Few lawyers have shaped the litigation landscape of the Turks and Caicos Islands quite like Stephen Wilson KC. As Managing Partner of Wilson Wells, Stephen brings over three decades of courtroom experience, from his early days at the London Bar to leading some of the Islands’ most complex, high-value disputes today.
From Liverpool to London, and on to Providenciales
Born in Liverpool, Stephen’s legal journey began at University College London (where he read law) and the Inns of Court School of Law, before being called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1990. For more than a decade, he practised from chambers in London, developing a reputation as a formidable cross-examiner and an employment law specialist with an appetite for demanding cases.
Stephen’s decision to pursue law was inspired by a mix of pragmatism and passion. Realising early on that he was “useless with his hands”, he set out to make his living with words instead. Encouraged by his mother to “aim for the stars and you might just reach the moon”, and captivated by TV shows like Crown Court, Rumpole of the Bailey and LA Law, Stephen was drawn to the courtroom drama and the personalities who made it come alive. A visit to Liverpool’s main court building as a teenager (organised by his Auntie Sue) sealed the deal: “I was hooked from that moment and decided the guys and ladies in the wigs and gowns doing all the talking were the stars”.
In 2001, Stephen relocated to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Initially drawn by property investment opportunities (and even briefly pursuing the idea of running a bar, à la Tom Cruise in Cocktail), it was the beauty of the Islands and the chance to continue practising law that secured his move. A decade later, he was invited to establish the TCI office of a leading Bahamian firm, building and heading its Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice for 11 years before he and partner Chris Wells transitioned to Wilson Wells.
In 2013, Stephen was appointed King’s Counsel – one of the highest honours at the Bar.
Leading headline cases
Stephen’s practice is wide-ranging, spanning banking and finance; corporate and commercial disputes; employment; real estate and development; fraud, asset tracing and recovery; and insurance. His client list is equally diverse, from international banks and resort developers to government bodies and UHNW individuals.
Over the years, he has appeared in many of the jurisdiction’s most significant cases, including disputes touching on multi-jurisdictional liquidations, shareholder conflicts, cross-border asset recovery and enforcement actions worth hundreds of millions, and judicial review proceedings involving major infrastructure and tourism developments.
Some cases, though, stand out for their personal significance as much as their legal weight. His first reported case earned him an invitation to 10 Downing Street. Another brought his first £50,000 brief fee – enough to buy his first home. His first case in TCI required him to fly to Grand Turk (the capital of the Turks and Caicos Islands) to appear in court, a surreal milestone that underlined just how different his new jurisdiction would be. An arbitration in Nassau, Bahamas took him on three separate trips to Hong Kong, before he returned to TCI just in time to perform in a Christmas pantomime. He is also currently working on his longest-running case to date – an 11-year dispute that is still ongoing.
It is this breadth of experience that has seen Stephen consistently ranked Band 1 by Chambers Global for over a decade, with peers describing him as “very tenacious” and “a good advocate” who “knows his stuff.”
Recognition and service
Beyond the courtroom, Stephen has served as a Commissioner of the Turks and Caicos Islands Integrity Commission since 2020, reflecting his commitment to the good governance of the jurisdiction.
His professional standing is recognised internationally: Chambers Global has consistently ranked him Band 1 in Dispute Resolution, alongside commendations for his expertise across the Caribbean.
Practising in the TCI also brought an adjustment after life at the London Bar. Unlike in England and Wales, the Islands have a fused profession, with all practitioners known simply as attorneys. For Stephen, that meant adapting from the barrister’s world of court appearances and opinions to running cases end-to-end, maintaining direct client contact, corresponding with the other side, and even – the “big no-no” for barristers – talking about fees.
Outside the law
Growing up in the same part of Liverpool as Steven Gerrard later did, Stephen is a lifelong Liverpool F.C. supporter, a passion he shares with firm partner Chris Wells. Football has been more than just a spectator sport for him: after moving to TCI, he founded his own team, Provopool F.C., trained with the men’s national squad for three World Cup campaigns, and even managed the national team during the campaign to qualify for Brazil 2014.
Stephen was one of the main investors and driving forces behind Providenciales’ first ever Irish pub, Danny Buoy’s, which became a social epicentre, especially for sports fans, before the explosion of development that followed.
Away from the pitch and the courtroom, he is also passionate about the stage. If he weren’t a lawyer, he says, he would have been an actor. In fact, he has channelled that love into regular performances in local theatre productions and pantomimes.
A keen traveller, Stephen has already visited more than 50 countries, with another 50 still on his list (although he is steadily ticking them off). His interests stretch to theatre, sport, music, food, and culture, all of which he shares or at least encourages with his two daughters. Stephen is always eager to explore new horizons, whether in far-flung corners of the globe or through his next challenging case.
