Our market leading yacht practice draws together a team of expert international lawyers who have in-depth technical and commercial knowledge of this specialist sector. Our clients come from across the sector and include builders, designers, owners, banks and financial institutions, charterers, brokers and insurers.

• Construction, refit and design contracts: extensive experience in the negotiation of commercial contracts and related aspects, such as the drafting and, where necessary, registration of refund guarantees. Also advise on and assist clients in disputes that may arise anywhere in the world using all methods of dispute resolution.

• Finance and leasing: We have advised on some of the industry’s largest transactions, providing our clients with high-quality, multi-jurisdictional and innovative guidance.

• Ownership structures/sale & purchase: providing expert assistance at every stage, before, at and after delivery. Pre-delivery, we assist in the negotiation of MOAs. We advise on structuring, incorporation, taxation, insurance, flagging and crewing. Our international network ensures we are equipped to advise on any cross-border aspects of the transaction.

• Chartering: advising owners, charterers, investors, insurers and intermediaries.

• Insurance: specialist understanding of the legal principles relating to marine insurance, including knowledge of international insurance regulation and procedures, and a sound commercial understanding of the marketplace. Our specialist partners have worked in private practice for both marine underwriters and leading international group P&I clubs. We regularly advise on major marine casualties and are the experts retained to review, draft and amend a wide variety of policy wordings.

• Management agreements and crewing/employment issues: we advise managers and operators of super-yachts on their contracts with owners and suppliers, as well as advising them on any crew and/or employment issues that arise.

• Dispute resolution: we advise on and assist clients in disputes that may arise anywhere in the world. Our litigators are experienced in all forms of dispute resolution, including High Court, Admiralty Court and Commercial Court litigation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation. We offer global coverage, using our own international network of offices and established correspondent relationships with law firms in other countries.

What we do Experience

• Advising a leading yacht builder on all its English law contract work, including preparing the client's standard yacht construction contract and related documents; reviewing, negotiating and concluding some fifteen or twenty yacht construction contracts in the 30m to 60m range per annum; and advising on other contractual issues such as contract assignments, refund guarantees, change orders and deliveries.

• Advising a ship builder in negotiating the contract for the construction of a 92m motor yacht with a deal value of approx €130 million.

• Acting for the designer in contracting with the yacht owner for the provision of the exterior and interior design of a 85 metre motor yacht.  Deal value approx. £1.5million.

• Advising our client in the preparation, negotiation and conclusion of a design agreement for a 126m yacht under construction at a shipyard in Italy.

• Advising a French shipyard on a complicated contractual situation involving a yacht.  Disputes had arisen relating to the yacht's condition on delivery, and particularly whether she met stability requirements.  We kept the disputes out of arbitration and negotiated a settlement which saw the yacht successfully delivered.  She went on to win the 2007 International Superyacht Design Award in the 32m to 43m category.

What we do Experience

Our market leading yacht practice draws together a team of expert international lawyers who have in-depth technical and commercial knowledge of this specialist sector. Our clients come from across the sector and include builders, designers, owners, banks and financial institutions, charterers, brokers and insurers.

• Construction, refit and design contracts: extensive experience in the negotiation of commercial contracts and related aspects, such as the drafting and, where necessary, registration of refund guarantees. Also advise on and assist clients in disputes that may arise anywhere in the world using all methods of dispute resolution.

• Finance and leasing: We have advised on some of the industry’s largest transactions, providing our clients with high-quality, multi-jurisdictional and innovative guidance.

• Ownership structures/sale & purchase: providing expert assistance at every stage, before, at and after delivery. Pre-delivery, we assist in the negotiation of MOAs. We advise on structuring, incorporation, taxation, insurance, flagging and crewing. Our international network ensures we are equipped to advise on any cross-border aspects of the transaction.

• Chartering: advising owners, charterers, investors, insurers and intermediaries.

• Insurance: specialist understanding of the legal principles relating to marine insurance, including knowledge of international insurance regulation and procedures, and a sound commercial understanding of the marketplace. Our specialist partners have worked in private practice for both marine underwriters and leading international group P&I clubs. We regularly advise on major marine casualties and are the experts retained to review, draft and amend a wide variety of policy wordings.

• Management agreements and crewing/employment issues: we advise managers and operators of super-yachts on their contracts with owners and suppliers, as well as advising them on any crew and/or employment issues that arise.

• Dispute resolution: we advise on and assist clients in disputes that may arise anywhere in the world. Our litigators are experienced in all forms of dispute resolution, including High Court, Admiralty Court and Commercial Court litigation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation. We offer global coverage, using our own international network of offices and established correspondent relationships with law firms in other countries.