Max Lemanski > Stephenson Harwood > London, England > Lawyer Profile
Stephenson Harwood Offices
1 FINSBURY CIRCUS
LONDON
EC2M 7SH
England
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Max Lemanski
Work Department
Marine and international trade.
Position
He is head of the firm’s offshore energy and construction group, including Stephenson Harwood’s market-leading FPSO team. Max works primarily for offshore contractors, negotiating bareboat charters and O&M agreements, and EPIC construction and conversion contracts. He has worked on dozens of floating production projects all over the world including offshore Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway and the United Kingdom. On the litigation side his cases include many complex, high-value FPSO disputes (including in the English High Court and various LMAA, ICC and LCIA arbitrations) involving, inter alia, detailed technical analysis, variations claims, delay and prolongation issues, hire adjustment clauses, production problems and termination disputes. He is an expert in the decarbonisation of the offshore energy sector, including offshore wind (both fixed and floating turbines), carbon capture and the electrification of offshore assets.
He is the co-author of the leading work on the law of floating production, Offshore Floating Production: Legal and Commercial Risk Management (2023).
Max also heads the firm’s shipbuilding practice and has acted in all kinds of negotiations in relation to shipbuilding contracts and related contracts such as refund guarantees, warranty bonds, option agreements and parent company guarantees. When things go wrong Max regularly advises on all manner of related disputes including liquidated damages, termination, demands under the refund guarantees and post-delivery warranty claims.
On the shipping side, Max has many years’ experience working with owners/charterers and their P&I/FD&D clubs (representing shipping companies involved in dry bulk, containerships and all types of tankers, as well as specialist vessels such as oil spill response ships). Clients value his considerable expertise in all manner of disputes, which span the full spectrum of dry shipping.
Max also has expertise in the superyacht sphere, working on a number of disputes involving high value, high profile superyachts. These include construction and refurbishment disputes, as well as chartering issues.
Lawyer Rankings
London > Transport > Shipping
Stephenson Harwood is regularly involved in casualty and charterparty disputes, as well as non-contentious matters spanning transactional work and shipbuilding matters. The team, led by Alex Davis, also handles issues involving charterparties, shipbuilding work, casualty matters, and marine insurance. Particular expertise within the group also exists in relation to FPSO disputes and offshore construction work; the latter is a central component of Max Lemanski‘s practice. Shipbuilding and contentious offshore matters constitute key areas of experience for Sean Gibbons, while litigator Kirsty MacHardy is praised for her ‘strong legal advice’ and ‘keen awareness of the commercial issues.’ Managing associate Nikki Chu is experienced in shipping contracts as well as dry and LNG disputes.
London > Projects, energy and natural resources > Power (including electricity, nuclear and renewables)
Head of real estate and projects at Stephenson Harwood, Rebecca Carter, co-heads the London power team alongside decarbonisation specialist, national head and ‘highly dependable advisor’ Jonathan Cripps, and offshore energy expert and national head Max Lemanski. The practice is noted as being ‘exemplary in their dedication, enthusiasm, and professionalism’. Cathal Leigh-Doyle, noted as a ‘strong negotiator’, was promoted to partnership in May 2023 and has impressive experience in offshore energy disputes.
Lawyer Rankings
- Shipping London > Transport
- Power (including electricity, nuclear and renewables) London > Projects, energy and natural resources
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Private client > Art and cultural property
- Dispute resolution > Commodities disputes
- Corporate and commercial > Equity capital markets – small-mid cap
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: civil
- Investment fund formation and management > Listed funds
- Dispute resolution > Tax litigation and investigations
- Employment > Pensions: dispute resolution
- Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate
- Transport > Rail
Firm Rankings
- Transport > Aviation
- Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: premium
- Private client > Contentious trusts and probate
- Corporate and commercial > Financial services: contentious
- Dispute resolution > Group litigation: Claimant
- Employment > Pensions (non-contentious)
- Insurance > Professional negligence
- Transport > Shipping
- Finance > Trade finance
- Finance > Transport finance and leasing
- Dispute resolution > Banking litigation: investment and retail
- Corporate and commercial > Commercial contracts
- Employment > Employers
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: patents (contentious and non-contentious)
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property: trade marks, copyright and design
- Industry focus > Life sciences and healthcare
- Corporate and commercial > M&A: Lower Mid-Market Deals, £100m-£750m
- Corporate and commercial > Private equity: transactions - mid-market deals (up to £250m)
- Real estate > Property litigation
- Dispute resolution > Public international law
- Risk advisory > Regulatory investigations and corporate crime (advice to corporates)
- Employment > Senior executives
- Corporate and commercial > VAT and indirect tax
- Real estate > Commercial property: investment
- Real estate > Construction: contentious
- Corporate and commercial > Corporate tax
- Risk advisory > Data protection, privacy and cybersecurity
- Employment > Employee share schemes
- Crime, fraud and licensing > Fraud: white-collar crime (advice to individuals)
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Infrastructure: Project finance and development
- Insurance > Insurance and reinsurance litigation
- Dispute resolution > International arbitration
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > IT and telecoms
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Oil and gas
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Power (including electricity, nuclear and renewables)
- Real estate > Property finance
- Investment fund formation and management > Real estate funds
- Public sector > Administrative and public law
- Real estate > Commercial property: development
- Real estate > Construction: non-contentious
- Finance > Corporate restructuring & insolvency
- Insurance > Insurance: corporate and regulatory
- Investment fund formation and management > Private funds
- Finance > Bank lending: investment grade debt and syndicated loans
- Corporate and commercial > EU and competition
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Sport
- Dispute resolution > Tax litigation and investigations
- Real estate > Commercial property: corporate occupiers