David Dorgan

Practice Areas

David Dorgan has established himself as one of the leading lawyers in Jersey uniquely combining strengths in private client, corporate and finance work. He is a Jersey Advocate and Notary Public with 24+ years’ experience and is a Partner in the Corporate department and of the Private Client and Trusts teams.

David re-joined Appleby in 2025, having previously been a partner and Group Head of its Private Client & Trusts practice in Jersey for 7 years between 2015 and 2022. Prior to that, he was a partner of another top 10 offshore law firm. Between 2022 and 2025 David assisted in the furtherance of a law firm connected to a FTSE250 global fiduciary business before being enticed back to Appleby.

He has a significant specialism in private and commercial trusts and foundations, focusing on providing technical advice on their establishment and on-going administration which is tailored for the practical and commercial requirements of clients. He has extensive experience of drafting bespoke and complex trust instruments, foundation regulations and company documents for high and ultra-high net worth individuals and families, preparing bespoke will trusts and providing documentation for SPV, philanthropy, charitable and non-charitable purposes.

David also has considerable experience in corporate and finance matters, in particular transactions involving trustees refinancing or selling and/or purchasing trust fund property and/or high net worth individuals or families entering entrepreneurial ventures. He has also provided opinions to foreign courts, foreign revenue authorities and institutional lenders on complex issues relating to trust and corporate issues.

David has a particular specialisation in structuring for Middle Eastern clients and holds the Islamic Finance Qualification (IFQ) from the Charted Institute of Securities and Investment (CISI) and Ecole Supérieure des Affairs (ESA).

David has worked with Digital Jersey since 2021 and is one of the key architects of Jersey’s first data trust (called “LifeCycle”) to trial whether data could be collated, stored, analysed and shared using a Jersey law governed trust. He continues to work with Digital Jersey in the development and creation of subsequent data trusts to pioneer Jersey’s approach to shape the future of data-given structuring in a highly regulated industry.

Career

David graduated with a Master of Laws degree, trained with a global offshore firm in Jersey and qualified as a Jersey Solicitor in 2006, as a Jersey Advocate in 2008 and as a Jersey Notary Public in 2011.

Professional Memberships

The Law Society of Jersey

The Jersey Society of Notaries

The Notaries Society of England and Wales

The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP)

Jersey Finance’s Working Groups for Trusts, Charities and Foundations

Digital Jersey’s Working Group for Data Stewardship

Work Highlights

Advised a Jersey foundation with family business assets valued at over US$1billion and a family net worth of over US$6billon where the founder wished the next generation to lead the family business but ensuring a structured interaction between the foundation and family members.

Advised fiduciaries acting for Middle Eastern Royal Families as to their bespoke personal asset protection and wealth succession planning involving private trusts but also in relation to the structuring of a national infrastructural project valued between US$20- US$25billion involving commercial trusts and companies.

Advised a UK and Saudi based family on the establishment of a private trust company family trust structure for asset protection and wealth succession planning encapsulating six branches of the family and the subsequent restructuring of the structure to meet changing family requirements and business expansions.

Advised the proposed fiduciary of an Israeli family for asset protection and wealth succession planning including the options of trusts, foundations and companies and assisted in the creation of their family foundation structure, including provisions addressing certain events including the possibility of family assassinations.

Advised the trustee of a Middle Eastern client as to difficulties in the drafting of two Jersey trusts (prepared for his relocation to the USA), holding a billion-dollar realty empire, meant to be for dynastic succession purposes, but after his demise the trusts could easily be ended by his two adult children who could determine the trusts to the detriment of future generations.

Advised a Kuwaiti family in the establishment of their family trusts for asset protection and wealth succession planning of the family business in the Middle East and realty investments in the UK, valued at over US$1billion, in relation to six branches of the family but constructing bespoke provisions as to the permitted and restricted sale of family assets owned across the six trusts.

Advised the trustees in the establishment of a Kuwaiti family’s private trust company structure containing multiple trusts for asset protection, investment, lifestyle and wealth succession planning of the family’s business (valued at US$9billion) and personal assets, the trusts containing provisions for prescribed directions, reserved powers, different sub-funds for investment and distinct asset holding purposes to balance control between the professional trustee and family members.

Advised a private trust company as trustee of a series of Royal Family trusts in the sale of a sizable private jet to another Royal Family involving a number of high-risk sale factors offering a commercial and pragmatic advice on a risk-based approach.

Advised a USA bank in the purchase and lease financing of Gulfstream Jets for private clients using Jersey trust/company structures.

Advised fiduciaries of trust/company structures in the sale, purchase and financing of super and mega yachts and of commercial shipping vessels held in Jersey trust/company structures.

Advised three Japanese banks in the establishment of an off-balance sheet purpose trust structure to relation to holding failed joint investments into businesses valued at GBP125million.

Advised a Hong Kong based fiduciary in the restructuring of existing trusts holding the family businesses in Japan having a net income of over US$10 billion.

Advised a Hong Kong family office of a Chinese family on several complex legal issues, communicating complex legal issues in a manner that lay persons (some with limited English) would understand.

Advised global PLCs, private companies and fiduciaries in connection with the establishment and administration of employee incentive structures (share plans and international retirement plans).

Advised Barclays, Citibank, Santander and Standard Chartered in relation to their Jersey pension structures.

Acted for Digital Jersey in the creation of the first “data trust” under Jersey law, believed to be the first of its kind in the world where the trustee is subject to fiduciary duties and financial regulation to FATF International Standards.

Education