Shipping

Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Alex Davis
Alex Davis
Hall of fameStephenson Harwood
Alex is the practice leader for insurance and has extensive expertise in marine insurance. Alex has acted for major London Lloyd’s and company market insurers as well as Continental insurers on a wide range of marine insurance based matters. He regularly advises his clients on complex coverage issues on hull, cargo, war, port risk, shipyard liability, general liability and mortgagee interest policies. He has significant experience of acting primarily for International Insurance markets handling major casualties, collisions, salvage, and wreck removals. He regularly contributes to major publications such as Lloyd’s List on relevant issues and has recently co-presented a paper on marine cyber risk at the IMCC with Rod Johnson. He has particular expertise in relation to NOAs, CTLs and issues arising thereafter having led one of the main cases resulting in the development of the law in this area. He is also a recognised as leading practitioner on mortgagee interest coverage issues. He has advised geo-seismic operators and their insurers on risk management issues and advises the London market on pre-inception risk issues. He is listed as a leading individual in marine insurance in the major legal directories.
John Hicks
John Hicks
Hall of fameWaterson Hicks
John is the principal of Waterson Hicks. He is an all-round shipping lawyer, handling both dry shipping and Admiralty disputes as well as sale and purchase, shipbuilding contracts and other transactional work. Particularly experienced in marine insurance and MOA disputes.
Paolo Ghirardani
Paolo Ghirardani
Hall of fameHFW
Jean Koh
Jean Koh
Hall of fameHFW
Tony Allen
Tony Allen
Hall of fameHill Dickinson LLP
Patrick Foss
Patrick Foss
Hall of fameKennedys
Edward Gray
Edward Gray
Hall of fameMFB
Partner
Richard Gunn
Richard Gunn
Hall of fameReed Smith LLP
Guy Mills
Guy Mills
Hall of fameMills & Co
Guy qualified as a solicitor in 1991 and founded Mills & Co with his father Geoffrey and one other in 1993, becoming a partner in 1995 and now a director of Mills & Co. Solicitors Limited. Guy has many years’ experience of handling all forms of P&I and FDD disputes. He specialises in complex charterparty and bill of lading disputes and MOA disputes, as well as shipbuilding and ship repairing matters. More recently a large part of his practice has focused on Admiralty litigation and arbitration including: dangerous cargoes, casualties, salvage, Damage to Hull, H&M policy disputes and unsafe port claims.
Andrew Taylor
Andrew Taylor
Hall of fameReed Smith LLP
Charles Weller
Charles Weller
Hall of fameReed Smith LLP
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Ian Chetwood
Ian Chetwood
Wikborg Rein
Ian is a disputes lawyer with significant experience in shipping cases and large scale commercial disputes in court proceedings, arbitrations and ADR for clients around the world. His clients include ship owners, cargo owners and insurers. He specialises in wet and dry shipping cases and has taken cases to the Supreme Court and to the CJEU. He has provided expert advice on English law in foreign courts.
Sean Gibbons 
Sean Gibbons 
Stephenson Harwood
Sean specialises in shipping, shipbuilding and offshore disputes and also advises shipyards and shipowners on negotiations for new contracts.  He is recognised by The Legal 500 as a leading individual and has been praised by both, The Legal 500 and Chambers, for his commercial perspective when advising clients. Sean advises a diverse range of clients, including shipowners and charterers, P&I and defence clubs, shipyards and banks. He has extensive experience of High Court litigation and arbitration (LMAA, LCIA and ICC) in relation to disputes under charterparties, bills of lading, MoAs and shipbuilding contracts covering vessels/superyachts and offshore structures of all types.  Sean also advises in contract negotiations relating to newbuildings. He is regularly instructed in matters involving investigation and defending of fraudulent cargo claims made against shipowners, insurers and banks and has spent extensive time in West African countries investigating such claims. As a result, Sean is a specialist in obtaining freezing/inspection/disclosure orders and anti-suit injunctions in the English courts, especially as a part of the asset tracing process. Sean also advises ship finance banks in relation to enforcement of mortgages. This includes the provision of both legal and practical advice on the strategic options available to enforce the lenders’ security. Sean is a core member of the Stephenson Harwood yacht and superyacht team and regularly advises on contentious and non-contentious matters in the sector.
Chris Grieveson
Chris Grieveson
Wikborg Rein
  Chris is a Managing Partner at Wikborg Rein's London office and is an English Solicitor. Chris specialises in shipping, oil & gas, and commodity trading law. Shipping He has extensive experience of all aspects of shipping law (both globally and especially within Asia having lived and worked there for 12 years). He has been involved in handling some of the world’s major casualties and pollution incidents. Chris regularly advises shipowners, charterers, P&I clubs and traders on all aspects of carriage of goods, charterparty and marine insurance law. Chris also has extensive experience of shipbuilding and S&P disputes. Offshore In the offshore industry Chris advises operators and contractors in the drafting and negotiation of proposed contracts; handling claims and disputes concerning contractual performance; accidents; and claims under insurance policies. His experience includes all aspects of the industry from the initial bid and tender process through commissioning, and in-field operation. He has acted for all sectors of the industry including EPC and EPCI contractors, drilling contractors, FPSO/FLNG operators, accommodation rig providers, supply boat /barge operators, and oilfield service contractors. Trading Chris’ trading experience includes advising commodities traders, especially metals, coal and oil traders with their sale and purchase arrangements, particularly for long term off take contracts and disputes. Chris has handled numerous disputes for traders arising out of delays, force majeure, quality issues and letter of credit problems. Commercial Fraud Chris has extensive expertise of acting in civil fraud claims in the shipping and offshore industry including asset tracing, he has particular expertise in cases involving Russia, the CIS, China, Indonesia and Vietnam as well as Europe. Compliance and Crisis Management Chris has significant experience advising clients on compliance, regulatory and investigations in the Marine Sector. In particular, he has been extensively involved in anti-bribery and corporate crisis management including the conduct of internal investigations and the handling of criminal law consequences and civil disputes triggered by potential misconduct.  
Rob Jardine-Brown
Rob Jardine-Brown
Wikborg Rein
Rob's main area of practice lies within the shipping and offshore fields. He is a lawyer with a broad range of marine and offshore experience specialising in dispute resolution, mediation, commercial litigation and arbitration. Within shipping his experience covers all aspects of the construction of ships together with their employment, operation and disposal. In the offshore field Rob deals with a variety of commercial and operational issues with particular emphasis on disputes relating to the construction of offshore units including FPSOs, drilling rigs and offshore production and supply vessels. He also lectures on shipbuilding matters.
Kirsty MacHardy
Kirsty MacHardy
Stephenson Harwood
Kirsty is an experienced litigator specialising in a wide range of shipping and off-shore matters, acting for shipbuilders, major owners, charterers, construction and EPC contractors and insurers. She has significant experience in handling large-scale litigation in the High Court, including successfully taking cases to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, and international arbitration. Kirsty advises on all aspects of shipping disputes including disputes arising under shipbuilding contracts, MoAs, charterparties, bills of lading, shipping investments and joint ventures. Kirsty also particular expertise in matters relating to LNG. On non-contentious shipping matters, Kirsty frequently advises clients on drafting and negotiating shipbuilding and off-shore construction contracts, charterparties, CoAs, pooling agreements and advises on clauses relating to EU ETS, CII and EEXI. Kirsty also has very significant expertise on advising on sanctions.
Mike Phillips
Mike Phillips
Watson Farley & Williams LLP
Mike specialises in shipping, contentious ship finance and ship and offshore vessel construction. Mike’s clients include shipowners, traders, insurers, banks, funds and shipyards. With over 20 years’ of practice in the marine and international trade sector, Mike has a wealth of knowledge and experience which he brings to bear to help clients resolve their most complex and difficult problems. Representing some of the largest and most well-known companies in the marine and international trade sector, Mike is known as both an exceptional lawyer and a clever strategist. Equally at home in London arbitration or multi-jurisdictional Court proceedings, Mike has a strong record of success for clients in a wide range of matters from shipping and cargo claims, groundings and vessel fires through to complex multi-vessel finance enforcement. On the construction side, Mike represents shipyards and buyers on a range of construction projects from super-yachts through to complex offshore vessels and rigs. Mike regularly delivers training to industry professionals, on a bespoke basis for clients, and through the leading industry association, BIMCO. The Legal 500 2019 has called Mike “outstanding”. Mike was shortlisted as Legal 500 Transport Lawyer of the Year in 2019.
Robert Platt
Robert Platt
Watson Farley & Williams LLP
A commercial contracts and dispute resolution specialist, Robert’s expertise spans a broad range of industry sectors, with a particular focus on shipbuilding and offshore construction. Most recently he has also been heavily engaged on a number of high-profile cruise newbuilding projects. His clients include leading shipowners, offshore contractors and well-known shipyards. Robert is recommended for his expertise by The Legal 500 UK. In 2019, Legal 500 reported that he has a “well-deserved reputation as a brilliant lawyer and tough negotiator”.
Michael Volikas
Michael Volikas
Wikborg Rein
Michael specialises in resolving commercial disputes on behalf of those in the shipping sector, both in court and through arbitration. Michael works on both wet and dry shipping cases, with a strong focus on dispute resolution. He has specialist expertise in charterparties and bills of lading; sale and purchase agreements; and shipbuilding and refund guarantees. He has acted in cases that have reached the House of Lords, High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, as well as in the European Court of Human Rights and the CJEU.
Andrew Chamberlain
Andrew Chamberlain
HFW
Elinor Dautlich
Elinor Dautlich
HFW
Richard Neylon
Richard Neylon
HFW
Alex Andrews
Alex Andrews
Reed Smith LLP
Maria Borg Barthet
Maria Borg Barthet
Campbell Johnston Clark
Simon Culhane
Simon Culhane
Clyde & Co
EMNR
Alex Davey
Alex Davey
Birketts LLP
Partner
Christopher Dunn
Christopher Dunn
Kennedys
Martin Hall
Martin Hall
Hill Dickinson LLP
EMNR
Alistair Johnston
Alistair Johnston
Campbell Johnston Clark
Alistair is a director in our London office and is one of the founders of the firm.Alistair read Law and French at a London university and qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales in 1994. He has 20 years of experience in the field of marine law. He first worked for six years with City of London law firm, Elborne Mitchell, before joining Holman Fenwick Willan and working there for 12 years, becoming a partner in 2002. He left Holman Fenwick Willan in 2010 and co-founded Campbell Johnston Clark together with two other senior partners from Holman Fenwick Willan. Alistair's expertise covers all aspects of marine insurance, collisions, groundings, fire and explosion, salvage, total loss, wreck removal, limitation of liability, pollution, general average, insurance coverage, shipbuilding, charterparty and bill of lading disputes.He has been involved in some of the largest casualty cases over recent years including Mineral Dampier c/s Hanjin Madras, CMA Djakarta, the Hanjin Pennsylvania, the APL Panama, the Ocean Crown and more recently the HANSA BRANDENBURG to name but a few. His role in these cases involved detailed and comprehensive casualty handling acting primarily for owners and their insurers, dealing with everything from the practicalities of the casualties themselves to contractual and legal disputes that arise. Alistair features in Chambers & Partners UK 2014 ‘leading individuals’ section and he continues to receive market praise from clients and fellow practitioners alike, describing him as ‘good to deal with when matters turn contentious’. The Legal 500 also praises Alistair for being ‘knowledgeable’. According to Chambers and Partners (2018 UK edition) he is a "knowledgeable, thorough and technical lawyer who is an aggressive defender of his clients."
Darryl Kennard
Darryl Kennard
Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP
Darryl is a partner in the marine, trade and energy team in the London office and a key member of the emergency response team. He is one of the few shipping lawyers who specialise in both ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ work from collisions, salvage, groundings, total losses, fires and piracy through to charterparty disputes and claims arising under bills of lading. Based in Norway for one year and in Singapore for five years, Darryl receives instructions from salvors, container lines, dry bulk and tanker owners as well as charterers, traders, P&I clubs and other insurers.
Stephen Kirkpatrick
Stephen Kirkpatrick
Reed Smith LLP
Stephen Mackin
Stephen Mackin
Clyde & Co
EMNR
Adrian Marsh
Adrian Marsh
Hill Dickinson LLP
Head of cargo and logistics team. Expertise covers litigation and commercial work within the marine insurance, logistics, shipping and trade sectors. Dispute resolution experience includes: cargo recovery claims; transit liability claims (all modes); bills of lading/charterparty disputes; marine insurance coverage disputes and policy interpretation; lien and insolvency disputes; arbitration and mediation; freight recovery claims; Commercial experience includes advising/preparing logistics and supplier agreements, charterparties and COAs, standard trading conditions and bill of lading terms.
David Pitlarge
David Pitlarge
Hill Dickinson LLP
Has specialised in shipping and commercial law since qualifying in 1989. Undertakes a broad range of shipping and related commercial work, including advising on contractual disputes arising from bills of lading, charterparties, MOAs, shipbuilding contracts, ship management agreements and international sale agreements (this has included investigative work following casualties); drafting and advising on documentation for shipping and shipping-related transactions, including management contracts, sale and purchase, construction, loan and ancillary security documentation; advising on insurance coverage, principally P&I and H&M issues; and advising on general commercial litigation. Clients include ship-owners/operators, P&I clubs, banks, charterers, underwriters, brokers, traders and non-English lawyers. While acting for clients from a diverse range of locations, David has a particular interest in the Mediterranean markets.
Mark Seward
Mark Seward
MFB
Partner
Nicholas Woo
Nicholas Woo
Birketts LLP
Partner
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Eleanor Midwinter
Eleanor Midwinter
Wikborg Rein
Eleanor mainly works for companies operating within international trade, energy and shipping. Her key sectors include physical commodities (primarily oil, biofuels, LNG and agricultural products), shipbuilding, yachts and trade sanctions. Eleanor's dispute resolution work includes mediation, international arbitration, English litigation and worldwide enforcement. She also regularly advises on contracts and compliance issues for clients in her specialist sectors. Eleanor is known for providing a very practical approach to advice and drafting. Eleanor regularly hosts seminars at WR and at industry events. She is known as a lively and engaging speaker. Client testimonials refer to Eleanor as a lawyer who is "incredibly astute and dedicated - she goes above and beyond"; "a professional and knowledgeable lawyer who is responsive and cares about the client’s full understanding of the case"; and someone who "likes to get into the nitty-gritty of cases, but without ever losing sight of the bigger picture". Eleanor is ranked as a 'next generation partner' by Legal 500 for both physical commodities and shipping, and as 'up and coming' by Chambers in physical commodities. If you would like further details of Eleanor's work experience and reported litigation cases please get in touch.
Michael Ritter
Michael Ritter
HFW
Claire Womersley
Claire Womersley
HFW
Michael Biltoo
Michael Biltoo
Kennedys
Beth Bradley
Beth Bradley
Hill Dickinson LLP
Thor Maalouf
Thor Maalouf
Reed Smith LLP
Alexander Sandiforth
Alexander Sandiforth
Reed Smith LLP
Will Trustram
Will Trustram
Clyde & Co
EMNR
Leading associates
Rising stars with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Nikki Chu
Nikki Chu
Watson Farley & Williams LLP
Nikki has over 11 years’ experience as a disputes lawyer in the marine and international trade sectors. She adopts a practical and commercial approach to ensure that disputes are resolved efficiently. She specialises in dry shipping, including charterparty, bill of lading, cargo and shipbuilding disputes and assisting clients with LNG shipping issues. Nikki has also advised on commercial disputes including injunctive relief and issues arising from ship finance contracts. She has worked on cases involving major incidents such as container stack collapses and fires. On the non-contentious side, she advises on the drafting and negotiation of shipping contracts (including LNG charterparties). She has acted for a wide range of clients including owners, charterers, P&I Clubs, insurers, traders, cargo interests and maritime investment companies. Having spent a year at an International Group P&I Club in London, she is well-experienced in dealing with FD&D and P&I matters, often with a real-time element. Nikki is listed as a Rising Star by The Legal 500 UK 2024. Clients value her dedication to cases and attention to detail and say that “Nikki Chu has the capacity to delve to the bottom of the legal issues at hand. She would leave no stone unturned to research all the available authorities and academic writings, and to consider the matter from all possible angles.” She is passionate about improving diversity within the legal industry and was shortlisted as a finalist in The Rising Star in Diversity Change category of Women, Influence & Power in Law UK Awards 2022.
Jenny Salmon
Jenny Salmon
HFW
Shaan Burton
Shaan Burton
Kennedys
Amy Lindemann
Amy Lindemann
Campbell Johnston Clark
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