Rory Butler > HFW > London, England > Lawyer Profile
HFW Offices

8 Bishopsgate
LONDON
EC2N 4BQ
England
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Rory Butler

Work Department
Shipping
Position
Partner
Career
Rory specialises in shipping and trade, including dispute resolution arising from charter parties, COA’s, bills of lading, vessel sale and purchase., shipbuilding/supply contracts, fire and explosions, collisions, groundings, general average, salvage, limitation and total loss. Having acted Rory acts for owners, charterers and cargo interests and their insurers on a wide variety of cases, and has Rory has developed a reputation for successfully handling major containership casualties involving dangerous goods as well as particular expertise relating to multipurpose and heavy lift vessels.
Rory’s expertise encompasses both dry and admiralty matters which is especially beneficial when handling major casualties with a multi-jurisdictional focus. On the advisory side Rory has assisted clients on contract terms including charter parties, COA, bills of lading, pool agreements, ship management agreements, vessel sale and purchase agreements and shipbuilding contracts. Rory has also built up extensive experience in the LNG sector with regard to shipbuilding contracts and long term charters/tenders.
Rory is qualified in England and Wales.
Lawyer Rankings
London > Transport > Shipping
(Leading partners)HFW‘s shipping practice stands out as a leading player in the maritime sector, renowned for its comprehensive expertise across wet and dry, green shipping, and cybersecurity. Under the leadership of global head Paul Dean, the team excels in handling high-profile casualties, cargo claims, as well as transactional work. Noteworthy practitioners include Andrew Chamberlain, a wet shipping expert, and Jean Koh
, who specialises in dry shipping work and has extensive expertise in matters relating to the Asian market. Crisis management experts Claire Womersley and Richard Neylon, alongside maritime casualty specialist Michael Ritter, are pivotal in addressing major incidents. Core contacts for maritime disputes are Paolo Ghirardani
and Jim Cashman, while Alex Kemp excels in container ship casualties and war risk claims. Marine insurance matters fall under the advisory portfolio of Jenny Salmon, and Rory Butler is active across both dry and admiralty work. Elinor Dautlich left the firm January 2024.
Lawyer Rankings
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Transport > Aviation
- Dispute resolution > Commodities disputes
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: white-collar crime (advice to individuals)
- Transport > Shipping
Firm Rankings
- Real estate > Construction: contentious
- Insurance > Insurance and reinsurance litigation
- Insurance > Insurance litigation: for policyholders
- Insurance > Insurance: corporate and regulatory
- Transport > Travel
- Real estate > Construction: non-contentious
- Insurance > Professional negligence
- Risk advisory > Regulatory investigations and corporate crime (advice to corporates)
- Finance > Transport finance and leasing
- Corporate and commercial > Commercial contracts
- Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: premium
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: civil
- Corporate and commercial > M&A: Lower Mid-Market Deals, £100m-£750m
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Oil and gas
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Renewables
- Dispute resolution > International arbitration
- Corporate and commercial > EU and competition
- Finance > Corporate restructuring & insolvency