Jeffrey Elkinson is lawyer who has been extensively engaged in complex litigation and arbitration cases throughout his career. With colleagues and friends in the legal profession worldwide and a broad range of international qualifications and experience, Jeffrey is uniquely positioned to assist in commercial disputes with an international aspect. He is a member of the Bars of Ireland, England, Hong Kong, New South Wales Australia, New York, United States Court of International Trade, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Bermuda and the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. He is admitted to the Supreme Court of the United States. He has been appointed a Special Assistant Attorney-General for Massachusetts.
He also sits as an Assistant Justice of the Supreme Court of Bermuda, a court with original unlimited jurisdiction and appellate jurisdiction from lower courts. He is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and is a door tenant of Des Voeux Chambers, Hong Kong.
Jeffrey is a commercial litigation specialist and appears at all levels of the courts in the Commonwealth and beyond as counsel. He specializes in cross-border disputes and deals with many areas of complexity, not least Regulatory, often acting for the Regulator in matters concerning tax treaties and insurance. He has had extensive experience in relation to telecom disputes but also deals with HNWI disputes in connection with trusts and has appeared in the leading cases in Bermuda in connection with trust restructuring.
Jeffrey sits as an arbitrator with appointments from ICC, LCIA, BVIAC and CIArb and, in respect of domain names, HKIAC/ADNDRC. He is a Past President of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He is the Education Officer of the Professional Ethics Committee of the International Bar Association.
Chambers recognizes Jeffrey as a leading dispute resolution lawyer – “…very tactically minded lawyer with a huge amount of common sense… great fun to work with” and in Legal 500 he is described as a “star litigator, highly commercial and effective.” Jeffrey is also recognized in 2025 as a leading dispute resolution lawyer by Legal Week’s The Private Client Global Elite, Who’s Who Legal Arbitration, Who’s Who Legal Asset Recovery, Who’s Who Thought Leaders Commercial Litigation, International Who’s Who Legal of Business Lawyers and International Who’s Who Legal Construction Lawyers.
Jeffrey’s pro bono work includes chairing the Professional Conduct Committee of Bermuda and the Police Complaints Authority. He is the legal advisor to the Bermuda Olympic Committee. He is Course Director and Tutor for the diploma, fellowship, member and associate courses for the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and has led arbitration courses across the globe for the Chartered Institute, including in Hong Kong, South Korea, Bermuda, Brazil, Taiwan, Sierra Leone, and Oxford University. He has written the definitive text on arbitration in Bermuda which is contained in the World Arbitration Reporter. Jeffrey is also the author of the Bermuda Chapter of the ICCA Handbook, Spitz’s Tax Havens of the World and Butterworths Offshore Cases and Materials.
Jeffrey’s initial legal training was in Ireland, receiving his law degrees, M.A., B.A. (Moderatorship Legal Science) and LLB at Trinity College Dublin and his Barrister at Law (BL) degree at King’s Inns Dublin. He is a Chartered Arbitrator and a certified Mediator. Who’s Who Legal: Arbitration says: “Jeffrey is very experienced and a great strategist” “He is an excellent lawyer”
Jeffrey lives in Bermuda. He is a keen sportsman, playing soccer and enjoying water sports, in particular water-skiing. He is a former member of the Royal Hong Kong Regiment and has a keen interest in learning languages.
contact:- attorney@elkinson.com