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HFW bolsters global commodities practice, continues Australia growth with energy M&A, projects partner hire

News
20 January 2025
4 MIN READ

Global, sector-focused law firm HFW has expanded its international commodities practice and continued the growth of its Australia business with the appointment of energy M&A and projects partner Graeme Gamble in Perth.

Graeme, who joined HFW from Herbert Smith Freehills on 1 January 2025, has more than 25 years’ experience advising clients in the energy sector. He is admitted in Australia and England and Wales and has practiced in London and Perth.

Gavin Vallely, Australia Managing Partner, HFW: “I am pleased to welcome Graeme to HFW. His experience in the energy and commodity sectors, in particular his experience in the LNG marketing and trading space with major industry players will be of great value to our clients.”

Alistair Feeney, Global Head of Commodities, HFW: “Graeme is a highly regarded practitioner with considerable expertise in all aspects of the energy value chain. He will complement and enhance our already-strong energy capabilities which include M&A, project development, sale and purchase, trading, shipbuilding, vessel chartering and arbitration.”

Graeme specialises in energy related M&A and project development, including Carbon Capture and Storage, LNG liquefaction and import and offshore wind projects and operations. In addition, he has advised on numerous significant LNG trades between Australia, Asia, the US, and Europe.

Earlier in his career, Graeme spent several years as Senior Legal Counsel at Centrica Energy in the UK where he was responsible for Centrica’s LNG import capacity position at the Isle of Grain LNG import terminal, North Sea M&A and field development and Centrica’s offshore wind portfolio development and operations in the North and east Irish Seas.

He is a member of the Australian Mining and Petroleum Law Association and the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators.

Graeme Gamble, Partner, HFW: “I am excited to be joining a firm that is committed to growth in Australia and internationally. HFW’s global footprint, reputation in the market, as well as its focus on commodities, will give me the best platform from which to expand my practice.”

HFW has been in Australia since in 2006 and is now one of the fastest-growing law firms in the country, having now added fourteen new partners across its offices in Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney since the beginning of FY24. This includes a major corporate, projects, and regulatory team in Perth, a shipping, aerospace, energy, insurance, commodities, and litigation funding team in Melbourne, and a corporate restructuring, insolvency and commercial litigation team in Melbourne.

Graeme is the second Perth partner hired by the firm in recent months, following the appointment of construction disputes and international arbitration partner Sean Marriott in October 2024.

His arrival continues a period of sustained expansion for HFW globally. The firm has added more than 52 new partners since the beginning of FY23, including team and partner hires in Hong Kong, Kuwait City, London, Melbourne, Paris, Perth, 

Piraeus, Riyadh, Singapore, and Sydney.

HFW now has 35 partners and more than 160 lawyers in total across its three Australia offices in Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney, working as part of an Asia Pacific team of 280 lawyers and a global team of more than 750 lawyers.

Press Contact
Kelly Murray
Senior Manager, Communications APAC