Ferron J. M. Bethell K.C.
Senior Partner
Phone: 1.242.322.2670
Fax: 1.242.323.8914
E-mail: fbethell@hbslaw.com
Called to the Bar:
1985, Nassau, Bahamas
Education:
Appleby College, Oakville, Ontario, Canada; University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
Areas of Practice:
Civil litigation; Commercial and Corporate litigation; Public and Administrative Law; Employment Law, Telecommunications Law; Construction Law, Negligence and Personal Injury Law; Insurance Law; Medical Malpractice and Professional Negligence; Property Disputes.
Professional Experience:
Ferron Bethell K.C. is an experienced advocate who specializes in employment law, commercial litigation, and arbitration. Ferron has a broad commercial practice and has been instructed in disputes across a wide spectrum of industry sectors – administrative and public law, banking and finance, insurance and personal injury law, construction law, trusts, and professional negligence claims.
Ferron is an advocate with extensive trial experience, having honed his skills in his early years of practice by regular appearances before the employment arbitration tribunal. He frequently appears in the Supreme Court of The Bahamas and the Court of Appeal in a wide range of litigation, as well as on final appeals to the Privy Council in London.
In January 2020 he received Letters Patent appointing him one of Her Majesty’s Queens Counsel. Ferron is also a Fellow of the prestigious International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the Litigation Counsel of America.
Ferron represents some of the largest private employers in The Bahamas, including major resorts, hotels, commercial banks and business concerns. He is an advisor to the Bahamas Hotel Employers Association as well as certain government corporations with respect to collective bargaining and industrial relations. He represents owners of exclusive island community homes in various disputes ranging from landlord and tenant disputes, breach of covenants, easement and rights of way, to seizure and foreclosure, and customs duty exemptions for hurricane relief.
Employment Law:
In the Employment Law field Ferron represents some of the largest private employers in The Bahamas, including numerous resorts, hotels and business concerns. He is an advisor to the Bahamas Hotel Employers Association with respect to collective bargaining and industrial relations. Ferron has appeared in a multitude of employment law cases before Arbitration and Industrial Tribunals, and in numerous reported cases in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. Employment law has always remained a cornerstone of his practice.
Negligence and Personal Injury Law:
As Ferron enjoys a broad client base, ranging from major insurance and pharmaceutical companies to resort and construction companies, he has been actively involved in a number of reported high profile negligence and personal injuries claims; some with values in the tens of millions.
Property Law:
During his years of practice, Ferron has been involved in a number of property disputes under the Quieting of Titles Act. He has acted for Petitioners and Adverse Claimants alike, and has been involved in litigation setting aside fraudulent Certificates of Title. Ferron has represented owners of exclusive island community homes in various disputes ranging from landlord and tenant disputes, breach of covenants, easement and rights of way, to seizure and foreclosure, and customs duty exemptions for hurricane relief.
Public and Administrative Law:
Ferron has engaged in litigation in this field of law representing Government agencies as well as private companies and individuals. His experience in this area of the law is wide ranging, and encompasses disputes in the areas of employment, gaming, licensing, telecommunications, cable television, collective bargaining, unionization, discrimination, aviation and aerodromes.
Commercial and Corporate Law:
In the commercial law field Ferron has been involved in several large tracing and asset recovery cases involving cross border claims and substantial amounts of money. Recently, Ferron was involved in a successful cross border, multi-jurisdictional claim where he represented the Central Bank of a South American country in a claim for fraud where damages were awarded by the Privy Council, the final Court of appeal for The Bahamas, in the amount of US$580 million.
