trust since 1989.

Gillian has gained certifications in alternative dispute resolution from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University in Chicago and Harvard Law School, and is an accredited mediator with the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution in England. She is also a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.

Gillian spearheads the Firm’s long-standing membership in Lex Mundi, the world’s leading network of independent law firms. She was a member of Lex Mundi’s Executive Committee for three years and subsequently became a director of Lex Mundi, serving in that capacity for five years. She has been a member of the Lex Mundi Review Committee for many years. She is a director of local, regional and international private companies, and is currently a member of the board of BCSDI Custodian Trust Services Inc. and the Barbados Stock Exchange Inc. Gillian is also a trustee of the Barbados Gallery of Art Trust and the Peter Moores Barbados Trust and is a member of the board of the Barbados National Art Gallery.