HFW announces Partner, Senior Manager, and Legal Director/Of Counsel promotions

Global, sector-focused law firm HFW has announced the promotion of two new Partners, one Senior Manager, and six Legal Directors / Of Counsel, effective 1 April 2026.

Jeremy Shebson, Managing Partner, and Giles Kavanagh, Global Senior Partner, HFW:
“We are very pleased to welcome this outstanding group into senior roles across the firm. Each has demonstrated exceptional expertise, leadership, and a deep commitment to our clients, reflecting the high standards, professionalism, and collaborative approach that define HFW.”

New Partners

Tanya Chadha (London)
Tanya specialises in complex, high-value construction and engineering disputes with a particular focus on renewable energy, process engineering and infrastructure projects. With an international practice, Tanya regularly advises clients across the globe on cross-border matters. She has extensive experience in both international arbitration and domestic High Court and Court of Appeal litigation. She has particular expertise in the offshore wind and energy from waste sectors.

Mark Waters (London)
Mark has been a key part of the Aerospace team since qualification, working for many of the department’s most long-standing and valued clients. His practice covers both disputes and commercial work, to include major claims handling for operators, manufacturers, airports, ground handlers, tour operators and their insurers as well as advising on contractual and regulatory matters. He has significant product liability expertise, having acted for a number of major aerospace manufacturers in complex disputes over many years. Mark regularly gives seminars and provides training to clients, including on liability issues and claims handling.

New Senior Manager

Paul Miller (London)
Paul is a Senior Master Mariner in the Admiralty and Crisis Management team of the firm’s Shipping Group. Having spent 21 years at sea with command experience, he regularly attends casualties, including collisions, groundings, fires, explosions, salvage and cargo issues. He advises and supports clients in their casualty management and provides advice on potential liability. He also has experience in extensive arbitration and High Court.

New Legal Directors/Of Counsel

Simon Banner (London)
Simon specialises in international commercial dispute resolution, focussing on the insurance and reinsurance sector. He advises clients on major insurance and reinsurance losses, usually complex, cross-border and high value, across various lines including energy (onshore and offshore), construction/CAR/EAR, property/BI, marine (H&M, war risks, cargo), liability/casualty, financial lines and reinsurance. In addition to advising on insurance and reinsurance coverage disputes, he has experience of policy defence work, subrogated recoveries, policy/wording reviews and general contractual disputes. His experience includes court litigation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution methods including mediation.

Justine Barthe-Dejean (Singapore)
Based in HFW’s Singapore office, Justine specialises in energy, commodities, transportation and international trade. Her practice covers disputes, advisory work and transactions. She represents clients in international arbitrations involving trade, transportation and joint ventures on energy projects, with particular expertise in LNG and voluntary carbon market disputes.
Justine also advises on complex cross border energy and commodities transactions, including long term sales and purchases, project offtakes, financing, transportation, tolling and processing, and complements this with regulatory advice. She completed secondments with two global commodity trading and mining corporations, giving her first hand insight into energy sourcing and trading and strengthening her focus on commercial, practical, business oriented legal solutions.
Justine was recognised as an Asian Legal Business Rising Star in 2025.

Peter Emery (London)
Peter is a transactional lawyer who advises clients on a wide range of shipping, corporate and commercial matters, with an enthusiasm for tackling contract drafting and negotiation for novel or bespoke situations.

Peter Jones (London)
Peter is HFW’s Head of Costs and regularly advises on costs related matters in high profile and high quantum commercial litigation, often involving numerous jurisdictions. Peter has been involved in a wide variety of costs cases including the justification and opposition of costs in arbitration (including international), substantial High Court Matters, costs in the Court of Appeal, Privy Council, Employment Appeals Tribunals and UK Supreme Court (and previously House of Lords). In 2007, the then Senior Costs Judge, Master Hurst awarded him the Association of Law Costs Draftsman (ALCD) Cup for the highest mark of the Associate examination in the country.

Caroline West (London)
Caroline has more than a decade of experience in the commodities sector and advises on all aspects of the international sale of goods, from contract drafting through to dispute resolution.
A specialist in soft commodities, she regularly advises traders and charterers on physical sale contract terms, exchange traded futures, charterparties, bills of lading and storage agreements. She has extensive experience representing clients in GAFTA, FOSFA, RSA and LMAA arbitrations, as well as LCIA and ICC arbitrations.
Prior to returning to London, Caroline spent six years in Geneva, where she developed in-depth knowledge of the trading and finance markets. Caroline has acted for various Swiss and European banks in high value English High Court litigation matters.

Vivien Wong (Hong Kong)
A Hong Kong qualified aviation liability specialist, Vivien plays a prominent role in the firm’s Greater China aviation litigation practice, advising both Hong Kong and CAAC regulated airlines and airport groups. Having handled close to 400 civil aviation disputes, she has extensive experience across the full spectrum of aviation claims for entities based in mainland China and Hong Kong, including passenger and crew injuries, contractual and operational disputes, and baggage and cargo matters.
Vivien is also experienced in regulatory investigations and interviews conducted by public authorities. Fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin and English, she is regularly instructed for her cross border insight and deep understanding of the Chinese aviation and insurance sectors.