Marco Martins

Background & Qualifications

Marco founded m•advisory in January 2023 to deliver high-quality, efficient, and tailored legal services. With over 25 years of experience at leading global law firms, he brings deep expertise in corporate, finance, and regulatory law, combined with a passion for helping clients achieve their objectives.

A graduate of Syracuse University, Marco earned his JD magna cum laude, served on the Law Review, and completed an MSc. He also holds a BSc from the University of Texas at Arlington, laying the foundation for his distinguished career.

Since entering the offshore legal market in 2007, Marco has held leadership roles in the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands. His legal qualifications include admissions in New York (1994, not practicing), England & Wales (2005, not practicing), the British Virgin Islands (2007), and the Cayman Islands (2010

Areas of Expertise

Corporate

• Equity and debt financing, structuring, and documentation across NY, English, Cayman, and BVI law.
• Public and private equity offerings, mergers, acquisitions, and restructurings.
• Shareholder and director rights, corporate governance, and compliance.

Banking & Finance

• Structured finance, credit facilities, and secured lending.
• Listings of equity and debt securities on NASDAQ, NYSE, HKEX, LSE, and LuxSE.
• Cayman banking regulations, including CIMA policies and oversight.

Investment Funds

• Structuring of mutual funds, private equity funds, SPCs, LPs, and LLCs.
• Regulatory compliance for investment managers in Cayman and BVI, including Economic Substance requirements.
• Liquidity provisions, governance, and restructuring.

Private Wealth & Succession Planning

• Multi-generational wealth structuring, family office frameworks, and wills/trusts.
• Cross-jurisdictional regulatory and compliance matters.

Regulatory & Global Compliance

• Cayman and BVI regulatory frameworks for financial services, including AML/KYC regulations.
• Licensing and compliance for law firms, fiduciaries, and investment businesses.

Other highlights

• Managing Partner of Harneys Cayman, where he grew revenue from $2M to $35M and expanded staff from 12 to over 100.
• Founding offices in Miami, São Paulo, Montevideo, Shanghai, and Luxembourg.
• Leading high-profile mandates for Latin American banks, including Banco do Brasil and Bradesco.
• Marco speaks fluent Spanish and Portuguese, and his global experience spans North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America.