Press Releases
HFW Further Boosts Leading Middle East Shipping Practice With Region's First Master Mariner
Global, sector-focused law firm HFW has further strengthened its market-leading Middle East shipping practice by relocating Master Mariner Shamsheer Singh from London to Dubai.
Shamsheer has more than 20 years' sea going experience, including command of the Vale Max Ore Carriers (400 K, VLOCs) for Oman Shipping, and as a Master Mariner advises clients across the industry on collision investigations, personal injury, MLC complaints, and insurance claims, as well as issues relating to sustainability and cybersecurity.
HFW is now the only law firm with a mariner based in the Middle East.
This follows HFW's recruitment of top-ranked Dubai shipping and offshore team Robert Lawrence and Ian Chung, which established the firm as the clear number one shipping practice in the region for both disputes and transactional matters.
HFW has operated in the Middle East for more than 15 years and now has 20 partners and over 50 lawyers in total across offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait City and Riyadh, making it one of the largest practices of any international law firm in the region.
Yaman Al Hawamdeh, Middle East Managing Partner, HFW:
"We have the largest shipping and logistics team in the Middle East, and have been involved in almost every major marine causality in the region during the last 10 years. Our combination of industry expertise, local law capability and network of offices in the Middle East is unrivalled, and we are committed to continue leading this sector in the region. Shamsheer's relocation to Dubai will improve our local capabilities and allow better collaboration with our international admiralty team across the globe."
Dominic Johnson, Global Head of Admiralty and Crisis Management, HFW:
"We pride ourselves as a global admiralty and crisis management team on responding rapidly to incidents, no matter where they occur or the time of day, which we're able to do thanks to our market-leading network of more than 30 specialist lawyers and mariners based throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and the Americas. The Middle East is an important market to our clients, and Shamsheer's relocation further strengthens our presence, giving us the only law firm Master Mariner in the region."
HFW is widely recognised as the world's leading shipping and maritime law firm, and has been serving clients in the industry for almost 140 years. The firm has more than 200 shipping lawyers and 11 Master Mariners across its global network, specialising in dry shipping, admiralty and crisis management, and transactional work.
HFW has more top-tier rankings for shipping in Chambers and The Legal 500 than any other law firm, and its lawyers have featured in Lloyd's List's ranking of the top 10 lawyers and 100 most influential people in the shipping industry for four consecutive years.
The Lawyer’s Litigation Tracker shows that HFW has handled over 60% more shipping litigation cases in the English Courts since 2015 than its nearest rival.
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 185 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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