Global, sector-focused law firm HFW has once again been ranked as a leading practice in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, which recognises the region’s best law firms. HFW achieved 24 practice rankings and 15 individual rankings across Asia Pacific including the Hong Kong, Melbourne, Perth, Shanghai, Singapore and Sydney offices.
The firm maintains its Tier 1 ranking in Shipping across China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The Australian Employment and Construction groups have both increased their rankings, in China HFW was ranked for the first time for Arbitration and the firm increased its ranking for Litigation, and in Singapore HFW gained a new Tier 1 ranking in Asset Finance: Foreign firms and was ranked for the first time for Insurance: Foreign firms. Nine of HFW’s lawyers are ranked as ‘Leading Individuals’.
The Legal 500 says that HFW “is noted for its partner-led approach and established litigation reputation in the insurance, commodities, energy, shipping, and construction sectors”. The firm has “committed significant expertise and resources to its Greater China arbitration practice'” and the “longstanding Hong Kong office also features a large number of senior arbitration partners that have a deep understanding of the arbitration scene”. The Legal 500 notes that the Shanghai office has “the strength-in-depth to handle a tremendous volume and range of wet and dry disputes for the firm’s stellar roster of clients”; in Singapore, HFW “has an outstanding record in aviation and ship finance”.
Clients describe HFW’s team as ‘very able, enthusiastic and industrious’ with ‘a very clear understanding of what its clients need and an understanding of business in the Far East, which they bring to bear most effectively in London arbitration and litigation’. The firm’s lawyers put their ‘heart and soul’ into clients’ cases and are ‘very well connected in the insurance market’, with ‘a deep understanding of the claims process and the likely positions which the market will take‘.
HFW is ranked in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2021 in Tier 1 for:
- Shipping – Foreign firms (China)
- Shipping (Hong Kong)
- Shipping – Foreign firms (Singapore)
- Asset finance – Foreign firms (Singapore)
HFW ‘Leading Individuals’:
- Hazel Brewer – Transport: Shipping (Australia)
- Christopher Chan – Shipping (Hong Kong)
- Patrick Cheung – Shipping Finance (Hong Kong)
- John Forrester – Asset Finance (Singapore)
- Richard Jowett – Insurance (Australia)
- George Lamplough – Shipping (Hong Kong)
- Nicholas Poynder – Shipping (China)
- Justin Sun – Aviation Finance (Hong Kong)
- Gavin Vallely– Transport: Shipping (Australia)
HFW’s full rankings in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2021 guide can be found here.