Kelly is an experienced practitioner having been called to the Bars of England & Wales and the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. He is the founding partner of Spencer West Bahamas and, prior to merging with Spencer West, Kelly formed and was the principal of Sovereign Advisors Bahamas, a boutique legal practice with a focus on private client, financial service, and corporate legal work.
Kelly began his legal career as a pupil and Associate at Bahamian firm Higgs & Johnson where he practiced in its Litigation, Banking and Trust practice groups. He went on to act as Senior Trust Officer, Trust Manager and head of the fiduciary LATAM Desk at Ansbacher (Bahamas) Limited, one of the oldest trust companies in The Bahamas. During his six years as a trust officer and manager, Kelly was responsible for the structuring and administration of trusts, foundations, funds and other fiduciary products. Drawing from his legal training and practical experiences applying the law to real life situations, Kelly is well versed in financial and corporate services law. He regularly advises UHNW individuals and families, Family Offices, Trustees, Broker Dealers, property developers and Digital Asset Enterprises on structuring, licensing, tax, operational substance, emigration, and estate planning matters within The Bahamas.
Kelly currently serves as a Director of the Central Bank of the Bahamas and Deputy Chairman of the Board’s Enterprise Risk Sub-Committee. He is a Trustee and School Board Director of Lakefield College School, Canada serving on the school board’s Governance sub-committee. He also serves as the President and Managing Director of Sovereign Advisors & Partners Limited, a regulated and licensed financial and corporate service provider headquartered in Nassau, The Bahamas.
