Most Highly Regarded Firms: Shipping & Maritime 2009

• June 2009

• Shipping & Maritime

Two firms head the shipping and maritime legal market. Between them, Holman Fenwick Willan and Ince & Co produce 49 of the nearly 400 individuals we feature, and each are represented in eight countries in the following pages.

INTERNATIONAL

Holman Fenwick Willan tops the table in terms of numbers, with 26 of its lawyers garnering sufficient votes to be listed. The firm is widely recognised as first class across all sectors of shipping and maritime work, with clients and peers commending its expertise in the finance, risk management, regulatory and disputes areas. The London office provides the largest single contingent, eight lawyers, led in the voting by the "phenomenally knowledgeable" James Gosling. An expert on piracy, his insurance and "wet" work is also of the "highest calibre". Hugh Livingstone is head of the shipping and transport group and a "first-rate disputes expert", with his experience in charter parties, bills of lading and sale contracts particularly well known. Senior partner Richard Crump was also repeatedly recommended for his disputes practice, while Julian Clark's P&I, FDD and trade disruption insurance knowledge is "second to none". Hugh Brown's knowledge of the Indian market is "immensely valuable".

The Hong Kong office is also well represented, with six partners. Paul Hatzer is well regarded for disputes work - sources flagged up his experience of arbitrations in China - and the "very effective" George Lamplough is similarly well known across the region. Peter Rees Smith is a senior maritime consultant based in China, and his "incredible depth of knowledge" is widely recognised. HFW's impressive presence in Asia is further underlined by the inclusion of "fantastic dry lawyer" Simon Davidson in Singapore.

Elsewhere, the firm's European presence includes three partners in Paris, including dual French- and English-law qualified disputes expert Oliver Purcell, and a further pair in Greece. Elsewhere, the three HFW lawyers we list in Australia are based in the Melbourne office, where the "very prominent" Robert Springall stands out in particular. This presence is complemented by two further nominees in another strategically important jurisdiction: Dubai. Edward Newitt is a "very fine lawyer", while Chris Quennell is well regarded for his shipping and trade practices.

Similarly Ince & Co has 23 partners in eight countries listed and the offices in London and Hong Kong are once again particularly strong. The firm provides shipowners and shipbuilders, charterers, banks and insurers with the full range of legal services and "stands comparison with any firm in this field". Jonathan Lux leads the voting worldwide, with unanimous praise coming from all corners of the globe. Head of the firm's logistics team, he is recognised for his alternative dispute resolution capabilities as well as for his work on behalf of oil and gas clients, the major P&I clubs and leading insurers. "His skills and integrity mark him out as one of the best I have ever come across," said one admiring source. From the same office, Colin de la Rue is a worldwide expert on pollution, while senior partner and former head of the marine casualty team James Wilson is a "renowned expert" and Paul Herring is "fantastic" for charter party work.

Six lawyers represent the Hong Kong office. Senior partner Andrew Chan is highly respected for his maritime work as well as for his experience of trade disputes involving Chinese interests. Harry Hirst is one of the pre-eminent admiralty lawyers in the research, and Rosita Lau was praised for her transport and insurance practice. Peter Murray in Shanghai is a "market leader", while Richard Lovell was the first foreign shipping litigator to relocate to Singapore in 1988 and is "one of the best around". Bob Deering is managing partner of Ince & Co's Dubai office, Ince Al Jallaf & Co, and is "well versed in all aspects of local commercial law". The firm is also very strong in Europe, with two lawyers apiece in Paris and Hamburg and three in Piraeus, where managing partner Jonathan Elvey stood out for his work on behalf of ship owners, charterers and P&I clubs.

Clyde & Co LLP has an impressive 12 lawyers and a presence in six jurisdictions in this publication. The firm offers a complete maritime legal service to owners, charterers and cargo clients such as BP, Lloyd's of London, UK P&I Club, Hanjin Shipping and Samsung Heavy Industries. In recent years lawyers from the firm have advised cargo insurers regarding the grounding of the MSC Napoli, and have also made arrangements for the release of the Laemthong Glory following seizure by pirates. Derek Hodgson is head of the marine department and one of four partners listed for the UK. Described as "thorough and thoughtful", he received high levels of commendation for his shipping and insurance litigation. Nick Graydon heads the shipbuilding ship repair team and is renowned for this type of work, especially in Korea - his clients include leading builders Samsung Heavy Industry and Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, as well as STX Pan Ocean, Hanjin and Dooyang on the shipowner / operator side.

The firm is also particularly strong in the United Arab Emirates, and is the only firm to gain three listings in Dubai. Consultant Alec Emmerson is well known, while Christopher Mills' disputes work on both the litigation and arbitration sides is "extremely impressive". Brian Nash's marine litigation prowess is also well established. In New York, John Woods gives the firm a valuable US presence and is very well known for his work relating to shipbuilding contracts and third-party marine liability in particular. With further listings in Paris and Piraeus and two in Hong Kong, Clyde & Co is established as one of the top firms in this sector.

The merger between Reed Smith and Richards Butler in 2007 added more than 250 practitioners in London, Paris, Piraeus, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and lawyers from both firms are well represented. Recent matters include acting on the collision between the Kariba and the Tricolor in the English Channel, and five individuals appear in the London research. Nick Shaw is global leader of the Reed Smith shipping group and recognised for his "superlative" work on behalf of owners, charterers and P&I clubs. Andrew Taylor is well regarded for his casualty work - representative cases include the Nakhodka total loss and oil pollution case and the Maersk Tokyo explosion and fire. Four further partners appear in Hong Kong. Chris Howse is an "established figure" and Charles Brown is said to be a "brilliant litigator".

NORTH AMERICA

Seventy-six US-based practitioners feature on the following pages, based in 18 cities across 12 states. Full-service firms performed well in our survey, although the well-regarded shipping boutiques cannot be ignored.

Blank Rome LLP is a full-service firm with an "excellent reputation in the maritime field", according to numerous sources. Six members of the firm appear in this edition, including the only two US lawyers to feature in our list of most highly regarded lawyers: John Kimball, "one of New York's finest lawyers - thoughtful and thorough"; and the "formidable" LeRoy Lambert. Joining them in our New York list are Richard Singleton and Jeremy Harwood. The Washington, DC, office is home to Jonathan Waldron and Jeanne Grasso.

Keesal Young & Logan also boasts six listings in this edition. The firm's reputation as a "leader on the west coast" is backed up here with practitioners from Alaska, Washington state and California. Jon Zinke gives the firm an international dimension from his base in Hong Kong, advising the firm's clients in the Far East.

Holland & Knight LLP is another firm that has a very strong maritime practice and six lawyers on our list. Chester Hooper is "everything a shipping lawyer should be - calm, considered and dependable". Hooper is one of five practitioners from the New York office. Matthew Vafidis in San Francisco, who leads the West Coast litigation group, also appears.

New York is home to two extremely well regarded maritime law firms - Freehill Hogan & Mahar LLP and Nourse & Bowles LLP. Both of the latter's name partners performed well in our research with Lawrence Bowles and David Nourse receiving positive recommendations from clients and peers across the world. George Freehill leads in the nominations for Freehill Hogan & Mahar LLP and is particularly well known for marine insurance matters and charter party disputes. The "fantastic" William Juska, Peter Gutowski and Wayne Meehan also feature.

A total of 27 practitioners are listed in Canada; Montreal firm Brisset Bishop provides three of these. Danièle Dion is former marine litigation counsel to the Canadian government, and
both David Colford and Victor DeMarco are well known
for their dispute resolution work, especially in the cargo claims arena.

Michael Bird from Bull Housser & Tupper LLP is one of the country's most highly nominated individuals. He is a sought-after speaker and marine insurance expert. John Bromley joins him from the full service firm.

Peter Bernard QC from Bernard & Partners is "one of the finest lawyers I have come across", according to one source. It was also noted that the firm was "leading for P&I work" and thanks to the inclusion of Gary Wharton, who is listed for the first time, it boasts two practitioners in this edition.

UK

In the UK, Andrew Johnson is the leading name among the three featured nominees from Hill Dickinson LLP, where he specialises in casualty investigation, charter party and bill of lading disputes, salvage, pollution and marine insurance matters. Joining him is Rhys Clift who specialises in commercial dispute resolution and marine insurance and reinsurance. Completing the firm's listing is Robert Wallis, who acts for marine insurance companies, P&I clubs, ship owners and operators in charter party and contractual disputes as well as insurance, salvage and collision matters.

Barlow Lyde & Gilbert LLP also provides three attorneys for this edition. Tim Taylor boasts more than 30 years' experience in international insurance dispute resolution and is the current chairman of the Maritime Law Association's standing committee on marine insurance. Another prominent name at the firm is Patrick Foss who heads the marine, energy and trade team and specialises in marine and energy insurance and dispute resolution. Simon Chumas has extensive marine casualty investigation and claims experience, and he also acts for shipowners and insurers in collisions, salvage and other incidents.

Paul Griffiths of Bentleys Stokes & Lowless was recommended for his dispute resolution work, which encompasses charter party and bill of lading disputes, as well as providing insurance policy advice to hull, P&I and cargo insurers. Simon Tatham's practice focuses on investigating, coordinating and advising in relation to collisions, groundings, pollution and total losses, as well as High Court litigation and arbitration and mediation arising out of marine casualties. Vernon Sewell is also recognised for his insurance and disputes work.
Curtis Davis Garrard is represented by name partner Simon Curtis: a "top-class" marine construction specialist who acted as lead partner to Sembawang Shipyard in its Solitaire pipelay vessel conversion dispute. London boutique Jackson Parton fields the "excellent" Nick Parton who has extensive experience with hull and cargo work for owners and charterers as well as insurance disputes and advice.

Two of the four Norton Rose LLP lawyers we feature are based in London. Litigation partner Chris Hobbs represents clients in charter party and bill of lading, with particular experience in tanker and oil trading matters, and was described as "a leading light" by sources. Also highly regarded in the English capital is Harry Theochari, who specialises in shipping finance and has experience of syndicated facilities, OECD based financings, structured financings and capital markets transactions.

EUROPE

In Germany, Lebuhn & Puchta is represented by Ulrich Stahl, Dieter Armbrust and Christian Breitzke. They are considered to be "among the best shipping lawyers in Germany, if not Europe" and all are highly nominated. CMS Hasche Sigle also merits three listings. Dieter Rabe is "extremely experienced", Jan Wölper is "excellent, especially for transport and charter agreements" and Jost Kienzle is "outstanding". Three lawyers are also listed from shipping and maritime boutique firm Dabelstein & Passehl. Rüdiger Warnke is "first class", Dieter Schwampe is considered "very knowledgeable" and Jan Dreyer was also warmly praised throughout our research. The "exceptional" Christoph Hasche, who is head of the shipping and transport group at Taylor Wessing in Germany, is included along with his colleagues Michael Baumhauer, who is "great for contracts" and Klaus Kostka, who is "skilful and experienced". Norway is an important jurisdiction for this area of law: Wikborg Rein provides four lawyers for our list, including Trond Eilertsen, who is considered "top drawer". Thommessen Krefting Greve Lund AS merited three listings - among them Stephen Knudtzon, who gained the most nominations in Norway. The "well-known" Morten Lund and the "brilliant" Frithjof Herlofsen, represent Vogt & Wiig along with Christine Rødsæther. Two lawyers from each of Bugge Arentz-Hansen & Rasmussen (Ole Lund, who is "knowledgeable and experienced" and Rolf Johan Ringdal), Wiersholm Mellbye & Bech Advokatfirma AS and Nordisk Skibsrederforening are included.

Several Greek boutique firms stand out. Gregory Timagenis leads the local research and is "an excellent lawyer". Nick Goyios, of Law Offices N Goyios - A Nassikas, also performed well. V&P Law Firm is represented by John Papapetros, who is "brilliant - especially for ship finance" and Milto Papangelis. Villeneau Rohart Simon & Associés leads the French section of this book, with Jean-Serge Rohart and Patrick Simon, who was recently elected president of the French maritime law association, occupying the top two positions. Interviewees were also "very impressed" with Lars Lewis, who is the managing partner of the Parisian office of Thomas Cooper. In Italy, Massimo Mordiglia and Aldo Mordiglia represent Studio Legale Mordiglia, which is recognised as "the top law firm" in the country in this practice area by many of our sources and whose lawyers received the most votes in our poll. Siccardi Bregante & C.'s Corrado Bregante is considered by peers to be "world class" and he and Studio Legale Riccomagno's Mario Riccomagno are both included. Luis San Simón leads in the Spanish research, where he is considered to be "a tremendous resource" who "should be the first port of call". Fernando Meana Green also stands out for collisions, pollution and charter party disputes. José Alcántara is "important" and "highly regarded".

In the Nordic countries Jörgen Almelöv, head of Setterwalls' maritime group, is "a fantastic arbitrator" for shipping disputes. Advokatfirman Södermark's Peter Lindskog is "a well-known player" and Claes Lundblad at Roschier also performed very strongly in our research, and won praise for "excellent" dispute resolution skills. Jes Anker Mikkelsen is "highly spoken of" and leads our Danish research in terms of nominations. He is based at Bech-Brunn's Copenhagen office. Alex Laudrup at Gorrissen Federspiel Kierkegaard is highly nominated and his experience in the insurance side of shipping law was particularly admired. In Finland, Jan Aminoff of Borenius & Kemppinen is thought by his legal peers to be "very knowledgeable in all areas of shipping law", while Henrik Gahmberg is "reliable, efficient and skilled". In Ireland Helen Noble, head of the Matheson Ormsby Prentice's shipping group in Dublin, was "highly thought of" and given "top marks" for her work with contracts, as well as on the contentious side of shipping law. Paul Gill is also included from Dillon Eustace.

ASIA

Norton Rose boasts a strong presence in Asia, with Singapore based Guy Spooner and Shanghai based Jim James both making the cut. Spooner is a dispute resolution expert with particular experience in shipbuilding, energy, trade, insurance, infrastructure and transportation litigation and arbitration work. James is also recognised for his disputes practice, which focuses on cross-border shipping and infrastructure cases, including ship arrest and judicial sale in different jurisdictions. Allen & Gledhill LLP is one of the best-represented firms in Singapore, with three of its attorneys ranking highly in this edition. Foremost among these is co-head of the firm's maritime and aviation group Vivian Ang. A "top practitioner" according to sources, Ang focuses on dispute resolution, insurance, international trade and transportation. Fellow co-head of the maritime and aviation group Gina Lee-Wan also places highly here and focuses primarily on ship construction, sale, purchase and financing. Harold Or specialises in ship finance and leasing transactions, as well as charterparties, shipbuilding contracts and ship registration. Stephenson Harwood also places three attorneys in our Singapore listings, including the "highly rated" Timothy Elsworth, whose practice focuses on litigation and insurance work, including salvage, collision and total loss matters. Iain Young is a banking and asset finance partner specialising in ship financing and offshore installations. Also featuring prominently for his finance work is managing partner of the Singapore office Martin Green, who has extensive experience with shipbuilding contracts, charters and sale purchases. The firm also enjoys the inclusion of Jason Toms from the Hong Kong office, whose practice focuses on commercial litigation, particularly in relation to marine accidents and salvage.

In Hong Kong, JSM sees two of its lawyers listed in this edition. Alastair MacAulay specialises in non-contentious transportation projects and finance work, encompassing secondary loan procedures, structured finance and LNG projects and was described as "superb" by respondents. Ship finance expert Dean Young is another "big name", with extensive experience with sale and purchase, construction, leasing and registration work. The "excellent" Jon Zinke of Keesal Young & Logan is among the most highly thought of in Hong Kong, where he advises clients in maritime, aviation and commercial disputes involving US law as well as providing advice to US firms in matters involving Asia. Okabe & Yamaguchi is one of the leading firms in Japan and its two name partners Hiroki Okabe and Shuji Yamaguchi are listed in these pages. The firm's "highly regarded" marine transportation group focuses on contract of affreightment, charter party and bill of lading work as well as domestic and international dispute resolution. Yoshida and Partners is similarly well represented with partners Tetsuro Nakamura and Sotaro Mori ranking prominently in our research.

Australia

Thirteen Australian lawyers were selected to appear in this guide. Internationally acclaimed Joe Hurley from HWL Ebsworth is one of the "pre-eminent practitioners in the country" and is one of the 10 most highly regarded individuals globally. "Transport expert" Derek Luxford is the head of Hicksons Lawyers' transport, trade and energy practice in Sydney and was also a popular choice worldwide.

Head of DLA Phillips Fox's trade and transport practice Andrew Tulloch was described as a "cargo expert" and also represents port authorities and ship operators. He is joined in Melbourne by consultant Ron Salter who focuses on salvage, pollution, charter-party arbitrations and bill of lading disputes. John Farquharson was an "obvious choice" for our list and leads the firm's insurance, risk management and transport teams in Perth.

The firm also has representatives in the guide in New Zealand and Thailand. Neil Beadle is a "go-to guy for insurance matters" and has experience in casualty response, ship repair and charter disputes. Peter Shelford is DLA Piper's managing partner in Bangkok and is a "very talented lawyer", particularly in shipping and marine insurance.

REST OF THE WORLD

Panama has the biggest representation in Latin America with seven lawyers featured from four law firms. Founding partner of Decastro & Robles, David Robles is "highly respected" and was a member of the presidential commission that drew up Law 8 of 1982 creating the Maritime Court and Code of Maritime Procedure of Panama. He practises in all areas of shipping law. Gabriel Sosa is a partner in the firm and specialises in admiralty law, transportation law and cargo claims. He was described as a "star". Four lawyers were selected to appear from Brazil including the "extremely well respected" Godofredo Mendes Vianna from the Law Offices Carl Kincaid and Pedro Calmon Filho from Pedro Calmon Filho & Associados, who is "very active in shipping and maritime organisations".

Highly regarded lawyers were recommended in South Africa and Nigeria. In South Africa Shane Dwyer from Shepstone & Wylie received high acclaim and is listed among the most highly regarded individuals globally. He was described as a "great all rounder" with experience in both wet and dry work. Krish Reddy is also based in Durban and is known for his "specialist knowledge" representing international bunkering brokers and suppliers. Bowman Gilfillan also boasts two listings in the country: the "superb" Graham Charnock and "skilled dispute lawyer" Craig Cunningham. In Nigeria Funke Agbor from Adepetun Caxton-Martins Agbor & Segun is "very well known and established" in the local shipping market. The highly regarded Femi Atoyebi at his own law firm is "well known for his P&I club work".

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