Michael Buffham

About Mike

Michael is a Partner in HFW’s Commodities team, specialising in international trade and dispute resolution.

His expertise spans dispute resolution, advisory, and transactional work. He advises traders, producers, utilities, and financiers on sale and purchase cases (including trade disputes, regulatory due diligence, and standard terms) alongside trade finance such as commodity derivatives and repos. He also advises on transhipment and freight issues, including charterparty negotiations, demurrage claims, and operational cases. Michael’s experience covers energy, metals, and agricultural commodities, with a particular focus on sugar, biomass, biofuels, and Sustainable Aviation Fuel.

Michael’s dispute resolution experience includes international arbitration and litigation involving fraud, joint ventures, share option disputes, loan facilities, and insolvency proceedings.

He has completed secondments at international banking groups in London and Abu Dhabi, advising on corporate and commercial cases. He also supported the coal, freight, and biomass desks of a major European utilities company in Brussels. More recently, he completed a remote secondment with the trading arm of a Middle East oil company, advising on sale and purchase, shipping, operational, and financial cases.

Michael is qualified in England and Wales.