Ms Eleanor Midwinter > Wikborg Rein > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Wikborg Rein
30 Cannon Street
EC4M 6XH
England
Eleanor Midwinter photo

Work Department

Offshore, ESG, compliance and risk management, English Law, Renewable Energy and Green Investments, Dispute Resolution, Contract Law and Construction, International Trade, Trade Compliance and Sanctions, Shipping

Position

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.

Career

2021 – Partner, Wikborg Rein, London
2020 – 2021 Specialist Counsel, Wikborg Rein, London
2017 – 2019 Senior Lawyer, Wikborg Rein, London
2008 – 2017 Senior Associate (previously associate/trainee), HFW LLP

Memberships

Energy Institute
WISTA

Education

2007 – 2008 LPC, BPP Law School, London
2004 – 2007 Bachelor of Laws (First-class honours and Chancery Prize), Newcastle University

Lawyer Rankings

London > Transport > Shipping

(Next Generation Partners)

Eleanor MidwinterWikborg Rein

Wikborg Rein is praised for its ‘ability to advise in English and Norwegian law’, which allows the firm’s shipping and offshore group to be a go-to outfit for multi-jurisdictional matters including those relating to casualties and sanctions. Practice head Chris Grieveson has a broad advisory portfolio that sees him dealing with work ranging from shipbuilding cases and contentious sale and purchase issues to wet shipping matters. The firm also has particularly strong connections to the Greek market, where Baptiste Weijburg took over as the group’s main contact following the retirement of Nick Shepherd in December 2022. Rob Jardine-Brown is the key name for contentious work, while Eleanor Midwinter has in-depth experience pertaining to dry shipping, marine insurance, and shipbuilding matters. The firm secured a major coup in September 2023 with the hire of a team of 17 fee earners from Ince including Michael Volikas and Ian Chetwood.

London > Dispute resolution > Commodities disputes

(Next Generation Partners)

Eleanor MidwinterWikborg Rein

Wikborg Rein‘s shipping and offshore sector group, in which the commodities team resides, is best known for its work in the LNG sector, though it also handles disputes concerning agricultural commodities and alternative fuels. Practice head Chris Grieveson (who is ‘cool under pressure and knows how to build an attractive and robust case‘) plays a key role in the firm’s commodities work but the standout practitioner is up-and-coming partner Eleanor Midwinter, who is ‘an absolute star, incredibly responsive and commercial‘. Midwinter, who has significantly grown the firm’s work in soft commodities, recently advised a sustainable building materials enterprise in connection with disputes under a trading contract for by-products from fossil fuelled power stations.