The Legal 500

Within EU and competition , tier 6

The ‘first-rate’ team at Holman Fenwick Willan LLP was bolstered by the hire of two partners from the Brussels office of Squire Sanders Hammonds: international trade and state aid expert Eliza Petritsi is relocating to London, while the experienced Konstantinos Adamantopoulos will remain in Brussels. The team is consistently praised as being highly responsive, and practice head Anthony Woolich is ‘impressively commercial, and understands the needs of the business instantly ’.

Within M&A: lower mid-market, £50m-£250m, tier 4

Holman Fenwick Willan LLP has been handling an increasing flow of foreign and cross-border deals under English law in the shipping, insurance, trade, energy and logistics sectors. The highly rated Alistair Mackie advised French marine services company Bourbon and Rothschild on the $545m sale of 16 supermax vessels.

Within Fraud: civil , tier 5

Holman Fenwick Willan LLP focuses on complex recovery and international tracing matters. Recent work includes advising on cross-border issues relating to trusts law and offshore corporate structures.

Within Commercial litigation, tier 5

Holman Fenwick Willan LLP is known for contentious shipping, commodity contract, insurance coverage and insolvency matters. The practice advised Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank PJSL in recovering $600m-plus loans. Steven Paull focuses on contentious M&A and shareholder agreements, and project and operating agreements; and Noel Campbell is noted for financial litigation.

Within International arbitration, tier 5

Holman Fenwick Willan LLP’s arbitrations usually stem from the energy, insurance, shipping and commodities sectors. Steven Paull has a particular focus on the upstream and offshore oil and gas industry and infrastructure projects.

Within Asset finance and leasing, tier 5

Holman Fenwick Willan LLP is best known for its ship finance expertise. It handles financing work for a plethora of owner/operators including Athenian Sea Carriers and Clipper Group, and the arrival of John Forrester over five years ago has paid dividends on the bank side, where the firm was recently appointed to the DVB Bank panel. Highlights included advising DnB NOR Bank on the pre- and post-delivery financing for two shuttle tankers to be constructed in China. The team was boosted by the arrival in May 2010 of Tony Rice, former head of shipping at SNR Denton.

Within Commodities: derivatives, Holman Fenwick Willan LLP is a third tier firm,

Holman Fenwick Willan LLP is ‘the leading firm for ISDA litigation’; Brian Perrott is a key figure, and recently won a claim for Pioneer Freight Futures against TMT Asia. Damian Honey and Mark Morrison also feature in the team, which is ‘a popular choice in knotty futures issues’.

Within Commodities: physicals, Holman Fenwick Willan LLP is a first tier firm,

‘One of the leading commodity players: timely, thorough, commercial and pragmatic’, Holman Fenwick Willan LLP recently represented Sucden Financial in a $5.6m claim, and advises many banks on energy, metals and softs trading. Chris Swart is ‘meticulous and hardworking on meaty arbitrations’; Damian Honey ‘appreciates the stresses of a busy trading desk’; Mark Morrison is ‘a safe pair of hands’; and Brian Perrott is ‘a market leader’ for freight issues. Andrew Ridings has specialist metals expertise, and Andrew Johnstone (‘impressive and intellectually very able’) recently returned from a secondment at Glencore. Judith Prior (‘practical and user friendly’) has developed a niche in biofuels.

Within Overview,

Instructed by a swathe of FTSE 100 corporates, Slaughter and May is the premier borrower-side practice in the market, and scores highly for bank lending and restructuring matters, where it continues to excel in government-led work. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is also very accomplished on the borrower side, in investment grade lending and acquisition finance, where it acts for an oustanding roster of private equity sponsors, and also in more esoteric areas such as derivatives, where it moves to the top tier this year. High-ranking practices outside the Magic Circle include Hogan Lovells International LLP, which moves up in the asset finance ranking having hired Simon Gwynne and Robert Fugard from Linklaters LLP, and also has a strong showing across restructuring, investment funds, and Islamic and trade finance; Ashurst LLP, across acquisition finance, investment funds, securitisation and derivatives; Norton Rose LLP, in asset finance, Islamic finance and emerging markets; SJ Berwin LLP, in investment funds; and Simmons & Simmons, in hedge funds and derivatives. As well as having strong asset finance practices, Clyde & Co LLP, Holman Fenwick Willan LLP and Reed Smith all feature in the top tier of the commodities (physicals) ranking.

Within Insurance and reinsurance litigation, Holman Fenwick Willan LLP is a second tier firm,

Holman Fenwick Willan LLP’s team, headed by Paul Wordley, is acting for reinsurers in multimillion-dollar claims arising from property damage and business interruption losses, and has seen a growth in natural resource related claims. The practice represents insurers, reinsurers, insureds, and brokers. The recent recruitment of Jonathan Bruce from Elborne Mitchell has deepened the group’s resources.

Within Insurance: corporate and regulatory, Holman Fenwick Willan LLP is a third tier firm,

Richard Spiller and Ashwani Kochhar joined Holman Fenwick Willan LLP from Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge UK LLP in 2011. The pair’s experience includes handling multimillion-dollar transactions for clients such as Aspen Re and Catlin. Practice heads Nicholas Hutton, Paul Wordley, and Kapil Dhir are also recommended. Clients of the practice include ING Bank, ACE and Chubb.

Within Insurance: insolvency and restructuring, tier 4

Holman Fenwick Willan LLP’s Kapil Dhir advised ARIG Insurance on the winding-up of ARIG UK and release of capital. Other clients include ACE and Chubb.

Within Personal injury: defendant Personal injury: defendant

Within Professional negligence, tier 5

Holman Fenwick Willan LLP’s eight-partner team is ‘definitely one to watch’. It is experienced in acting for buyers, sellers and intermediaries, with particular expertise in E&O insurance. David Robinson, Andrew Bandurka and Paul Wordley are recommended.

Within Mining and minerals, tier 4

Holman Fenwick Willan LLP represented Canadian Gold mining company before the European Commission on the assessment of the sale price of several goldmines in Greece, under EU state aid rules.

Within Oil and gas, tier 5

Holman Fenwick Willan LLP is ‘prepared to put its neck on the line to deliver no-nonsense, robust advice that clients understand’. Diana France is advising a national oil company on contractual structures for the development and production of hydrocarbons.

Within IT and telecoms, tier 5

Holman Fenwick Willan LLP focuses on the energy, shipping and logistics sectors. Anthony Woolich, who is ‘responsive and provides high-quality advice’, and Philip Thomas advised B9 Shipping Limited on an innovative project involving the development and funding of green shipping technology.

Within Overview,

Levels of litigation in the aviation sector remained high. In addition to the continuing impact of the economic downturn, the sector came under additional pressure due to disruptions caused by the volcanic ash eruptions, and now faces further challenges as airlines slash their profit forecasts due to rising oil prices and a potential trade war looms with the EU preparing to include foreign airlines in the emissions trading scheme. On a positive note, there is robust growth by Asia Pacific carriers and great potential for growth in Latin America and Africa, which has a number of London practices looking internationally. The biggest upset in the sector, law firm wise, has been from the announcement of the pending move of Barlow Lyde & Gilbert LLP’s longstanding leading aviation practice, to Holman Fenwick Willan LLP. On the boutique front, Gates and Partners continued to grow, opening offices in Brussels and Dubai.

Within Shipping , Holman Fenwick Willan LLP is a first tier firm,

Holman Fenwick Willan LLP has ‘outstanding in-depth knowledge of all marine matters’ and a ‘global reach and consistent work ethic’ that leave clients ‘certain the firm has all the resources to meet clients ’ requirements to their complete content’. Andrew Chamberlain advised Smit Salvage Americas as salvors following the blowout at Deepwater Horizon, while Hugh Livingstone and David Morriss successfully represented a shipowner in a $5m demurrage claim. Matt Illingworth has ‘vast experience of shipping litigation’; James Gosling is ‘very knowledgeable’; and Toby Stephens is noted for his expertise in salvage matters. Three partners left to set up Campbell Johnston Clark.