There is nothing like celebrating your 800th anniversary to make you sit back and take stock of where you are going in life. In 2004, the Channel Islands are commemorating the eighth century of their special status and the anniversary of allying themselves with the English Crown. The year has so far been marked by change for the islands’ financial and legal industries and their lawyers are upbeat about the prospects for growth.
Still, the events of the past three years have given them plenty to think about. The world’s offshore centres have, despite mushrooming in numbers in recent years, come under scrutiny from bodies such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and under the influence of the European Union (EU).
