Island time

Most people have probably never heard of Nevis.

But the small Caribbean island of 10,000 inhabitants is well known to financial planners for high-net-worth individuals thanks to Naples attorney Jonathan Gopman, chair of Akerman's trusts and estate practice. That's because he recently helped the island rewrite its trust laws so it could be more attractive to wealthy people.

Nevis (pronounced neevis) hopes to boost its standing among countries that make it difficult for creditors to reach the assets of entrepreneurs, business owners and wealthy families who have established trusts there. “The laws intentionally create barriers to make it unfeasible to go after them if they're structured properly,” says Gopman.