Press Releases
HFW Continues Growth With Partner And Legal Director Promotions
Global, sector-focused law firm has announced the promotion of seven new Partners and five new Legal Directors, effective 1 April 2024.
The promotions continue HFW's growth across its international network and core sectors, spanning the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific, and the firm's global commodities, dispute resolution. insurance, and shipping groups.
HFW has now added more than 35 new Partners since the beginning of FY23, including multiple team hires in Australia and further laterals in Hong Kong, London, Paris, Riyadh, and Singapore. The firm also recently launched an office in Shenzhen to support its clients in China's Greater Bay Area.
Jeremy Shebson, Managing Partner & Giles Kavanagh, Global Senior Partner, HFW:
"On behalf of everyone at HFW, we would like to congratulate our newest Partners and Legal Directors on their promotions. Each have already made important contributions to our clients and our firm, and give us real confidence for the future of the business. We look forward to working with them to continue to drive ambitious growth across the firm."
New Partners
Rami Al Tal (Shipping, Dubai)
Rami assists clients with debt recovery, banking disputes, shareholder disputes, labour disputes, payment orders, sale and purchase contract disputes, enforcement of local and international awards and judgments, attachment of assets, fraud, breach of trust and shipping disputes.
Edward Beeley (Commodities, Hong Kong)
Edward specialises in commercial litigation, contentious insolvency, and offshore work with a particular focus on complex high-value commercial disputes in the international trade and commodities spaces. He regularly appears as an advocate before the Hong Kong Courts, and has represented clients in international arbitration under all the major regimes in jurisdictions across Asia and Europe. Edward is qualified in England & Wales, Hong Kong, and the British Virgin Islands.
Suzanne Meiklejohn (Commodities, Singapore)
Suzanne specialises in dispute resolution between parties in the commodities sector. She has experience advising and representing parties across a broad spectrum of dispute resolution fora, including in the English and EU courts, and in arbitrations under the rules of various international and sectoral institutions, in particular SIAC arbitration. Suzanne has particular expertise in connection with payment and security instruments.
Tom Morgan (Shipping, London)
Tom has a broad shipping practice. He has significant experience responding to complex, high-value marine casualties including collisions, groundings, stow collapses, fire/explosions, and dangerous cargoes, through to disputes under contracts of carriage, vessel sharing agreements and marine insurance. This regularly involves issues of general average and limitation. He also has a particular focus on the container shipping, car carrier, and chemical tanker sectors.
Peter Sadler (Dispute Resolution, Perth)
Peter represents clients in a broad range of commercial disputes, particularly disputes in the energy, mining, and industrial sectors, both in Australia and internationally. He specialises in economic and technical disputes, which are often resolved through arbitration. In addition to his litigation and arbitration expertise, Peter provides strategic guidance to directors and corporate clients in navigating regulatory actions, investigations, and commissions of inquiry.
Owen Webb (Commodities, Melbourne)
Owen specialises in handling high value, time-sensitive commodities and shipping disputes, and acting in arbitral proceedings and litigation in London, Singapore, and Australia. Owen also assists clients with the structuring of commodities transactions. He advises clients across the trade and energy sectors, including commodity trading houses, insurers, port infrastructure owners and users, and shipping companies and vessel charterers.
Mark Thompson [Senior Manager] (Shipping, London)
Mark is a Master Mariner in our shipping emergency response team, and deals with marine casualties, including collisions, groundings, cargo claims and salvage. He is also active in yacht-related crisis management involving fires, helicopter incidents, tender/PWC related accidents, and total loss.
Legal Directors
David Chalcraft (Dispute Resolution / Fraud and Insolvency, London)
David is an English and BVI qualified commercial litigator, specialising in complex disputes usually involving elements of international civil fraud and insolvency. He also has significant experience in offshore trust and contentious insolvency litigation in various offshore jurisdictions.
Luke Garrett (Insurance and Reinsurance, Dubai)
Luke advises clients on insurance claims, subrogated recoveries, defence work and coverage issues within marine, trade credit, liability, cyber and property insurance classes of business. He regularly acts in international arbitrations, complex litigation in the English High Court and the DIFC and ADGM Courts, as well as assisting with and supervising local UAE court litigation.
Nicola Hui (Shipping, Hong Kong)
Nicola specialises in both wet and dry shipping including charterparty disputes, casualties, fire and explosion, general average, and total loss. She has particular experience of contractual disputes arising from container vessel claims, dangerous cargo, and loss of cargo. She also has significant experience in all aspects of P&I and FDD disputes. Nicola works closely with owners, operators, and traders in China/Asia-Pacific trades.
Mona Dejean (Shipping, Paris)
Mona specialises in maritime matters and has over fifteen years' experience handling complex shipping and energy law issues. She advises and represents actors of the shipping and offshore energy sectors, both in litigation and transactional matters. Mona handles all types of shipping disputes, including major casualties, and represents clients before the French courts (court surveys, commercial courts), or in arbitration.
Daniel O'Connell (Shipping, London)
Daniel focusses mainly on wet shipping matters, including collisions, groundings, salvage, wreck removal, fires, piracy, limitation of liability and coverage issues. He also advises on dry shipping matters including charterparty, bill of lading and related contractual disputes. Daniel acts for owners, charterers, H&M underwriters, P&I Clubs and salvors in both arbitration and court related matters.
About HFW
HFW is a leading global law firm in the aerospace, commodities, construction, energy, insurance, and shipping sectors. The firm has 700 lawyers, including 180 partners, based in offices across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. HFW prides itself on its deep industry expertise and its entrepreneurial, creative, and collaborative culture.
For further information, please contact:
Chris Johnson
Head of Communications
D +44 (0)20 7264 8159
M +44 (0)7976 939864
E chris.johnson@hfw.com
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