Kelly is an experienced practitioner, qualified to practice at 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 established and was the principal of Sovereign Advisors Bahamas, a boutique legal practice specializing in private client, financial service, and corporate legal work.
Kelly began his legal career as a pupil and Associate at the Bahamian firm Higgs & Johnson, where he practiced in its Litigation, Banking, and Trust practice groups. He later acted as Senior Trust Officer, Trust Manager, and led 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 structuring, overseeing, and administering trusts, foundations, funds, and other fiduciary products. Drawing from his legal training and practical experiences applying laws to real-world scenarios, 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 a broad range of issues including 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 as Deputy Chairman of the Board’s Enterprise Risk Sub-Committee. He is a Trustee and School Board Director of Lakefield College School, Canada, where he serves on the school board’s Governance sub-committee. Additionally, he is the President and Managing Director of Sovereign Advisors & Partners Limited, a regulated and licensed financial and corporate service provider headquartered in Nassau, The Bahamas.
