Stephenson Harwood

Fez Abbas

Feroze Abbas, affectionately known as Fez, is a Partner in our London Real Estate practice group, leading the Planning and Environmental team. He is uniquely qualified to advise on the complexities of redevelopment and regeneration projects, acting for landowners, developers, public authorities, statutory bodies, institutional investors, lenders, and mixed-use operators. His ability to anticipate the demands of various stakeholders ensures seamless navigation through planning and environmental challenges. Fez provides pragmatic commercial advice on regulatory compliance issues, including planning appeals, statutory challenges, enforcement, contaminated land, and environmental permitting. His expertise extends to large-scale regeneration, infrastructure delivery, urban redevelopment, strategic planning, and national and cross-border transactional work. Clients benefit from his skill in negotiating and drafting statutory agreements on complex developments, ensuring bespoke issues are addressed effectively. Fez is often sought out for his proactive approach and ability to secure development consent, making him a trusted guide in the real estate sector. His work supports real estate and corporate acquisitions, disposals, and refinancing, providing essential planning and environmental support. Clients value his ability to engage with multiple stakeholders and deliver results that align with their commercial objectives.

Jide Adesokan

Jide Adesokan is a partner in our International Arbitration team, renowned for his expertise in resolving complex cross-border disputes. With a focus on energy, banking, and commodities sectors, Jide assists clients ranging from national oil companies to major African conglomerates, providing strategic guidance in high-stakes arbitration and litigation. His dual qualification in England and Nigeria, coupled with his experience at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, offers clients a unique perspective, particularly in Africa-related claims. Jide's practice encompasses a wide array of disputes, including those arising from petroleum agreements, onshore and offshore projects and infrastructure, share and asset purchase agreements as well as shareholder disputes. He is adept at navigating the institutional and ad hoc arbitral proceedings, ensuring that clients' interests are robustly defended. His ability to act swiftly and think commercially makes him a valuable asset to clients facing significant legal challenges. Clients value Jide for his excellent strategic sense and his ability to deliver results in economically and strategically important disputes. His role as officer of the the LCIA African Users' Council and membership in the International Bar Association's Investment Arbitration Subcommittee further underscores his commitment to excellence in international arbitration.

Ngowari Adikibi

Ngowari Adikibi acts for management companies and GPs, as well as institutional investors, in the domain of international funds creation and cross-border corporate/private equity transactions. Ngowari’s practice involves delivering innovative solutions for the structuring, creation, negotiation and marketing of different forms of funds investing predominantly in Europe and Africa (including French fund structures, Luxembourg vehicles, English, Scottish and Channel Islands limited partnerships, Mauritius funds and hybrid structures). Ngowari also creates carried interest structures and regulated portfolio management entities for management teams. She advises fund managers on regulatory matters relating to their authorisation and their marketing, operation and management of funds. She equally assists management companies with the process and contractual framework for the distribution of fund interests. In addition, she advises private equity houses on international investments and divestments of portfolio assets in general, and secondary transfers of interests in portfolio funds. Prior to joining Stephenson Harwood, Ngowari was a lawyer in the International Funds department of a leading global law firm in international funds. Having previously obtained solid experience of complex and high-end cross-border M&A/ private equity transactions within the corporate/ private equity departments of several US law firms in London and Paris, Ngowari also gained significant emerging markets experience working in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, where she advised European investors regarding foreign investment in the Mercosur.

Diwakar Agarwal

Khurram Ali

Saif Almobideen

Laura Anderson

Managing Associate

Daniel Andrews

Daniel has over 15 years’ experience advising sponsors, debtors and creditors on the origination and restructuring of debt and equity financings. He has a focus on advising flexible capital providers, often in the real estate space, with respect to real estate finance and real estate private equity transactions. He brings a unique perspective gained from recent senior in-house roles at Triton, RoundShield and KKR Credit to help his clients achieve their commercial goals. He advises on the full lifecycle of primary and secondary investments, and on instruments across the capital structure. He adopts a creative approach to help his clients maximise risk-adjusted returns and ensure downside protection. Daniel is qualified in the UK and Hong Kong, and has been involved in a number of high profile cross-border transactions, in Europe and Asia.

Emily Aryeetey

Navpreet Atwal

Navpreet is known for using her experience to provide tailored practical and strategic solutions on construction energy and infrastructure projects in domestic and international markets. She has a wealth of experience and played a pivotal role in delivering large-scale projects in the energy and infrastructure space, including waste-to-energy, water, wastewater, nuclear, oil and gas, renewables, and hydropower. She is also recognised for advising on real estate development and regeneration projects. She works across a broad range of sectors in the built environment including commercial, retail, mixed used schemes, logistics, high-end residential, hotel and leisure. Her clients include developers, high-net-worth individuals, trustees, family offices, corporate investors, owners, sponsors, contractors, private equity firms, and a variety of lenders across the globe. She works regularly with industry standard form contracts including FIDIC, NEC, JCT, IChemE, ICC, MF Contracts, RIBA, RICS and ACE as well as drafting bespoke forms of contract. Clients value Navpreet’s industry insight and her reputation for providing clear, solution-focused advice.

Dani Azmi

Dani Azmi is a Partner at Stephenson Harwood, bringing over 20 years of experience advising governments, sovereign wealth funds, national oil companies, and state-owned enterprises across the UK, Middle East, and Far East. His practice is focused on sovereign strategy, offering counsel on complex, cross-border matters involving infrastructure, energy, PPP and sovereign crisis response. Dani’s practice is distinguished by his involvement in structuring sovereign-backed investment platforms and joint ventures, and private credit funds.  He has advised on development of commodity and RMB-denominated trading platforms, helping sovereign clients align financial and resource infrastructure with long-term national strategies and security. Clients value Dani’s ability to tackle high-stakes challenges, such as asset recovery, strategic restructuring and dispute-sensitive investments, often in politically or commercially sensitive environments. His advice is grounded in a nuanced understanding of sovereign risk, governance frameworks, and the evolving global regulatory and geopolitical landscape. Sovereign clients and their counterparts consistently rely on Dani’s ability to navigate the intersection of law, geopolitics and capital, making him a trusted advisor on some of the most consequential sovereign-led initiatives.

Evelyne Bagdassarian

Kuljeet Bahia

Kuljeet Bahia brings over 20 years of experience to the table, advising leading UK property companies, real estate investors, and public bodies. Her expertise spans high-quality offices in the City of London, shopping and leisure complexes, mixed-use schemes, and regeneration sites. Clients appreciate her ability to navigate the intricacies of leasing, development, forward funding, and investment sales and acquisitions, ensuring their projects are both successful and strategically sound. Kuljeet’s approach is characterised by her deep understanding of the real estate market and her commitment to delivering results that align with her clients’ business objectives. She works closely with developers and funds, acting as an extension of their teams to provide seamless support throughout the transaction process. Her clients value her commercial acumen and her ability to think ahead, anticipating challenges and turning them into opportunities. Known for her can-do personality and readiness to tackle any challenge, Kuljeet is a trusted partner for those looking to make impactful investments in the UK property market. Her strategic insights and practical solutions have made her a go-to advisor for clients seeking to maximise their real estate portfolios.

James Baldwin

Managing Associate

Graeme Barton

Graeme advises developers, sponsors, contractors, funders, consultants and public sector bodies on domestic and international engineering, construction, and infrastructure projects. His sector experience spans commercial real estate development, power and energy transition, life sciences, hotels and leisure, development financings, residential development (including build to rent and PBSA), education, waste, transport, logistics and accommodation. His experience across a wide variety of sectors enables him to use his experience to create innovative solutions tailored to clients' needs. Graeme supports clients throughout the project lifecycle, from project inception and procurement, bid strategy, contract drafting and negotiation as well as providing on-site support for live construction projects and in the operation and maintenance phase. He regularly helps clients structure development and infrastructure projects, creating bespoke contractual solutions tailored to project complexity and funding needs. He is experienced with JCT, NEC, FIDIC, MF/1, IChemE, RIBA, ACE, and RICS standard forms of contract and appointment. He also advises on public procurement matters and advises on insolvency issues within supply chains.

Stuart Beadnall

Stuart is a leading specialist in shipping and energy, with particular expertise in dispute resolution and negotiating contracts relating to offshore oil and gas, shipbuilding, shipping, floating production and LNG/FLNG. He has relevant industry expertise, having worked as in-house counsel at BHP Petroleum and North West Shelf LNG Shipping. Stuart has been lead adviser on numerous FPSO projects in the North Sea, various West African states, Australia and Brazil, negotiating EPIC and production contracts and resolving disputes. He has a leading reputation in shipbuilding and offshore construction contracts, representing a number of top shipbuilders and assisting owners and their banks. He is a co-author of "Offshore Construction: Law and Practice" published by Informa. Stuart has advised on numerous LNG projects and disputes, being one of few lawyers with expertise in FSRU projects, the emerging floating LNG sector and LNG voyage charters. He has been a member of the BIMCO sub-committee advising on the production of LNGVOY, Intertanko LNG documentary committee.

Yann Beckers

A banking and finance partner with a focus on acquisition, real estate and structured finance, Yann has also developed a strong expertise in alternative financings such as private placement (EURO PP, unitranche and mezzanine), factoring and leasing transactions. His previous experience working as an in-house lawyer at CCF (now HSBC France) has given Yann a particular insight on the issues his banking and institutional clients are facing. Yann has extensive experience in a wide range of national and cross-border secured financing transactions. He advises on general banking transactions, including acquisition and real estate finance, factoring and cash-management transactions and debt restructurings. Yann has experience of both the negotiation of these transactions and their restructuring. He also advises on their transfer and related French regulatory issues. Yann has developed extensive experience in funds finance, including equity bridge and net asset value financing. His clients include international banks and financial institutions, corporates, sponsors, private equity, private debt and investment funds. Yann speaks French, English and German and is a member of the Paris bar.

Mateusz Bek

He acts for insurers and reinsurers over a broad range of classes of business, including hull & machinery, war risks, cargo, loss of hire, MII as well as P&I and other marine liabilities.

Ian Benjamin

Ian Benjamin specialises in advising a diverse range of clients, including lenders, distressed investment funds, and insolvency practitioners, across multiple sectors such as aviation, real estate, retail, hospitality, healthcare and financial services. His extensive experience in business turnarounds and both creditor and debtor-led restructurings makes him a sought-after advisor for stakeholders navigating financial distress. Ian provides comprehensive support on restructuring and insolvency matters, from managing acquisitions out of and disposals in administration to advising stakeholders on Part 26A restructuring plans. His work with high-profile clients like Investec, Teneo, Wells Fargo and FTI Consulting showcases his ability to handle intricate financial situations with precision and clarity. Clients value Ian's ability to deliver practical solutions and his calm, commercial approach to problem-solving. His involvement in significant cases, such as the Harland & Wolff restructuring, advising its secured creditor Riverstone Credit throughout, highlights his capability to protect and enhance client interests in challenging environments.

Peter Bennett

Peter Bennett advises commodity and energy traders, power and industrial groups on their legal issues across multiple jurisdictions. Peter's specialisation covers commercial contracts, regulatory issues and high-value and reputational disputes. He has a proven track record in litigation and arbitration. He has represented clients in arbitrations under LCIA, ICC, UNCITRAL and other institutional and ad-hoc arbitrations in England and other jurisdictions and has represented clients at all levels in the English courts. Peter also drafts and negotiates trading and commercial contracts for his sector clients. That Peter is sought out to advise on high-profile matters and underscoring his reputation as a leading practitioner and adviser. Peter is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Catriona Berman

Catriona is an experienced real estate lawyer known for handling complex, high-value transactions across a wide range of sectors. She has advised on everything from luxury hotel acquisitions and Central London office developments to out-of-town business parks and the repurposing of big-box stores and industrial sites. Her expertise includes bringing logistics and industrial warehouse portfolios from site assembly through financing, development, leasing, and disposal. Catriona is skilled in structuring deals using both domestic and offshore corporate vehicles, including joint ventures and corporate acquisitions or disposals. Her diverse project experience has, over the years, covered transforming TV studios into residential developments, and working on airports, refineries, pipelines, office towers, and holiday parks. She regularly acts for private investors, sponsors and institutional lenders on regeneration and development projects. Catriona also advises rail industry clients on developments around depots and stations, and supports private equity investments by handling the real estate aspects. Additionally, she helps companies with office moves, space acquisitions, and other occupational needs, always bringing a problem-solving approach to complex deals. Clients value Catriona's ability to solve problems efficiently and her commitment to their success. Her work with major hospitality groups and life sciences investors highlights her capacity to manage intricate real estate transactions and deliver results that align with her clients' strategic goals.

Helena Berman

Helena Berman is the head of Stephenson Harwood’s pensions and private wealth disputes team in London. With over 30 years’ experience in complex, high-value pensions, contentious trust, tax and probate/family disputes, Helena is recognised as a leading industry figure. She acts for corporates, trustees, financial services firms, financial institutions, insurers, and HNW individuals and families. Helena has acted on a number of high-profile reported cases and has successfully challenged orthodox thinking on important legal issues, such as the law of limitation and the construction of trust documents. Helena is considered an expert on the construction and rectification of trust documents. Helena also specialises in professional negligence claims related to all of these specialist areas, acting for both defendants and claimants, where she applies her deep knowledge of the areas in which she specialises to obtain exceptional results - primarily via dispute resolution methods such as settlement/mediation of these claims, allowing clients to avoid mounting litigation costs. Helena is ranked in Legal 500's Hall of Fame for Pensions Litigation, and noted by the guide as a Leading Partner for Contentious Trusts and Probate. She is also recognised by Chambers UK as a Band 1 practitioner for pensions disputes, and by Chambers HNW for private wealth disputes. Helena sits on the Dispute Resolution Committee of the Association of Pensions Lawyers and is regularly invited to speak at industry conferences and contribute to leading publications. She is the co-founder of the Fresh Perspectives conference, a flagship summit in the contentious trusts industry which brings together solicitors, barristers, offshore lawyers and trust practitioners to discuss topical issues within the sector.

Bobbie Bickerton

Bobbie is a Managing Associate in the Commercial, Technology and Data team, with a particular focus on the Life Sciences and Technology sectors. Bobbie advises on a wide range of complex contracting and issues, across a variety of industries and sectors. Her particular specialism is in Life Sciences, having undertaken secondments at three life sciences companies—including most recently at Gilead Sciences Inc.—giving her valuable insight into the unique demands and pressures of the industry. Bobbie excels at drafting and negotiating contracts for Life Sciences companies in a cross-border/global capacity and across the entire life cycle of the drug and medicine market, including clinical and commercial manufacturing and supply agreements, product distribution agreements and research and development agreements. Bobbie also advises clients from a range of sections on data protection and AI compliance, ensuring that she stays up to date with the latest legislative developments and keeps a close eye on international updates that could impact on her clients.

Clotilde Billat

Gabriel Boghossian

Gabriel is widely recognised for his expertise in complex private equity secondaries transactions. He has significant experience advising both sponsors and buyers on fund level transactions. Gabriel’s practice covers the full spectrum of secondaries, including traditional and synthetic portfolio secondaries, preferred equity, and GP-led continuation vehicles. He also advises on minority stake sales, direct co-investments, and a variety of other transactional matters. He is recommended by The Legal 500 UK 2022 and Chambers UK 2022 for his specialist knowledge and experience in secondaries deals.

Estella Bogira

Estella's practice is uniquely varied; her clients include trustees of multi-billion pound pension schemes, a large DB master trust, high profile charities, offshore pension trustee companies, and senior executives. Her clients and their pension arrangements are truly global, spanning the Channel Islands, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the US. Estella leads the Stephenson Harwood International Pensions offering. Estella has a strong occupational practice advising employers and trustees on all aspects of work-related pension provision. Clients choose Estella for advice on complex projects, technical queries and knotty issues, and for business as usual support. Estella also advises high net worth individuals on personal pension matters, including tax and estate planning. Occupational clients benefit from Estella's broad understanding of the UK pensions and pensions tax system, and her firsthand experience of dealing with matters from a member perspective. Estella's international clients benefit from her deep understanding of the UK tax treatment of overseas pension schemes and her ability to address the unique challenges faced by clients with cross-border interests. Estella's clients appreciate her ability to communicate highly technical legal concepts in an understandable way, her focus on providing commercial, practical advice, and her friendly, calm and direct approach. She was named as a Next Generation Partner and Recommended Lawyer by the 2026 Legal 500 directory, and ranked as an Up and Coming practitioner by Chambers UK 2026.

Simon Bollans

Simon leads Stephenson Harwood's international technology sector group and advises a diverse range of clients from multinational corporations to innovative scale-ups. His expertise spans complex IT transactions, emerging technologies, and operational resilience. Clients value Simon's ability to understand complex legal challenges and translate them into actionable strategies, making him a sought-after adviser in the technology sector. His work includes advising on business-critical outsourcing arrangements, cloud computing solutions, and the development and deployment of AI systems. He has significant experience supporting clients on regulated transactions in the financial services sector. Simon's approach is characterised by a deep understanding of both supplier and customer perspectives, enabling him to craft tailored outcomes that drive success for clients. He works with clients to understand and achieve their objectives, along with managing the risks that matter to them within their wider business and technology strategy. His industry experience, gained through client secondments, further enhances his ability to deliver practical, commercially orientated advice.

Daniel Boon

Daniel works with States and State-owned entities, multinational corporations and high net-worth individuals, supporting clients across all sectors, including energy, infrastructure, banking, and construction. He is frequently instructed by clients operating in challenging jurisdictions throughout Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, who rely on his ability to navigate the intricacies of international commercial arbitration and investor-State disputes. He acts on high-value disputes under all major arbitral institution rules, including LCIA, ICC, SIAC, and ad hoc arbitrations, whether seated in London, Paris, Singapore or beyond. He also regularly collaborates with local counsel where the governing law of the dispute is not English law, ensuring clients benefit from seamless support across borders. Daniel's recent work includes securing a favourable settlement for GAIL (India) Ltd in a US$1.8 billion LNG supply dispute, and representing a key African bank in a shareholder dispute. Daniel also has significant experience in post-award matters, including assisting clients with global enforcement strategy (both enforcing and resisting enforcement of awards) and challenges of arbitral awards under the English Arbitration Act 1996. Clients appreciate Daniel's hands-on approach and ability to cut through complexity, anticipate commercial risks, and keep matters moving. Having been brought up in Malaysia, his international perspective sharpens his grasp of his international clients' cultural nuances.

Christophe Boucherie

Christophe supports both buy-side and sell-side clients, including institutional assets managers, private fund and wealth managers, family offices, banks, and other financial institutions, helping them navigate the evolving landscape of UK and European financial services regulation. With over two decades of international experience spanning France, Luxembourg, and the UK, he is regularly sought out by clients launching or distributing products across borders, or addressing licensing, governance, product regulations, and general regulatory requirements in multiple jurisdictions. He advises on the full spectrum of regulatory matters, including perimeter and licensing issues, product structuring, operations, and cross-border marketing of investment funds across the UK and EU, ensuring clients can seize market opportunities as they arise and manage regulatory risk in a rapidly changing landscape. Christophe’s experience also covers the setting-up and marketing of open-ended funds for institutional, retail or HNWIs — particularly UCITS, AIFs, and UCITS ETFs. Previously Head of Legal, International Products at Natixis Investment Managers and Head of Legal, Fund Services at The Royal Bank of Scotland plc, Christophe offers clients a wealth of industry experience, combining technical expertise and valuable insight into the operations of global financial institutions. Before his in-house experience, he worked for several years as an associate in the investment management group of a magic circle law firm and the M&A/Private equity practice of a leading US law firm. Clients turn to Christophe for his forward-thinking approach to regulatory change, his valuable operational knowledge, and his readiness to tackle challenging issues and deliver practical solutions, supporting them to move ahead with clarity and confidence.

Simon Brading

Simon is a leading real estate expert, known for his strategic guidance in complex development, investment and funding transactions. On development projects, his expertise spans from the initial acquisition of development land to negotiating joint venture and forward funding agreements, ensuring successful lettings and disposals of completed projects. Simon has lengthy experience in acting for the full range of parties involved in development projects, including funders, developers and tenants taking space by way of pre-lets. On investment transactions, his expertise spans the acquisition and disposal of investment properties be that a single property, or the acquisition or disposal of large portfolios. He manages the delivery of asset management initiatives, and his team act across the full life cycle of real estate, including day to day asset management. Simon’s client base includes major public companies, pension funds, private equity investors, property companies and high net worth individuals, drawn by his ability to navigate complex cross-border transactions with commercial clarity. Simon regularly acts for data centre developers, operators, and investors, offering strategic insight into development, lettings, and investment disposals. Known for his straightforward and succinct advice, Simon is highly regarded in the real estate sector. Clients appreciate his super-responsive approach and ability to get things done without fuss, making him a go-to expert for complex real estate challenges.

Guillaume Briant

Jonathan Bridcut

Jonathan is head of the Corporate Finance team in London and specialises in private M&A, joint ventures and corporate reorganisations. His expertise spans a wide range of sectors, including real estate investment, projects and infrastructure, financial services, and healthcare. Jonathan’s client base includes corporates, financial institutions, family offices and high-net-worth individuals, each of whom appreciates his responsive, commercial and pragmatic approach, which helps them navigate complex transactions and achieve their strategic objectives. Jonathan's strong project management skills and technical legal expertise make him a sought-after advisor for both domestic and international clients looking to succeed in competitive markets.

Edyta Brozyniak

Edyta Brozyniak is an investment funds partner in the private equity team at Stephenson Harwood. She advises institutional and high-net-worth investors and family offices on a broad range of investment matters nationally and internationally with a focus on private funds. She has extensive experience representing capital in primary commitments, co-investments, separately managed accounts and joint ventures across a wide range of asset classes, including buy-out, private debt, real estate, infrastructure, growth, and venture capital. She also advises fund managers on the structuring and operation of private closed-ended investment funds and co-investment platforms across multiple strategies, as well as on executive and employee incentive arrangements.

Stuart Burrell

A partner with an extensive range of shipping litigation and international arbitration experience, Stuart specialises primarily in the handling of shipbuilding, offshore and onshore construction disputes as well as dry shipping and general commercial matters.

Julian Cahn

Julian's insolvency practice covers both corporate and personal domestic and cross-border insolvency. He acts for insolvency practitioners, creditors, debtors and all other stakeholders in the insolvency process, with a focus on court driven and contentious insolvency matters. He has the highest individual rankings in Chambers & Partners 2026 for both Restructuring and Insolvency: Disputes; and for Personal Insolvency. Julian sits on the technical committee of R3, the trade association for the insolvency and restructuring profession in the UK. Julian also advises in relation to commercial disputes across a broad range of industries and sectors. This includes both domestic proceedings, as well as international and cross-border litigation strategies.

Archie Campbell

Archie is a London based property lawyer renowned for his expertise in real estate finance. His predominantly lender-focused work in this area includes advising banks, pension funds, insurance companies and alternative lenders on their loans secured over English property. Archie also heads up our high-value Residential Property practice. Working closely alongside our Private Wealth team, this role involves advising high-net-worth individuals, family offices and trust companies on acquisitions, sales and financings of their residential property, and how to structure their transactions. Clients appreciate Archie’s calm and efficient approach, valuing his ability to navigate complex legal landscapes with precision and commercial acumen.

David Capps

David’s experience covers many regulator-led and internal investigations as well as handling financial services enforcement matters. He handles cases involving insider dealing, market abuse, fraud and regulatory rule breaches. He also has handles high value and complex financial disputes, His was previously head of litigation and investigations at a major investment bank. He is highly experienced in advising and representing clients on financial regulatory enforcement matters and related investigations, including interactions with various regulatory authorities. Recognised as an expert in UK and EU financial services regulation, David is often called upon to conduct or advise on complex internal investigations, including those flowing from whistleblowing. He represents both regulated firms and their management and employees. David also advises clients on key regulatory procedures, policies and processes such as those relating to senior managers and conduct rules, market abuse, AML, ABC, sanctions, whistleblowing, regulatory disclosures and other compliance priorities. David has extensive experience in complex banking and other financial services disputes including those involving derivatives, structured products and other complex financial instruments.

Rebecca Carter

Rebecca Carter is the London Managing Partner at Stephenson Harwood, where she leads the firm’s Real Estate and Projects group. Her expertise spans energy, infrastructure, and construction projects, advising funders, sponsors, contractors, and government entities across sectors such as transport, energy, waste, and social infrastructure. Rebecca’s clients benefit from her decades of experience in project financing, PPP, PFI, outsourcing, joint ventures, and strategic partnerships, ensuring their projects are executed with precision and efficiency. Rebecca provides comprehensive support on construction matters, guiding developers, contractors, sponsors, funders, and public sector bodies through the intricacies of real estate development and investment projects. Her proficiency in public procurement law is particularly valuable to suppliers in the NHS life sciences sector, aiding their route to market with strategic advice and practical solutions. Clients value Rebecca’s ability to navigate regulatory challenges and deliver results, whether advising on the North London Heat and Power project or the EV charging infrastructure projects. Her work with major names like Balfour Beatty Investments and Zenobē underscores her reputation as a trusted guide in the energy and infrastructure landscape.

Alexander Chadwick

Alex has a track record of delivering transactions for clients across the entirety of the commercial real estate sector, utilising his commercial approach to identify and implement solutions to resolve deals efficiently. He has advised on some of the largest transactions in the English real estate market in the last few years, and advises clients across all sectors on the full range of asset classes, with a particular focus on regeneration and development, the living sector and hotels and leisure. Alex is instructed by a wide range of clients, including institutional investment funds, local authorities, high net worth individuals, REITs, hotels and restaurants. Alex is particularly recognised for his expertise in long income, alternative and innovative transaction structures that utilise commercial real estate to deliver investment and development opportunities for institutional funds, developers and end-users (including local authorities). He has experience in using those types of structures in connection with hotel, affordable housing and build to rent developments, as well as town centre regeneration projects. Alex also regularly acts for corporate occupiers. In particular, he advises occupiers based overseas who are looking to establish an office presence in England and Wales, who value his ability to deliver concise advice that is tailored to their needs.

Maria Chami

Maria is a Managing Associate in our Contentious Trusts and Pensions Dispute Team. She has regularly represented both beneficiaries and trustees in complex (on shore and offshore) trust litigation. Maria also has extensive experience acting in high value professional negligence claims in a pensions context. Maria regularly advises private individuals and corporate trustees on issues relating to disclosure, distributions and breach of trust claims. She also has experience acting in domestic probate claims regarding the validity of will(s). Maria has defended a number of professional negligence claims brought by pension trustees against their advisors. She has advised both PI insurers and the Assured.

Johnny Champion

He is one of the go-to individuals for technical “heavy metal” disputes involving aircraft engines and components, and has in-depth knowledge and experience guiding clients through disputes involving financing, leasing and maintenance of aircraft, including repossessions and redeliveries, working seamlessly with powerplant engineers, MROs and engine experts. Additionally, he advises airlines and operators on regulatory developments at an international, EU and domestic (UK) level, including in relation to airport slots, passenger rights and continuing airworthiness. Clients value Johnny's proactive approach and legal precision, trusting him to resolve disputes commercially, efficiently and effectively. He is a fluent Cantonese speaker, and comprehends Mandarin and written Chinese.

Elton Chan

Ian Childs

Anthony Clare

Anthony is a corporate partner specialising in M&A and corporate finance. He covers a range of sectors, with particular market recognition in life sciences and biotechnology. Anthony advises on a wide range of corporate matters including M&A (public and private), joint ventures and equity capital markets. He has acted on over 20 IPOs in the London market, with a particular bias towards issuer-side mandates. He is well known in the biotech industry and has served for over nine years on the board, and as Vice Chairman, of The Babraham Institute, Cambridge – one of Europe’s leading bioscience research institutes. Anthony is also a board trustee of the Institute of Cancer Research, one of the world's most influential cancer research institutions. Anthony is named as a 'star' in the corporate section of the 2015 edition of LMG Life Sciences and listed in the Top 50 European M&A lawyers 2014 by Global M&A Network (EMEA).

Julie Clegg

Julie specialises in ship financing. Her client base includes major financial institutions and shipowners who rely on her ability to produce and negotiate sophisticated documentation that reflects the evolving landscape of ship finance. Julie's approach is characterised by her commitment to understanding the unique needs of her clients and providing tailored advice that addresses both immediate and long-term objectives. Her work spans the full spectrum of ship finance, including the sale and purchase of newbuildings and second-hand ships and their registration and operation. Her focus on the cruise industry has seen her navigate intricate cross-border, export credit-backed transactions, ensuring clients achieve their financial and commercial goals with precision and confidence. Clients appreciate Julie's tenacity and willingness to go the extra mile, valuing her as a strategic partner who delivers effective solutions when challenges arise. Her involvement in the fourth edition of Stephenson Harwood's Shipping Finance handbook and other industry-leading publications underscores her deep industry knowledge.

Richard Coleman

Richard has transactional experience in a variety of sectors including technology, healthcare and business services. Richard has acted on transactions such as Apposite Capital’s buyouts of HCML and Summit Medical, Rockpool Investments’ investments in Harley Academy and Realise Energy investment and Coniston Capital's growth investment in MWA Financial.

James Collins

James helps corporate investors, financial institutions, asset managers and operators of commercial aircraft to achieve their strategic goals. James is particularly sought-after for his collaborative and outcome-focussed approach on deals. With over 15 years of industry experience, clients especially value his ability to combine deep sector knowledge with a business-orientated outlook to deliver tailored legal advice that delivers real-world value and mitigates risk. James is a popular choice among dealmakers looking for service excellence. James is based in London and travels regularly to Dublin.

Jonathan Conder

Although based in London, most of Jonathan's clients are international, born outside the UK and/or living outside the UK with assets and other family members in more than one jurisdiction. As a result he is very experienced in complex cross-border issues, coordinating matters for clients who are affected by different legal and tax systems. He also has significant experience in assisting families and trustees in responding to tax investigations and resolving tax, trust and wealth disputes. Jonathan has spent most of his career as a lawyer in private practice, but he also worked for four years as an in-house counsel to a bank in Bermuda. As a result, he puts forward practical structuring solutions to his clients, be they individuals or private banks and corporate trustees, considering both perspectives. Jonathan is a well known and highly regarded figure in the private wealth community. He travels widely to see clients in the UK and overseas and regularly chairs conferences attended by clients and other industry professionals. He also publishes journal articles on topical issues and is frequently quoted in the national and industry press.

Helen Conlan

Helen specialises in guiding technology companies through intricate intellectual property challenges, particularly in patent litigation. Her clients, ranging from tech innovators to global enterprises, rely on her expertise in multi-jurisdictional disputes and her ability to craft effective litigation strategies, including in the UPC. Helen has represented clients at all levels of proceedings before the English Courts she also has experience of arbitration and mediation of IP disputes. Drawing upon her experience in the technology sector, Helen's practice also encompasses advising on disputes concerning copyright and trade secrets. She is adept at navigating the complexities of algorithmic trading software, audio-watermarking technologies, digital health products and emerging assistive technologies, ensuring her clients' innovations are leveraged for success. Known for her calm and confident approach, Helen is a sought-after advisor who consistently prioritises her clients' best interests, providing clarity and direction in even the most challenging legal landscapes. Helen has been awarded outstanding for contentious and highly recommended for non-contentious patent matters in the Word IP Review's inaugural UK Patent Rankings, 2025. She is a recommended lawyer in Legal 500 2025, highly recommended for Patent Litigation and Strategy in IAM Patent 1000, 2024, and recognised as a Leader in the World Intellectual Property Review 2024. Helen regularly speaks and moderates at conferences on IP law. She is a former Officer of the IP and Entertainment Law Committee of the IBA, a member of the European Patent Lawyers Association and of the International Association of Intellectual Property.

Emmanuelle Corcos

Jonathan Cripps

As head of our Energy Transition & Infrastructure area of focus, Jonathan leads on the delivery of our strategy to provide a full range of energy transition services across the energy, transportation and trade, and the built and natural environment sectors to support our clients on the achievement of their energy transition, net zero and sustainability goals. Jonathan heads an international team of energy transition lawyers from across all the jurisdictions we operate in. Jonathan also leads the London based Projects, Energy and Infrastructure team. As part of this, he advises on all forms of clean energy (including solar, wind, energy from waste, electric vehicles, geothermal, direct air capture, hydrogen and nuclear) and wider energy transition projects. Within the broader infrastructure market, Jonathan has extensive experience in both economic and social infrastructure projects, including road and rail, schools, hospitals, prisons, courts and all forms of government accommodation. This includes advising on project finance, PFI, PPP and similar structures where he helps sponsors, lenders and procuring authorities achieve their commercial objectives. Jonathan has advised on major projects in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. With over 30 years of experience, Jonathan ensures that clients can confidently tackle the complexities of energy and infrastructure projects and secure their goals.

Tim Crocker

Tim is a highly experienced finance lawyer, with more than 20 years' experience advising on distressed financings, complex debt restructurings and insolvency. His expertise covers stressed refinancings and emergency new lending, debt trading, out of court restructurings, the use of composition proceedings (schemes of arrangement and restructuring plans), and formal insolvency proceedings. With an established track-record in leading multi-disciplinary legal teams, he has notable experience devising complex implementation structures, managing stakeholders, and addressing and resolving thorny intercreditor issues. Tim has extensive restructuring experience across a broad range of sectors (particularly steel, automotive, shipping, real estate, oil and gas, and retail).  He acts for stakeholders at all levels of the capital structure – debtors, directors, bank and bond creditors, distressed investors, sponsors, insolvency officeholders and trustees/agents – and has worked across the full spectrum of restructuring from distressed refinancings through to debt reductions and compositions, and formal insolvency proceedings. His case portfolio encompasses complex cross-border restructurings as well as domestic cases.

Rebecca Crookenden

Rebecca works with a diverse client base including oil majors, commodity traders, shipowners, banks, and charterers, supporting those at the forefront of the global commodities and shipping sectors. Her clients range from multinational mining groups to international resources companies and vessel owners and operators, who turn to her when facing complex and multi-jurisdictional contractual and operational issues. She advises on all aspects of international trade and shipping law, from the drafting and negotiation of commercial contracts to the resolution of high-stakes disputes. Rebecca is regularly instructed on matters involving breach of contract, force majeure, misdelivery, and fraud, as well as claims for injunctive relief such as worldwide freezing orders. Her experience covers the full spectrum of dispute resolution, including English High Court litigation and major arbitral fora such as LMAA, LCIA, SIAC, SCMA and ICC. Rebecca also provides strategic advice on non-contentious matters, including project finance transactions, vessel pool arrangements, and the adoption of electronic bills of lading. Clients value Rebecca’s ability to coordinate seamlessly across jurisdictions, working closely with foreign counsel and experts to deliver practical solutions in fast-moving, high-pressure situations. Her approach is commercial, pragmatic, and always focused on protecting her clients’ interests, whether advising on urgent vessel withdrawals, supporting the restructuring of supply chains, or navigating the shifting dynamics of long-term offtake agreements. Rebecca was based in the Singapore office from 2022-2024 and retains close ties to the region.

Adam Crossley

Adam Crossley is a partner at Stephenson Harwood with over 20 years’ experience advising companies, institutions, founders, and management teams on private equity transactions. His expertise is sought after by clients such as Bowmark Capital, FPE Capital, STAR Capital and Bestport Private Equity who rely on his strategic insight to navigate investments and sales, including Bowmark's investments in Eque2, CubeLogic, Turnkey, Altia, Transparity, Lendscape, WallStreet Docs and Littlefish and the sales of IWSR, Tax Systems and Leaders Romans Group by Bowmark. Adam's approach is characterised by his ability to act as an extension of his clients' teams, providing clear and commercial advice. Adam's practice covers a wide range of services, including buy outs, management advisory and bolt-on acquisitions. He also supports growth and venture capital initiatives, guiding clients like VIPR Digital through funding rounds and Bestport Private Equity on its investment into Energy Efficient Solutions Group. Clients value Adam for his can-do personality and readiness to tackle challenges head-on, making him a trusted guide in the private equity sector. He frequently works under significant time pressure in competitive auction processes in order to help his clients achieve successful outcomes.

Sean Crowley

Sean advises lenders and borrowers on a range of secured and unsecured debt financing transactions, frequently with a cross-border element. He acts for an array of clients, including the UK clearers, international banks, alternative lenders, funds, joint venture vehicles and corporates from around the world. His expertise lies in corporate lending and real estate finance transactions. In real estate finance, Sean has been involved in some of the most high profile financings of super prime residential developments in the London market. He has also advised a number of lenders and borrowers on investment financing for a range of assets: retail, industrial, student accommodation, hotels and commercial offices, including large portfolio acquisitions.

Joshua Cunnington

Advising across the entire lifecycle of his client’s most valuable assets, Joshua assists clients in the protection, exploitation and then enforcement of their intellectual property. He has particular experience assisting clients in sectors such as consumer retail (including food and drink), energy transition, oil and gas, and marine technologies. His practice covers all the IP rights, including trade marks, patents, designs and copyright, as well as confidential information/trade secrets. A specialist in 'non-traditional' trade mark disputes, Joshua has particular experience litigating colour and shape trade marks. An experienced litigator, he has acted on claims in the High Court and Court of Appeal, the Intellectual Property Office (including advocacy), the Company Names Tribunal and WIPO. Joshua also has significant experience coordinating multi-jurisdictional IP disputes, having overseen litigation in Sweden, Germany and Japan. He also advises clients in relation to IP strategy (including early-stage technology development) and negotiates complex and sensitive IP provisions in business-critical agreements, recently having been involved in a significant number of energy and decarbonisation projects. Joshua is a co-author of the intellectual property chapters in 'Offshore Construction Law and Practice' (2nd edn), 'Offshore Floating Production’, and ‘LNG Offshore Production and Regasification’. He has also been a visiting law lecturer to engineering students at UCL.

Ezio Dal Maso

Emily Daly

John Danahy

John acts for leading international fund, investor, developer and operator clients, and helps them to realise their commercial objectives across all forms of new energy / renewables, nuclear (new build and decommissioning), large scale gas, distributed energy networks, demand response, infrastructure, power cables and pipelines. He has nearly two decades of experience in the nuclear sector advising on projects of national significance such as all UK nuclear new builds, major decommissioning transactions involving the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority estate and international nuclear developers, including the fuel cycle and waste disposal. John has strong capability in delivering projects from early inception, site assembly and land acquisition, permitting, consenting and early works through to final investment decision and project finance and construction. End of life experience includes decommissioning, remediation, revocation of consents and ultimately, disposal or next use. His breadth of expertise also spans involvement in multi-disciplinary teams focused on the acquisition, disposal and financing of major energy projects often cross-border or multi-jurisdictional in nature. John has also co-founded a number of legal AI startups, including Contract Genetica and Dxta.ai. He is also founder of the nuclear sector focussed YouTube channel, Lex Atomica.

Isabelle Dauzet

Ross Davidson

Registered Foreign Lawyer (England and Wales) Partner, Stephenson Harwood LLP"

Alex Davis

Alex is a leading insurance practitioner, acting for major London Lloyd’s and company market insurers as well as Continental insurers on a wide range of marine, aviation and rail insurance matters. He regularly advises on complex coverage issues involving hull, cargo, war, port risk, shipyard liability, general liability, specie and mortgagee interest policies. With significant experience representing international insurance markets, Alex handles major casualties, collisions, salvage, and wreck removals. He is a frequent contributor to industry publications such as Lloyd’s List and recently co-presented on marine cyber risk at the IMCC. Alex has particular expertise in Notices of Abandonment (NOAs), Constructive Total Losses (CTLs), and related legal developments, having led a landmark case in this area. Alex and his team acted for a major insurance client in the recent Russian Aviation losses trial. He is also recognised for his work on mortgagee interest coverage, geo-seismic operators and their insurers on risk management, as well as the London market on pre-inception risk issues. Outside of insurance, he has advised Government Agencies and numerous Crown and Overseas Dependencies on maritime issues as wide as wreck removal, pollution response, casualty response and fishing/commercial rights. He is listed as a leading individual in marine insurance in major legal directories.

Desiree De Lima

Desiree De Lima is an associate in the employee incentives team, based in London. She works with a diverse client base including larger corporates, small and medium-sized companies, management teams, and individual executives, providing practical and commercial advice on all aspects of employee incentives and remuneration matters Desiree has experience designing and implementing bespoke approved and unapproved share plans, cash plans and bonus schemes, guiding clients through the legal and tax implications of these arrangements. She collaborates closely with the employment team on senior executive appointments, remuneration, and terminations as well as the tax implications of international assignments. She also supports the corporate team by advising on employee incentive aspects of corporate transactions. Recognised as a recommended lawyer in Legal500 UK 2025 for Employee Share Schemes, Desiree is known for her client-focused and pragmatic approach.

Sarah de Ste Croix

Sarah de Ste Croix is a partner at Stephenson Harwood, specialising in private equity fund secondaries. She is Band 1 ranked by Chambers. Her diverse experience spans working in GP-focused fund formation, serving as fundraising counsel for Actis, and advising as a funds specialist at EY. Sarah's client base includes institutional investors and general partners, who rely on her expertise to navigate the complexities of private fund formation and liquidity transactions. She provides strategic advice on managed accounts, co-investment platforms and fund restructurings. Sarah's clients praise her ability to bridge gaps in negotiations and deliver commercial solutions. Her work includes advising on the establishment of continuation vehicles for clients like DPE Deutsche Private Equity and Ufenau Capital Partners, as well as guiding Tesco Pension Trustees Limited through a substantial portfolio sale. Her clients value her relentless focus and deep experience, which are instrumental in overcoming challenges and driving success. Sarah's reputation as a phenomenal lawyer is underscored by her role in groundbreaking transactions, such as the first GP-led secondary in Ukraine and successor fundraise against the backdrop of military conflict. Her ability to act quickly and think commercially makes her a trusted guide for clients seeking to deploy capital effectively in the private equity landscape.

Nicolas Demigneux

A litigation expert, Nicolas specialises in general commercial and insurance litigation, arbitration and private international law. He has been appointed as the Paris office managing partner. His expertise covers the various fields of civil and commercial law, including construction, project, aviation and corporate disputes, product liability and contracts for large French and international companies. In the insurance sector, Nicolas advises on matters relating to professional or product liability in the areas of aviation, pharmaceuticals, energy, chemicals and construction. Nicolas' arbitration experience involves acting as counsel during ad hoc or institutional arbitrations. In addition, he has experience as an arbitrator in domestic commercial disputes. Nicolas is also well known for his broad expertise in Africa related matters which includes representing several African governments in project disputes and contractual negotiations. Nicolas currently heads the Paris Africa group. Nicolas speaks French and English and is a member of the Paris and New York bars.

Nick Dingemans

Nick is a corporate and commercial lawyer in Stephenson Harwood’s Singapore office. He advises clients on corporate mergers and acquisitions as well as on commercial matters. He advises on cross-border and emerging market transactions in the energy, natural resources and infrastructure sectors with a particular focus on decarbonisation. Nick acts for clients on acquisitions, disposals, corporate restructurings and joint ventures in oil and gas, LNG, solar, wind and conventional power as well as mining and commodities. He also advised clients on carbon trading (both voluntary and compliance markets), carbon capture and storage as well as hydrogen and ammonia related projects. Nick has also advised clients on a wide range of mergers and acquisitions in other sectors including shipping, technology and financial services. He has lived and worked in Auckland, Dubai, London and Moscow and has been based in Singapore since 2014. Recognised as a leader in his field by the main legal directories, Nick is praised by clients for his ‘commercial understanding and industry knowledge’. He is rated as ‘Highly regarded’ by IFLR 1000.

Ellen Dixon

Ellen Dixon is an associate in Stephenson Harwood LLP's international arbitration team, where she supports a diverse range of multinational and international companies. Ellen most frequently works on disputes which have an African or Asian aspect, where she leverages her experience in these jurisdictions to assist clients to obtain their goals while navigating complex arbitration processes. Ellen's clients include a large Asian oil and gas company and multinational African banks, who rely on her strategic insight and commercial acumen to resolve high-stakes disputes efficiently. Ellen provides comprehensive support in international arbitration, including under LCIA, ICC, LMAA, and GAFTA rules, as well as ad hoc arbitrations. Her litigation experience further enhances her ability to assist clients with enforcement of arbitral awards, securities, injunctions, and commercial disputes. Ellen's approach ensures that clients can confidently pursue their legal rights knowing they have a steadfast advocate in their corner. Active in the arbitration community, Ellen participates in initiatives like the Africa Arbitration Academy, Very Young Arbitration Practitioners (publishing A Reflection on the Withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty in collaboration with Jus Mundi) and the Young International Arbitration Group of the LCIA. Her commitment to the field and her clients sets her apart, making her a sought-after guide in international arbitrations.

David Dowding

David Dowding is a partner in Stephenson Harwood’s corporate practice. David has wide experience advising corporate clients and investment banks on UK and cross-border corporate finance transactions. He is recognised for his expertise in public and private mergers and acquisitions, and equity capital markets transactions. David provides comprehensive, expert guidance on mergers and acquisitions, both public and private, ensuring clients navigate the intricacies of these transactions with confidence. He has supported issuers and investment banks and brokers on successful IPOs and secondary offerings (Official List and AIM) for over 15 years. David holds the accolade of Next Generation Partner in the UK Legal 500 for Equity Capital Markets (Small-Mid Cap) work. David principally advises mid-cap companies and intermediaries operating in the UK and internationally. He has extensive experience working with clients in the transportation, consumer, industrials, energy transition and life sciences sectors. David’s loyal client base value his responsiveness and measured approach to complex issues. Clients appreciate David's ability to act swiftly and strategically, making him a sought-after adviser for high-value, time critical transactions which may have one or more international elements to them. His work highlights his capability to lead and manage transformational project, working hard to secure successful outcomes for his clients.

Charlotte Drake

Charlotte supports corporate trustees and agents - whether part of financial institutions or independent professional providers - in achieving their goals. She is equally adept at navigating complex restructurings and resolving disputes as she is advising on new issuances and ongoing administration issues. Her clients rely on her trusted advice in capital markets, syndicated lending, debt restructuring and structured finance transactions. With over 20 years’ experience across private practice, in-house and knowledge roles, Charlotte delivers practical, client-focused support tailored to each situation. A strategic thinker and recognised knowledge leader, she combines technical expertise with an approachable style and commercial insight, excelling at making the complex simple and always looking ahead to keep clients prepared for what comes next. Clients value her clarity, collaborative approach, and unwavering focus on protecting their interests. As the Finance Group’s knowledge partner, Charlotte manages the knowledge team to ensure that the latest legal and market developments are seamlessly embedded in advice to clients. She is also passionate about ensuring that efficiency and cost-effectiveness inform every aspect of a Stephenson Harwood finance transaction and its delivery. As co-author of the market’s only dedicated book on corporate trusts and bond restructuring, Charlotte is recognised as a leader in her field. An experienced public speaker and trainer, she is widely regarded for making complex issues accessible and actionable. Clients and colleagues alike rely on Charlotte for her deep technical expertise, strategic thinking and steadfast commitment to their success - knowing she will always advocate for their interests with professionalism and integrity.

Shwini Dsouza

Elise Dufour

Elise Dufour is a partner in the intellectual property, tech and data practice, specializing in new technology law. Elise advises French and international clients on their digital projects, both in consulting and litigation. Her expertise covers key areas such as data valuation and security (personal and non-personal), IT project management (cloud computing, artificial intelligence, SaaS, open source) as well as digital transformation strategy and the protection of online intangible assets (e-reputation, AdWords policy, domain name strategy and recovery). She also supports her customers in the development of e-commerce projects, whether for websites or mobile applications.

Stuart Dutson

Stuart Dutson is a seasoned partner in the International Arbitration team, renowned for his strategic guidance in high-stakes commercial and investment treaty disputes. With over 25 years of experience, Stuart supports clients defending or prosecuting claims across diverse sectors including TMT, energy, infrastructure, aviation, and financial services. Stuart also acts for and against States and State-owned entities before the leading dispute resolution forums and arbitration institutions. His global reach spans England, mainland Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Australia, making him a trusted advisor for businesses navigating international arbitration challenges. Stuart's expertise lies in ensuring clients receive tailored solutions that align with their strategic goals. Stuart's clients benefit from his ability to transform intricate legal matters into actionable strategies, enabling them to focus on their core business objectives. His reputation for excellence and commitment to client success makes him a sought-after advisor in the international commercial arbitration and investment treaty disputes fields. Stuart is recommended in Legal 500 and Chambers (for 17 years) for international arbitration and public international law and is a member of the Legal 500 International Arbitration Hall of Fame. Prior to Stephenson Harwood, Stuart led the International Arbitration teams at both Simmons and Simmons and Eversheds. He has also held positions in the Ministry of Justice, Malawi as State Advocate and the London School of Economics as a Fellow. Stuart acts as Chair or Arbitrator under the ICC, LCIA, UNCITRAL arbitration rules. Stuart was Malawi's State Advocate based in Lilongwe in 2000-2001 and he is an emeritus member of the ICC Court of Arbitration. Stuart has a PhD in private international law and public international law from the University of Cambridge. His practice includes international commercial arbitration, investment treaty arbitration and public International law disputes. The sectors he works in include energy, natural resources and infrastructure, financial services, health sciences, and aviation.

Chris Edwards-Earl

Chris has considerable experience acting for trustees and employers, parties acting in an interest-based or representative capacity, and for clients pursuing or defending high-value professional negligence actions. He has advised clients extensively on a range of matters concerning: outsourcing disputes; technical investment based claims; disputes as to the funding of pension schemes; the Pension Regulator's moral hazard regime; the construction and rectification of trust documents; pension claims in insolvency; cross-border disputes arising out of trusts; and, breach of contract and professional negligence claims. Clients appreciate Chris’s focus on achieving effective commercial outcomes, preserving stakeholder relationships during disputes, and often securing resolutions through mediation rather than litigation. Chris is a qualified solicitor-advocate, having attained his Higher Rights of Audience. Chris was elected to the Education & Seminars Committee of the Association of Pension Lawyers in 2020. Chris has been recognised as a leading pensions disputes lawyer in Chambers and Legal 500.

Mazin El Amin

Managing Associate

Mohamed El Hawawy

Partner - Head of Middle East Shipping and Insurance

Mahmoud El-Sayed

Managing Associate

Joanne Elieli

Joanne is an experienced litigator, advising both domestic and international clients on various contentious matters pertaining to cyber, data, technology and life sciences. She provides clients with strategic advice in relation to data breaches, cyber incidents and crisis management. She is regularly involved in the associated follow-on litigation and in defending claims (including class actions) brought in relation to alleged breaches/infringements of data protection and cyber security laws. She is well-versed in the recovery of sensitive data, source code and confidential information, and in dealing with investigations (internal and regulatory). Joanne regularly advises on disputes arising from the use and misuse of technology. She has expertise in disputes relating to distressed IT projects, most often in the context of delays, defects, scope creep and/or failure to meet project milestones; and disputes arising from software/hardware implementation, software licensing arrangements and the use of AI. Joanne has significant experience acting on life sciences disputes, including in relation to breach of contract claims arising from manufacturing agreements and clinical trials. Joanne is a CIPP/E certified privacy professional. She has held her Higher Rights of Audience (enabling her to act as a solicitor-advocate in all English civil courts) since 2016 and has experience appearing in a variety of courts and tribunals. She is also a CEDR-accredited mediator.

Trudy Feaster-Gee

Trudy is a barrister with 30 years’ experience advising on all aspects of competition law and competition litigation across a very broad range of industry sectors. She has experience of working on secondment for competition authorities (in Brussels and London) and for household name clients (in the motor vehicle and banking sectors). Trudy’s career has spanned work in Brussels, Leeds and London and for national and international clients. For several years she was listed as a Leading Individual in Chambers and in the Hall of Fame in Legal 500 for Competition Law in the Regions (UK). Trudy joined the firm’s London office in October 2023. She brings a wealth of experience and technical legal knowledge across the full range of competition law matters. Highlights include an action in the Competition Appeal Tribunal for competition law damages arising from the EC Truck cartel, merger clearance of a politically sensitive joint venture between global competitors, successful leniency applications and closing down of cartel investigations into clients’ activities, and advising on commercial strategy for dominant businesses (including in regulated sectors). Examples of client feedback include: “Trudy has developed excellent relationships with client and other stakeholders very quickly impressing both with her subject matter knowledge and experience but also her patience, empathy and trustworthiness” and “In an area of law that can be labyrinthine, Trudy combines an eye for detail with pragmatism. She knows that understanding the client’s business is key to the efficacy of the advice she gives.” (The Legal 500 2022) Trudy also has experience of working as a Non-Executive Director in the National Health Service.

Tom Finden

Tom is a highly experienced Of Counsel in Stephenson Harwood's corporate finance team, specialising in international and domestic mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, investments and restructurings. His expertise is sought after by a diverse range of clients, from large multinationals to private equity houses, particularly in the transport, healthcare and corporate real estate sectors. Tom's strategic approach and deep understanding of cross-border transactions make him a trusted partner for publicly listed and private clients navigating their most complex acquisitions and disposals. Tom provides comprehensive corporate finance advice across share sales, business sales, investments, reorganisations, restructurings and general corporate advice. His work with prominent multinational corporates, private equity houses, publicly listed companies and entrepreneurs across the transport, healthcare and corporate real estate sectors highlights his ability to deliver tailored solutions that align with his clients' strategic goals. Clients value Tom's ability to anticipate challenges and deliver pragmatic solutions that drive success and help his clients to achieve seamless transitions and sustainable growth. His involvement in high-profile transactions underscores his reputation for excellence in corporate finance. Tom's commitment to client success and his collaborative approach make him an important asset in navigating the complexities of corporate transactions.

Darren Fodey

Darren Fodey is a trusted guide for train operators, procuring authorities and infrastructure managers, in both the public and private sectors. His deep knowledge of rail regulation and operations allows him to offer practical advice on the day-to-day challenges faced by railway businesses. Darren's expertise spans all business needs, from procurement and bidding, through mobilisation, the operational phase and handover to a successor. This means Darren can ensure clients can navigate industry complexities with confidence. He provides tailored advice on rail regulation, including track, station, and depot access, develops new regulated regimes and has been instrumental in delivering regulatory frameworks for projects such as the Elizabeth line. He advises on regulated procurements under the Procurement Act 2023 and other legislation, delivering pragmatic, risk mitigated, approaches and ensuring clients enjoy successful outcomes. He supports clients on delivering a wide range of commercial contracts which meet the needs of the business and deliver optimum value for money. His ability to talk the language of the industry sets him apart, with clients appreciating his attention to detail and his ability to 'talk trains,' making complex legal issues accessible and actionable. Darren's clients include Transport for London, c2c and Trenitalia, who rely on his expertise for strategic guidance and practical outcomes.

Roland Foord

Roland is a full time commercial disputes expert with deep experience particularly in the professional services and fine art sectors where he has practised throughout his career. Roland leads our teams in these sectors and is highly ranked in them by the directories. His work covers a broad range of commercial disputes taking place in the High Court and in arbitration. Most of Roland's work has an international dimension and he is also experienced in managing multi-jurisdictional disputes. Much of his work involves management of risk and the avoidance of claims, nipping problems in the bud and working with clients to resolve issues early and cost-effectively and keep them out of court. Roland has a long and extensive experience of acting for and against professional firms, particularly those in accountancy and law sectors and has been closely involved in several leading cases. He has been described as a "very good, very tough litigator," by Chambers UK 2022 in this area. In the fine art sector, Roland advises a broad range of clients from auction houses and dealers to museums and private collectors. His work in this area goes well beyond disputes, for example about title and attribution. He regularly advises on matters ranging from the sale and purchase of fine art to the standard terms of business of major market players to export, looted art and related issues. Roland is a member of the Art, Cultural and Institutions Committee of the IBA and recognised by Chambers & Partners for his experience handling high-value disputes within Art and Cultural Property Law. They describe him as "enormously impressive, a good tactician and knows the area back to front." In Legal 500, Roland is recognised for having "unparalleled experience in the field, with noted leadership and unassailable credibility." Roland is ranked in the Hall of Fame by Chambers in both the Professional Negligence and Art and Cultural Property categories.

Melissa Forbes-Miranda

Ryan Fordham

Ryan specialises in advising a range of clients including developers, contractors, consultants and funders across various sectors such as office, logistics, hospitality, data centre, living, retail, mixed use, life sciences, utilities, energy and infrastructure and provides tailored solutions for construction and engineering challenges. His expertise spans drafting and negotiating industry standard contracts including FIDIC, ICC, IChemE, JCT, MF/1, NEC3/4 and PPC2000 and bespoke contracts such as EPC, EPCM (offshore and onshore) and FEED contracts, as well as framework agreements, pre-construction services agreements, development management and funding agreements, professional appointments, security and other ancillary construction and engineering documents, ensuring clients’ developments and projects are properly structured and procured. His practice includes advising on development and project strategies, helping clients navigate the intricacies of construction contracts, and the construction aspects of development, funding and adoption agreements, as well as lease arrangements. His comprehensive approach ensures that clients can confidently manage their developments and projects, from inception to completion, while mitigating risks and maximising value. Clients appreciate Ryan’s ability to combine legal expertise with a deep understanding of commercial pressures and timelines along with his excellent ability to get to the heart of the problem and find a practical solution to achieve their objectives. His work on high-profile developments and projects, such as One Blackfriars, the BBC Television Centre, Thames Tideway Tunnel and HS2, underscores his reputation as a go-to advisor for complex construction and engineering matters. As a member of the Construction Law Committee of the City of London Law Society, a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Paviors and a Freeman of the City of London, clients further benefit from Ryan's enhanced contemporaneous knowledge of topical areas of law and best practices relating to the construction industry.

Richard Freedman

Richard is a Partner in Stephenson Harwood's Employment team, renowned for his expertise in handling intricate matters across the full duration of the employment relationship. He supports clients in a diverse range of sectors including professional services, financial services, hospitality and retail amongst others, offering comprehensive guidance on employment contracts, staff policies. He is adept at managing redundancy processes, reorganisation strategies and investigations. Clients value Richard's ability to seamlessly integrate legal advice with commercial acumen. His proficiency in identifying and crafting pragmatic solutions to disputes provides clients with clarity and confidence in resolving difficulties within the workforce. Where needed, Richard applies strategic thinking and a tenacious drive to employment litigation to achieve successful results. Richard has a strong track record of advising clients on the employment aspects of transactions including private acquisitions, management buyouts, and IPOs. Working closely with his corporate and commercial colleagues he has a particular specialism in advising on TUPE transfers.

Justin Gan

Justin is a dispute resolution partner that helps clients resolve commercial disputes whether in litigation, arbitration, mediation, or pre-proceedings. He has a strong focus on marine and international trade matters, and also handles non-contentious work in that sector. He is fluent in Mandarin and his matters often bear a Chinese element.

Marta Isabel Garcia

An EU and UK competition law expert, Marta is well-known for advising clients on global multi-jurisdictional merger control, cartel and behavioural investigations. Clients highly value her practical and commercial approach to complicated antitrust issues, and her real ability to provide global insights to increasingly global antitrust issues. Marta also advises on foreign direct investment rules. Marta joined us from international law firm Clifford Chance LLP and prior to this she was at Baker & McKenzie LLP (which included a year-long secondment to their Brasilia office, the capital of Brazil). Marta has significant experience advising companies on merger control issues arising in all different types of corporate transactions both in the UK and EU as well as globally. She regularly advises on jurisdictional and substantive merger control issues, due diligence, data room procedures and clean teams, gun-jumping and information exchange. Marta also has extensive experience advising and defending companies involved in international cartels and abuse of dominance investigations by the European Commission, the European courts and the UK competition authorities. She assists companies on all stages of investigations, from any unannounced inspections through to internal investigations/audits, leniency/immunity applications, preparation of defences, settlements and appeals before the courts. Marta also advises more generally on competition compliance and commercial agreement matters, including the review of commercial arrangements such as distribution, agency, R&D, specialisation, selective distribution and franchising systems, joint ventures and strategic alliances. Marta also advises on foreign direct investment rules, in particular, the UK's new National Security & Investment Act and public interest regime under the Enterprise Act. She has worked with companies across various industries (in particular, shipping, rail, consumer goods and retail, life sciences, energy, financial services and banking, insurance, real estate and funds and asset management) and her work has taken her across the globe (i.e. Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa). Marta is renowned for her extremely knowledgeable, technical yet straightforward and practical approach which is appreciated by clients.

Richard Garcia

Richard has particular expertise in banking, funds, structured finance and financial products disputes. He is regularly instructed by banks, asset managers, sovereign states and large corporates on their most important and complex cases. Richard is also often instructed on shareholder, joint venture and private equity disputes. He regularly advises on a wide range of commercial disputes and has also advised investors and stakeholders on a number of major fund and institutional collapses. Richard has experience of a broad range of dispute resolution mechanisms including litigation, arbitration and mediation. He has advised on a number of group actions involving multiple claimant groups and third parties and he regularly coordinates large multi-party proceedings across multiple jurisdictions. The largest value cases often involve multi-faceted proceedings including jurisdiction challenges, freezing orders, cross-border evidence gathering and complex enforcement strategies and defences. Richard has been involved in many such cases, including enforcement proceedings arising from foreign judgments, LCIA, ICC and ICSID arbitrations.

Alain Gautron

Raphaël Gauvain

Sean Gibbons

Sean Gibbons is a Partner at Stephenson Harwood, specialising in shipping, shipbuilding, and offshore disputes. He is regularly instructed by shipowners, charterers, P&I clubs, and shipyards, providing strategic advice and representation in High Court litigation and arbitration proceedings. Sean's expertise spans disputes under charterparties, bills of lading, MOAs and shipbuilding contracts, and ship finance, where he offers both legal and practical solutions to enforce principally lenders' security. His clients value his ability to navigate complex legal challenges with a commercial perspective, ensuring their interests are protected and their objectives achieved. Sean's extensive experience of fraud investigations in West Africa and his proficiency in obtaining freezing orders and anti-suit injunctions further distinguish him as a trusted guide in asset tracing and dispute resolution.

Peter Gillis

Peter acts for high-net-worth individuals from the UK and around the world, trustees, protectors, and multinational professional services businesses operating in in this area. Peter has significant experience litigating in both UK and international courts, including Jersey, Guernsey, the BVI, the Bahamas, Hong Kong and Mauritius. Peter advises on a full range of matters affecting private clients and their structures including: - applications to deal with mistaken advice or flawed decisions by way of rectification or revocation; - breach of trust claims; - fraud claims; - disputes between family members regarding their interest in family trusts and the operation of underlying corporate entities; - trustee directions and court approval/blessing applications; - advice about and disputes involving loss of capacity by family members or fiduciaries; - challenges to Wills. Peter has particular expertise resolving difficult and long-running disputes between beneficiaries of both English and offshore family trusts owning large multinational businesses. Peter also regularly acts for Trustees of 'commercial trusts' including security trustees on contentious issues arising from secured bonds, securitisations or structured finance transactions as well as trustees of Unit Trusts, EOTs, EBTs involved in disputes or where the underlying structures are financially distressed.

Jonathan Goacher

Jonathan is a US-qualified partner, known for his corporate and sanctions work in Asia. He has extensive experience of guiding clients through new market entries, complex M&A, joint ventures and corporate closures across eastern Asia. Clients appreciate his responsiveness and commercially-savvy, solutions-orientated advice, and his particular expertise in many highly-regulated business sectors.

Tal Goldsmith

Tal specialises in all aspects of recovery of assets into insolvent estates by receivers, liquidators, administrators and trustees in bankruptcy (or analogous professionals in overseas jurisdictions), usually involving cross-border issues. Tal also advises international clients and advisors on how to best use insolvency processes and powers as part of a wider global asset recovery toolkit. She acts in specialist insolvency proceedings and also has significant experience in related litigation under the Companies Acts and the Proceeds of Crime Act. Tal often acts in matters seeking the appointment of receivers by the court, and separately acts for such court-appointed receivers in the course of the exercise of their powers. In addition to her work for office holders, Tal provides advice to international corporate and individual clients regarding the implications of insolvency for them and members of their supply chain, on the risks associated with acquisitions of businesses and assets from insolvent companies, and on structuring transactions to ensure that they comply with insolvency legislation. Early in her career Tal spent time working in industry for a market leading asset recovery team, and also completed a secondment in the recoveries team of a clearing bank which gives her a unique understanding of how such clients operate and enables her to better meet their requirements.

Michelle Gomes

Michelle is a corporate partner, with a specific focus on M&A, VC and growth capital work, across a range of sectors, including technology, life sciences and consumer. She has extensive cross-border transaction experience, supporting diverse clients through investment rounds restructurings, acquisitions and divestment/exits. Michelle Gomes specialises in private M&A, joint ventures, and equity fundraising in the VC and growth capital space. Her M&A practice involves advising her clients on acquisitions, disposals and joint ventures, often with an international element. In supporting the venture ecosystem, her clients range from venture capital funds, CVCs, growth capital investors, to high-growth companies across a range of ticket sizes and sectors, but with a specific interest and focus on the technology, consumer and life sciences sectors.

Philip Goodchild

Philip’s experience in advising trustees and employers ranges from advising on liability reduction exercises such as ceasing accruals and buy in/buy out projects. After twenty five years in the industry there is virtually no area which Philip has not dealt with. His technical skills and knowledge of general pension issues is of an extremely high level allowing him to provide clients with practical commercial advice regarding their pension arrangements. Philip is a member of the Association of Pension Lawyers and a regular commentator on legal issues affecting pension provision in the press and industry publications. He has sat on the legislation sub-committee of the Society of Pension Consultants. He regularly speaks at seminars and workshops on topical legal issues. Philip is an accredited CEDR mediator.

Sam Gray

Sam specialises in M&A transactions, joint ventures and growth capital. Sam acts for listed corporates private equity funds, investee companies and management teams. Sam has a broad range of sector expertise across a wide variety of industry sectors but has particular expertise in financial services and technology. He uses his broad range of experience to provide commercial and pragmatic advice and to assist clients not just to get deals done but to achieve success. Clients appreciate Sam's ability to understand their strategic objectives and allow them to focus on the valuable issues at hand.

Priya Grigoriadis

Priya Grigoriadis is a partner in our renowned fraud and asset recovery team, where she supports high net worth individuals, major corporates, and insolvency practitioners. Priya has acted on some of the largest claims to come before the English Courts in recent years. Clients praise her ability, with sources reporting “Priya is one of the best solicitors I’ve ever come across”; and "She runs a very smooth operation. She is quick-witted, incredibly smart and a real powerhouse.” She is highly regarded in the market as a global fraud and asset recovery specialist. She has significant experience of large-scale, complex fraud and asset recovery cases often involving multiple jurisdictions such as the BVI, Cayman Islands, Southeast Asia, and the UAE. Priya has recently obtained a c.£600m judgment for a leading trading house in a landmark commodities fraud case.

Boriana Guimberteau

Guy Harper

Guy is recognised for his expertise in a broad range of contentious matters, with a particular emphasis on claims arising from the private equity, professional services and fine art sectors. Clients value Guy's tenacity, attention to detail and focus on results. The subject matter of the claims that Guy handles is diverse and includes M&A and shareholder disputes, fraud and professional negligence claims against lawyers. He has a track-record of formulating effective strategies to win multifaceted cases in a cost-effective manner.

Paul Hayward-Surry

Paul is part of our highly rated Real Estate Finance team, which offers comprehensive counsel on real estate and real estate finance matters for borrower and lender clients. He specialises in real estate finance, acquisitions, disposals and landlord and tenant matters acting for lenders, investors, landlord and tenants. He also advises on the real estate aspects of restructuring and insolvency work. Paul leads the firm's relationship with HSBC and is a key client service partner for Trafalgar Entertainment Group, Barings, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company and NatWest. Legal 500 ranks Paul as a notable individual for real estate finance.

Katie Hewson

Katie Hewson leads the firm’s international data protection practice. Clients come to Katie for her skill at helping them make use of their valuable data in a responsible way. She has significant experience advising international clients on digital transactions, innovative advisory projects, investigations, complaints and incidents, across data-rich sectors including tech, financial services, pensions, transport, art and cultural property and life sciences. Katie's clients benefit from her ability to provide clear, actionable advice on EU and UK GDPR compliance, the EU AI Act and AI governance, EU digital legislation, data contracts, overseas data transfers, data breach handling, data subject rights requests, direct marketing and cookies. Katie holds IAPP AI Governance Professional, Fellow of Information Privacy, CIPP/E and CIPM accreditations. In addition to being a Solicitor in England and Wales, Katie is registered as an Avocat Communautaire with the Paris Bar, which supports her advice on EU data laws. Known for her pragmatic, personal and dedicated approach, Katie is a trusted partner for organisations seeking to maximise value from their data assets and address regulatory challenges with confidence. She has successfully guided international banks, wellbeing chains, art market participants and major technology companies through complex transactions, investigations and enforcement actions, delivering favourable outcomes in high-stakes situations.

Charlotte Heywood

Charlotte advises contractors, employers and real estate funders in resolving a wide range of construction, infrastructure, transport and energy disputes both internationally and domestically. She has experience in a wide range of sectors including: commercial, hospitality and leisure, infrastructure, residential, health and education, industrial and logistics and energy and power. Charlotte has extensive experience of all manner of construction related disputes including in relation to payment, defects and delay and disruption. She regularly deals with disputes arising out of the JCT, NEC and FIDIC forms of contract, as well as numerous bespoke forms. Reported cases include: Walter Lilly v Giles Mackay - [2013] EWCA Civ 142 (Court of Appeal); ABB Ltd v BAM Nuttall Ltd [2013] EWHC 1983 (TCC); Cofely Ltd v Anthony Bingham and Knowles Ltd [2016] EWHC 240 (Comm); Multiplex Construction Europe Ltd v Bathgate Realisations Civil Engineering Ltd [2021] EWHC 590 (TCC); BNP Paribas Depositary Services v Briggs & Forrester Engineering Services Ltd [2024] EWHC 2903 (TCC). Charlotte also specialises in PFI disputes both for project companies and FM Contractors and wide range of rail disputes (both construction and general commercial). Charlotte regularly advises clients in relation to real time project management dispute avoidance over the active construction phase including in relation to dealing with payment applications, contractual notices and extension of time and loss and expense assessments. Charlotte is Deputy Chair of the National Committee of the National Association of Women in Construction.

Ben Hickson

Ben is a corporate senior associate based in Stephenson Harwood’s Myanmar office. He advises on diverse and substantial market entry projects and is experienced in navigating the investment regulatory framework, having advised leading investors on a wide range of projects (notably in the real estate, insurance and telecommunications sectors).

Paul Ho

Dan Holland

Dan's core practice is the drafting and negotiation of agreements for the manufacture and supply of drugs for clinical and commercial use. More broadly, Dan's team covers legal aspects of technical operations, including manufacturing and supply, distributors and wholesalers, downstream logistics and the procurement of clean-room equipment. Dan acts for therapy companies and CMOs, regularly advising on all aspects from both the supplier and customer perspectives. Clients often instruct Dan’s team for their insight on the current market terms. Dan also covers a broader range of supply and services agreements, franchise, sponsorship, agency and distribution arrangements across a number of other sectors, including, transport, travel, leisure and packaging. His clients include smaller businesses and well-known brands. Dan aims to provide practical, commercial advice and straightforward agreements. Dan’s practice covers clients in the UK as well as those based throughout the US and Europe. He has dual UK/French nationality and is admitted as an Avocat Communautaire at the Paris Bar. Dan has worked with many of his clients over long periods, which enables him to become an extension of their team. He understands their businesses and can make a valuable contribution quickly.

Paul Hollands

Paul's clients include large businesses, wealthy individuals, professionals and their firms, and insolvent companies. Clients benefit from Paul's detailed knowledge, experience and creative approach to problem solving, and they trust him to help them navigate issues of great importance to them and their businesses. Paul is ranked as a Leading Associate by Legal 500 and has spent time on secondment at a client dealing with a range of litigation, regulatory and risk management issues.

Caroline Hooton

Caroline specialises in helping public authorities and passenger operators procure and manage efficient, reliable and profitable rail and bus services. Clients appreciate the holistic approach that she brings to the negotiation and implementation of franchise and concession arrangements, particularly the insight she has on supply chain management – including facilities management, rolling stock and project works – that comes from more than 20 years of providing legal advice within the infrastructure and outsourcing sectors. Analytical and able to communicate complicated legal and technical ideas in plain English, Caroline guides clients to the issues that really matter to them and then aids them in achieving their goals. Whether advising on procurement, mobilisation, contract interpretation, potential disputes and the settlement of the same or demobilisation and handover, her straight-talking, no-nonsense attitude reassures clients that she always has their back. Solutions-focused and collaborative, clients value Caroline's practicality, candour and sharp sense of humour and know that she can always be relied upon to keep them on track.

Nick Horton

Nick is a corporate partner at Stephenson Harwood specialising in investment funds. He advises investment managers, funds and their boards, investors and brokers on a range of matters including the launch and ongoing management of funds. Nick has supported his clients on high-profile and innovative fund launches in both the listed funds and private funds markets. He advises on post-launch events including secondary issues, reconstructions, changes to management arrangements and regulatory matters. He also acts for funds on public and private investment and divestment work across a range of sectors. His expertise spans listed and private UK fund structures as well as those available offshore. Clients value Nick’s range of expertise and commercial judgment and consider him as a valuable team member and adviser.

Lijuan Hou

Rachel Hoyland

Rachel helps maritime stakeholders navigate emissions reduction and energy transition, working with shipowners, operators, charterers, financiers and technology and energy providers to help them adapt and thrive. Whether advising on the nuances of complex regulations (EU ETS, FuelEU, IMO NZF) or crafting the contractual architecture of new projects (insetting, pooling, retrofitting) Rachel brings pragmatism, clarity and perspective, ensuring her clients are well-prepared for the future. Rachel's maritime decarbonisation practice is informed by having handled numerous international maritime disputes throughout her career, including LMAA and ad hoc arbitrations, as well as High Court and Court of Appeal proceedings. Her ability to foresee operational, legal and litigation risks, and guard against those, makes her an invaluable asset to her clients, who rely on her to navigate novel situations strategically. Clients value Rachel for her ability to resolve complex challenge and, drawing on both in-house and private practice experience, provide intelligent advice that balances risk with opportunity. Her involvement in working groups of the International Maritime Organisation, BIMCO, UK Department for Transport and UK Chamber of Shipping underscores her position at the forefront of maritime decarbonisation, making her a leading expert in the field.

Karima Hudson

Karima Hudson is a corporate partner at Stephenson Harwood, specialising in private M&A, joint ventures, and restructurings. Her expertise is particularly sought after in the healthcare sector, where she has advised numerous operators and investors, including Intriva Capital, HC-One, Aurem Care and Salutem Healthcare. Karima's client base spans various industries, drawn by her ability to offer practical solutions and thorough advice. She provides comprehensive corporate advice, guiding clients through complex transactions and regulatory challenges. Karima's approach ensures clients can navigate their corporate strategies with confidence, knowing they have a reliable partner in their corner. Clients appreciate Karima's straightforward and commercial mindset, valuing her ability to act quickly and effectively. Her reputation for delivering clear, actionable guidance makes her a preferred choice for clients looking to achieve success in their corporate endeavours.

Richard Hugg

Richard is a marine insurance specialist, regularly acting for London market insurance clients on coverage issues, advising on wordings and helping to resolve disputes sensibly. Richard acts for insurers over a wide range of classes of business, with a focus in particular on Hull and Machinery insurers, war and liability disputes. He also advises on salvage, general average and recovery angles, providing legal and practical input. Despite being a seasoned litigator, Richard aims to bring a sensible and commercial approach to disputes to achieve early resolution. He has enjoyed a focus on yacht insurance disputes, advising on multiple coverage issues ranging from design issues, paint damage, engine damage and total losses. A recent highlight includes the Galatea, where he acted for Hull and Machinery insurers, successfully defending a €13 million total loss (by fire) of a 36m Riva yacht. Richard is a core member of the firm's yacht and superyacht team and regularly advises on contentious matters in the sector, with a particular focus on insurance disputes.

Richard Hughes

Richard is a leading expert in transport and transport finance, ranked by Chambers and Legal 500. He has built strong relationships with key decision-makers at major funds, banks, asset lessors, and operators. Richard’s experience spans drafting and negotiating rolling stock and bus fleet procurements, franchise and concession agreements for both operators and government, and depot development and operations. He is at the forefront of the energy transition in transport, advising on hydrogen and battery power for rail, bus, and facilities management. His work includes contracts for hydrogen production and import into the EU, and converting coal-fired power stations to green fuels. Richard is the go-to adviser for one of the world’s largest facilities management companies and is an authority on cross-jurisdictional agreements. Recognised for his thought leadership in rail, zero-emission vehicle financing, and sustainability, Richard’s insights appear in Rail magazine, Lexology, and the National Law Review.

Monika Humphreys-Davies

Managing Associate

Murtaza Hussain

Managing Associate

Hadeel Hussein

Managing Associate

Rob Jacob

Rob works with a diverse range of clients, from life sciences innovators and offshore construction specialists to luxury brands and consumer goods companies. He is often called upon by businesses seeking to protect, commercialise, and enforce their intellectual property in the UK and across borders, particularly where the stakes are high and the issues are novel. He provides strategic advice on registering, defending, and enforcing trade marks - including non-traditional marks - and supports clients through every stage of litigation, from initial strategy to hearings before the UK High Court, Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, and UKIPO. Rob is adept at coordinating multi-jurisdictional disputes, having led global litigation strategies involving up to 30 countries, and works closely with local counsel to ensure a seamless approach for clients with international portfolios. Clients value Rob’s ability to anticipate challenges and deliver clear, commercially focused solutions, whether navigating a cross-border dispute or protecting a new brand. His experience includes acting for GSK, GAP, Swatch, Marks & Spencer, and easyGroup. His reputation as a strategic thinker and problem solver makes him a sought-after adviser for high-stakes IP disputes.

Sean Jeffrey

Sean has advised leading financial institutions, firms, boards, and senior executives on supervisory matters and enforcement proceedings. He has advised a major lender in relation to regulatory, litigation, and insurance issues arising from significant accounting irregularities. Sean has broad experience of financial services redress exercises in legal and regulatory contexts. He has advised a leading international financial services business regarding issues with the sale of retail products to two million customers, including using an innovative Scheme. Sean has deep experience advising in relation to complex investigations concerning Culture & Governance and Whistleblowing allegations. He has extensive experience of advising regulated firms on remedies concerning decisions of authorities and public bodies, including the FCA, PRA, FOS, SFO, ICAEW, and FRC. Sean has represented international banks in relation to sanctions issues, including in judicial review proceedings against HM Government and in cases in the General Court and the Court of Justice. Sean acted for Vincent Tchenguiz, Robert Tchenguiz, and the associated trusts in litigation and regulatory matters connected with SFO dawn raids, which were successfully challenged in judicial review proceedings. He has assisted directors of financial and other institutions with the consequences of major regulatory, investigatory, and litigation crises. He has particular expertise regarding legal professional privilege and has litigated privilege issues in the Court of Appeal and House of Lords.

Gillian Johnson

Gillian is Of Counsel at Stephenson Harwood, based in London, with a wealth of experience advising on the full range of issues for pension schemes, sponsors, and both UK and overseas pension arrangements. She advises employers and trustees on all aspects of occupational pension schemes, including funding arrangements, liability management exercises, benefit design, corporate transactions, and member complaints. Gillian’s client base ranges from large corporates and master trusts to charities and individuals, including a major SIPP provider. Across her varied practice, Gillian delivers flexible and focused advice tailored to each client’s needs. Gillian is also a qualified Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP), providing individuals and offshore trustees with specialist advice on structuring and taxation of benefits from non-UK pension schemes. Her cross-border expertise includes advising on residence, taxation, and double tax reliefs, often working closely with clients and their advisers to deliver personal, practical solutions. Gillian’s practice also covers inheritance tax and succession planning, individual pension tax planning, and the UK tax treatment of foreign pension receipts. She is known for her ability to cut through technical detail, offering clear options and solutions that earn her clients’ trust and confidence.

Gregg Johnston

Gregg is the head of the Singapore based shipping and offshore finance team. Gregg acts on many of the highest profile transactions in the Asia Pacific region and is one of a few "go to" international ship and offshore finance lawyers with a focus on Korea. He acts for major ship financing banks and ship owners and has deep experience in all facets of shipping and offshore finance including syndicated lending, export-credit backed financings, FSRU financing, sale and leaseback transactions, loan portfolio sales, restructuring and workouts and enforcement work.

Suzanne Johnston

Suzanne is a private wealth, trust and UK tax lawyer based in Stephenson Harwood’s Singapore office. She has extensive experience in complex cross-jurisdictional trust and estate planning.

Danny Kan

Wei Kang

Mehtab Kassam

Managing Associate

Paul Katsouris

Michael Kim

Michael is the office managing partner of the Seoul office. He is an expert in litigation including alternative dispute resolution. Michael advises on a wide range of shipping, shipbuilding and offshore, international trade and commercial litigation issues including charterparties, memoranda of agreement, shipbuilding and offshore construction contracts, marine and commercial insurance, agency agreements, letters of credit and commercial notes.

Tim Knight

Tim advises clients in high-value claims before the English courts, many of which are multi-jurisdictional. Tim is an experienced competition litigator, having acted for both claimants and defendants in a variety of competition damages claims (both follow-on and standalone). He has experience of every stage of competition damages litigation from the inception of proceedings to trial and has been instructed on both collective actions and individual proceedings. Tim has experience of working with litigation funders and defending funded claims. He is well-versed in analysing competition claims, and alleged infringements, from both a claimant and defendant perspective. Tim acted for DAF Trucks in individual and collective proceedings arising from the infringement decision of the European Commission. Those proceedings have shaped the law on certification of collective actions, litigation funding, and the quantification of damages in cartel claims. Tim is presently instructed on several opt-out collective actions. Tim's practice also encompasses securities litigation; by way of recent example, he acted for a former director of Glencore plc in relation to high-profile Commercial Court litigation brought pursuant to s.90 and s.90A of FSMA. Tim also has experience of conducting confidential investigations for corporates into alleged or suspected wrongdoing. Tim trained and qualified at Stephenson Harwood, before a seven-year stint at Travers Smith. He rejoined Stephenson Harwood in January 2025.

Alexandre Koenig

Menelaus Kouzoupis

Huay Yee Kwan

Huay Yee is a shipping and offshore finance partner. She has a long track record of advising on high value and complex transactions for clients. Her experience encompasses a wide range of asset classes including offshore assets and maritime containers. Huay Yee has experience representing lenders, owners, private equity houses and lessees, advising them on international financing transactions including export credit supported financings and tax-leveraged leasing structures. Additionally, she has also advised clients on international security enforcement actions and restructurings, particularly those arising from insolvency and corporate rehabilitation proceedings.

Anna Kwong

Mark Lakin

Stephen Laud

Stephen has extensive experience advising commercial real estate investors, often involving offshore holding structures. He handles acquisitions and disposals of major assets, including mixed-use properties, office blocks, shopping centres, industrial estates, and development sites. Post-acquisition, Stephen advises on asset management strategies to enhance property value. On landlord-tenant matters, Stephen has a strong track record acting for corporate occupiers, supporting office headquarters requirements for FTSE 100 companies, law firms, hedge funds, insurers, and international businesses entering the UK for the first time. His advice often covers cost-effective strategies for exiting existing premises. In the hotels and leisure sector, Stephen acts for hotel owners advising on hotel sales and purchases, redevelopments, refurbishments, and asset management. He also supports restaurant and bar owners with new site acquisitions, disposals, and financings.

Naomi Leach

Naomi Leach is sought out by clients for her expertise in IP licensing and complex commercial agreements. She has a particular focus on the Life Sciences sector and helps clients navigate high stakes licensing, collaboration, and R&D agreements along with CRO, manufacturing and clinical trial agreements. Her strategic approach and commercial acumen make her a trusted partner for companies looking to protect and commercialise their intellectual property. Naomi's clients also include technology companies, luxury hotel chains and global consumer brands. Her cross-sector experience provides a depth of knowledge and insight that she is able to leverage effectively for the benefit of her clients, borrowing concepts from one sector and deploying them effectively in another. Clients appreciate Naomi's ability to act swiftly, think commercially, and translate complex legal arrangements into clear, user-friendly contracts.

Yi Lee

Yi is a managing associate, in our private wealth team based in Singapore, who specialises in trusts and private wealth matters. Her experience includes assisting high-net worth individuals and families in setting up complex trusts, family offices and developing efficient structures for succession planning. Yi also has experience in setting up investment funds, family-owned charities, immigration and relocation advisory, corporate and regulatory compliance as well as advising on international tax regulations.

Cathal Leigh-Doyle

Cathal Leigh-Doyle is a seasoned international dispute resolution lawyer, particularly adept at navigating the complexities of the energy, construction and marine sectors. He represents industry leaders in the English courts, adjudications, DABs, and international arbitration, offering strategic insight and robust advocacy. His clients span renewable energy, oil & gas, insurance, technology, marine, and financial services, drawn by his ability to handle high-stakes disputes and intricate contractual negotiations. Cathal has represented clients in most major arbitration forums, including LMAA, LCIA, ICC, SIAC, and JAMS. Beyond contentious matters, Cathal is also frequently engaged to draft and negotiate contracts for high-value international projects, particularly in the renewable energy and maritime sectors. He has extensive experience with complex bespoke and industry-standard forms, including EPC, EPCI, T&I, BIMCO, FIDIC, LOGIC, and NEC. Cathal has been instructed on projects worldwide, with frequent engagements in the UK, EU, USA, and Asian markets. Clients value his approachability, responsiveness, and comprehensive grasp of commercial dynamics to protect and advance their interests. He is also a guest lecturer at Swansea University’s Oil, Gas and Renewable Energy LLM and is frequently invited to speak at conferences and events globally.

Jean-Julien Lemonnier

John Lewis

Partner - Head of Commercial Litigation, Middle East

Emily Li

Shirley Li

James Linforth

James Linforth is a highly regarded real estate finance expert, consistently ranked as a Leading Individual by Chambers and Legal 500. James is head of a respected team and is known for his clear, practical advice and exceptional client service. He is trusted for his ability to simplify complex transactions and focus on what matters most to his clients. James has led on landmark financings for major London developments such as Paddington Square, Bankside Yards and the Raffles Hotel at the Old War Office. He is also a valued advisor to lenders, including Redevco, OCBC, Bayern LB, Wells Fargo, and HSBC, guiding them through significant acquisition, development, and refinancing deals.

Kathryn Lister

Kathryn is an experienced litigator advising on a wide range of property litigation matters, including lease renewals, dilapidations, adverse possession, break options, service charge disputes and tenant insolvency. Kathryn acts for individual property owners as well as real estate firms who all benefit from her strategic approach to resolving disputes efficiently. She has a broader practice beyond property litigation as well, having successfully obtained reverse summary judgment for an investment manager client on a negligent misstatement claim and acting on two professional negligence cases. Kathryn regularly finds solutions for clients via alternative dispute resolution, having settled a number of disputes via without prejudice discussions or mediation.

Katherine Liu

Simone Liu

Kiersten Lucas

Justin Ma

Malcolm MacDougall

Malcolm's reputation as a prolific M&A lawyer is underscored by his inclusion in The Lawyer Hot 100 and recognition as the most active M&A lawyer in the UK in multiple years. Clients value his ability to bring clarity and momentum to their transactions, making him a sought-after partner in the private equity space. Malcolm MacDougall is a seasoned corporate lawyer who guides private equity houses and management teams through the intricacies of mid-market and large cap transactions. His expertise spans management buyouts, bolt-on acquisitions, and strategic exits, with a client roster that includes Elysian Capital, FPE Capital, Agathos Management and bd-capital. Malcolm's clients benefit from his ability to navigate complex deals with charisma and energy, ensuring their investments are optimised for growth and success. He provides comprehensive support across all aspects of private equity transactions, from initial investments to final exits. Malcolm's strategic insight and commercial acumen enable clients to confidently pursue opportunities in sectors such as technology and healthcare, where he has facilitated significant investments and acquisitions. His work with Civica (backed by Blackstone) and Vortex (backed by Quad-C Management, Inc) on multiple bolt-on acquisitions and the management teams of Mapal, Nalanda Group, OpusCapita and Nomentia exemplifies his commitment to client success.

Ian Mace

Ian is a partner and head of our ship finance group. He is an expert in the asset finance sector, specialising in ship, offshore and superyacht finance. Ian has broad experience of various financing transactions, from conventional debt, private equity and Islamic finance to leasing and restructuring. He provides quality advice in a commercial context with exceptional levels of service. Ian is recognised in The Legal 500 UK 2023 guide as a leading individual and in Chambers UK 2023 guide as a notable practitioner. Ian has a wealth of experience in complex financing structures, including export credit backed new building financings, financing of receivables pursuant to pool agreement, seller's credit transactions, Islamic financings and sale and lease back transactions. He has also led teams involved in the disposal and acquisition of loan portfolios for a number of high profile financial institutions. Ian acts for a mixture of financial institutions, ship-owners and operators, joint ventures, funds, private equity groups and shipbuilders in a broad variety of transaction types, which allows him to anticipate the issues that his counterparts will raise and enable him to offer commercial solutions. Ian has been involved in the restructuring of a number of high profile financings in varying stages of distress, and has also advised in respect of a number of transactions that have involved enforcement action including the arrest and auction of vessels in a number of jurisdictions. Highly regarded by his clients, Ian is commended for being sharp, quick on his feet, well prepared and able to argue any case clearly and convincingly. He has also contributed to the fourth edition of the leading ship finance industry handbook, Shipping Finance. Ian is a core member of the Stephenson Harwood yacht and superyacht team and regularly advises on non-contentious matters in the sector.

Dora Mace-Kokota

Dora specialises in helping global financial institutions, ship owners, and energy companies solve their toughest challenges in maritime and offshore finance, and restructuring. Dora's portfolio spans LNGs, cargo vessels, tankers, yachts, and offshore energy assets, and her reach covers Europe, Asia, and the U.S. Whether advising on high-value ECA-backed financing, vessel purchases, leasing structures, or regulatory shifts like LIBOR reform, Dora brings clarity, precision, and calm to even the most high-stakes situations. Dora is regularly called on by some of the world’s largest financiers, shipowners, and infrastructure providers - not just because of her deep technical knowledge, but because she’s known for being direct, commercially savvy, and relentlessly pragmatic. Clients value that she doesn't just identify problems - she solves them, fast. Dora has also contributed to leading industry texts including Shipping Finance (4th edition) and Maritime Decarbonization. When complex financing meets international risk, Dora is the steady hand clients want at the helm. Dora has been listed as a stand-out lawyer by Thomson Reuters’ 2026.

Kirsty MacHardy

Kirsty MacHardy is a trusted Partner for shipbuilders, major owners, charterers, and insurers, offering her expertise in complex shipping and offshore matters. Her client base includes some of the world's leading maritime entities, who rely on her for her deep legal and commercial understanding of both contentious and non-contentious shipping and off-shore issues, from shipbuilding contracts to sanctions advice. Kirsty provides comprehensive support across the full spectrum of dry shipping disputes, including time and voyage charter disputes, bills of lading, shipbuilding/repair contracts, MoAs. Kirsty has particular expertise in LNG/FLNG matters and was the general editor of LNG Offshore Production and Regasification. Kirsty also form part of the firm's sanctions team and regularly advises on sanctions and other geo-political risks impacting the maritime sector. Her extensive experience in the English High Court, Appeal Court and Supreme Court and international arbitration ensures that clients receive robust representation in high-stakes litigation and arbitration proceedings. Her pragmatic approach and ability to anticipate challenges allow clients to move forward with confidence. Clients value Kirsty's sharp insights and her ability to deliver results, in contentious and non-contentious matters. Her reputation for achieving fantastic outcomes is well-earned, making her a sought-after advisor in the maritime sector. Kirsty's work is characterized by her commitment to understanding her clients' needs and delivering solutions that align with their strategic goals.

Chris Manning

Chris is a dedicated private equity expert focused on advising investors, management teams and portfolio companies on the full range of private equity transactions. His practice encompasses growth capital deals all the way through to large-cap deals, but with an emphasis on the mid-market. A large proportion of his deals are international in nature. Chris regularly supports several sponsors in the UK mid-market, including bd-capital, FPE Capital, Elysian Capital and Pelican Capital. He has experience across a range of industry sectors but has particular experience in technology transactions. He is a member of the firm's technology sector group.

Daniel Margolis

Daniel is a versatile and experienced finance lawyer who has worked in the finance teams at leading international City and US firms, and as Lead In-House Counsel for an alternative asset investment firm, advising on general corporate, finance and structuring matters. He has extensive experience in advising lenders and borrowers on complex and cross-border finance transactions, covering acquisition and leveraged/general corporate finance, fund finance, real estate finance and speciality finance. Daniel acts for a variety of clients, including banks, private equity sponsors, funds, corporates and alternative lenders, on both domestic and international deals. He is recognised for his commercial and pragmatic approach, as well as his ability to handle challenging and innovative transactions. Daniel's recent experience includes advising private equity investment companies on their acquisition financing facilities; acting for funds on their subscription line and NAV facilities; advising on the multi-facility refinancing and group restructuring for a FTSE 250 real estate investment trust; and acting for venture debt fund on its establishment, proforma debt documentation and transactions.

Kirsti Massie

Kirsti Massie is a London-based Partner with deep expertise in energy projects, specialising in power generation, renewables, nuclear and cutting-edge energy transition technologies. She is highly regarded for her comprehensive knowledge of energy regulation and her ability to navigate complex legal and commercial challenges across multiple jurisdictions, including the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Kirsti advises a diverse range of clients - including project developers, utilities, investors, and government entities - on all aspects of energy project development and financing. Her experience spans the full project lifecycle, from initial structuring and regulatory compliance to construction, operation, and ongoing asset management and optimisation. She is particularly noted for her work in the renewables space, as well as her insight into the evolving landscape of energy transition. Kirsti’s cross-border expertise and commercial acumen make her a trusted advisor for clients seeking to deliver innovative energy solutions in established and emerging markets worldwide. Sponsors, developers, and financial institutions rely on Kirsti’s decades of experience - both in private practice and in-house - across the full spectrum of energy projects. Her expertise spans traditional thermal generation (including gas, coal, and nuclear) as well as a wide range of renewable technologies such as onshore and offshore wind, solar, hydro, biomass, and geothermal. Kirsti is also highly experienced in emerging areas including green ammonia and hydrogen and other innovative energy transition technologies. Kirsti advises clients at every stage of project development as well as asset optimisation, from initial planning and regulatory strategy to execution and ongoing operations. She is particularly recognised for her in-depth knowledge of energy regulation and her ability to help clients navigate complex legal and commercial frameworks, ensuring successful delivery and long-term value from their energy investments.

Stuart McAlpine

Stuart works with energy companies, shipowners, charterers, and financial institutions across the maritime, offshore, and energy sectors. With extensive projects experience in Asia, Europe, and London, he has been instrumental in helping clients with high profile shipping projects and complex financing transactions. His clients benefit from his deep understanding of international markets and his ability to navigate complex legal landscapes, ensuring successful outcomes in challenging environments. Stuart's expertise covers ship and offshore finance, lease finance, ship sale and purchase, advice on charterparties and marine projects. He has advised on a number of significant projects, including high profile LNG shipping and offshore projects. His strategic approach and attention to detail help clients secure the best terms and manage risks effectively, whether in relation to financing transactions or commercial contracts in the marine sector. Clients value Stuart's ability to provide clear, pragmatic advice and his commitment to their success. He has deep industry knowledge and broad international experience, making him an effective adviser to his clients.

Justin McClelland

Justin leads the specialist Regulatory and Investigations team, and co-heads the Global Commercial Disputes Practice Group. A former prosecuting advocate, he guides clients through complex, multi-jurisdictional investigations (both criminal and regulatory) in a practice spanning the financial services, energy, construction, pharmaceuticals, and transport sectors. The breadth of his practice encompasses such diverse regulators and prosecutors as the FCA, PRA, NCA, MHRA, FRC, ICAEW, HMRC, CMA and SFO. He has advised and represented companies and senior individuals in such cases as market abuse, insider dealing, market announcements, cartel and anti-trust conduct, money laundering, and bribery and corruption, often extending internationally to include investigations by the US, European, Japanese, Dubai and Australian authorities. That work includes leading cross-disciplinary teams in negotiations with regulators and ultimately defending at Court or Tribunal. He has been involved in some of the most high-profile matters of recent years - and also matters which never receive public attention. His experience is used to advise organisations on compliance programmes (e.g. regarding the Bribery Act 2010, Modern Slavery Act 2015, Criminal Finances Act 2017, and Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023) and in leading and managing significant, sensitive and complex corporate internal investigations, and the handling of self-reporting, where appropriate. Justin is a member of the City of London Law Society Corporate Crime and Corruption Committee and the Pensions Administration Standards Association (Cybercrime and Fraud Working Group). Justin was appointed MBE in 1998 for his legal work in the British Army.

Jenny McKeown

Jenny specialises in international contentious trust, probate, succession and high value family disputes. She also has extensive experience acting in pensions disputes. Jenny's client base includes leading international trust companies, private banks, financial services institutions, high-net-worth individuals and protectors. She has significant experience litigating in England, Jersey, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Singapore and the BVI. Jenny advises on a full range of matters affecting trustees, protectors, private clients and their advisers including: - breach of trust claims, often involving allegations of fraud; - forced heirship claims and challenges to wills; - contentious partitions of trusts; - trustee directions and court approval/blessing applications; - disputes between family members regarding their interests in family structures and the operation of underlying corporate entities, - advice about and disputes involving loss of capacity by family members or fiduciaries; - applications to deal with mistaken advice or flawed decisions by way of rectification, construction or revocation of trust documentation; - applications for disclosure of information and seeking to hold trustees to account. - professional negligence claims against trustees and advisors.

Byul McPhee

Byul is a partner in Stephenson Harwood's Corporate Tax group, advising clients on a broad range of corporate and finance tax matters. Byul's practice typically covers all types of corporate transactions, with a particular focus on M&A (private equity, cross-border, and acquisitions of OMBs) and group reorganisations. She advises on all direct and indirect tax aspects. Her practice also extends to advising on finance transactions, including shipping and real estate financings.

John Meehan

John's practice covers all direct taxes, stamp duties and VAT. He has extensive experience of corporate transactions, including M&A (public, private, domestic and cross-border), group reorganisations, joint ventures, real estate transactions and corporate finance. He also advises on the tax structuring and other aspects of investment funds including REITS and property funds, investment trusts and other onshore and offshore funds investing in a wide range of asset classes.

Ben Mercer

Ben Mercer is a corporate partner at Stephenson Harwood, specialising in private M&A, joint ventures, and capital raising. His clients range from high-net-worth individuals and owner managers to major corporate and financial institutions, particularly in the consumer, business services, and transportation sectors. Ben's extensive experience includes advising on high-profile deals such as the management buyout of the Abellio UK trains and buses business from the Dutch State and the sale of V Group, the world's largest ship management business, by Advent international to a consortium led by Star Capital. Ben provides comprehensive support across a spectrum of corporate transactions, ensuring clients navigate the complexities of acquisitions, disposals, and mergers with confidence. His work often involves cross-border elements, where his ability to integrate strategic insight with commercial clarity is highly valued. He regularly advises on sales of owner-managed businesses to corporates or PE houses under auction processes, acting either for the owner managers or the corporate acquirors. Clients appreciate Ben's ability to think outside the box and deliver results that align with their strategic goals. His work with leading names like RELX, Transport UK and Subsea 7 underscores his reputation as a go-to advisor for complex corporate matters, where his pragmatic approach and industry knowledge make a significant impact.

Shofiq Miah

Shofiq Miah is a partner in Stephenson Harwood's tax group, where he advises a diverse range of clients including institutional investors, listed companies, funds, private companies and individuals. A key focus for him is on handling and resolving complex tax disputes, enquiries, and investigations. Shofiq provides invaluable support in guiding clients through the UK's complex tax system, ensuring that clients can manage their tax obligations and mitigate risks. His ability to communicate complex concepts clearly and efficiently is highly valued by clients. His deep experience also covers corporate and financing transactions, such as acquisitions, disposals, reorganisations, equity raisings, loans, and bonds. Clients appreciate Shofiq's unfailing politeness, responsiveness, and personable nature.

Sue Millar

Sue Millar has been described as a force of nature and is renowned for her expertise in commercial litigation and sanctions law. Her clients, ranging from global banks to international businesses, appreciate her ability to navigate complex disputes with backbone and steel. Sue’s commercial litigation practice spans finance litigation, civil fraud, and corporate trust disputes, where she is known for her strategic insight and commitment to finding solutions to intricate problems. Sue leads Stephenson Harwood’s Sanctions practice, advising on contentious and non-contentious issues related to all of the recent sanctions regimes. Her deep understanding of sanctions law, honed over 16 years, ensures clients can confidently manage regulatory challenges and protect their interests. In commercial litigation, Sue provides robust representation, whether bringing or defending claims or pursuing recoveries in high-stakes cases. Clients describe Sue as knowing everything, with a magical combination of toughness and approachability. Her dynamic and creative approach, coupled with her instinctive grasp of commercial realities, makes her an inspiring team leader and a trusted guide for clients facing the most challenging legal landscapes.

Eifion Morris

As CEO, Eifion has set a bold strategy to double the firm’s turnover within five years while strengthening our sector expertise and international reach. His vision is to build on the firm’s strengths across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia to create a distinct market position. Eifion is equally focused on our people. Early in his career, he learned the value of understanding business as well as law, and of giving people meaningful responsibility from the outset - principles that continue to shape our culture today. His fresh approach earned him recognition in 2021 in The Lawyer's The Hot 100, where his desire to create a more modern firm was applauded. Before becoming CEO in 2019, Eifion worked as an intellectual property lawyer for more than 20 years, during which he became co-head of the firm's IP practice. He has extensive experience leading complex, multi-jurisdictional litigation for multinational clients.

Saugata Mukherjee

A structured and asset finance expert with a particular focus on aviation finance. Saugata also advises clients in respect of general banking matters, structured products and derivatives.

Ronnie Myers

Ronnie specialises in assisting international families to navigate the intricate challenges of intergenerational wealth planning. His expertise lies in advising on and implementing family structures such as family investment companies, trusts, and foundations, as well as family arrangements including Wills, lasting powers of attorney and family constitutions. Ronnie's clients often span multiple jurisdictions. In addition to wealth planning, Ronnie is adept at liaising with HMRC on personal tax disputes and UK tax reporting, ensuring that his clients' interests are safeguarded and optimised. His approach combines technical knowledge with a pragmatic outlook, enabling families to achieve their financial goals while maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements. Clients value Ronnie for his ability to simplify complex legal frameworks and provide clear, actionable advice. His dedication to his clients' success and his ability to anticipate and solve potential issues make him a sought-after advisor for individuals, family offices and institutional clients. Ronnie also has extensive experience advising on the UK's Register of Overseas Entities (ROE) and assisting with reporting information to Companies House, including verifying reported information.

Donna Newman

Donna Newman is a partner at Stephenson Harwood, specialising in guiding clients through intricate commercial, business and finance disputes. Her extensive experience in High Court litigation and international arbitration makes her a sought-after advisor for clients facing complex challenges. Her expertise spans a wide range of markets, structures, investments and financial products making her a go-to advisor for financial institutions, funds, businesses and high-net-worth individuals. Donna's expertise extends to M&A transactions, where she adeptly handles breach of warranty claims, indemnity claims, and disputes over earn-out provisions, ensuring her clients' positions are protected. Donna also provides comprehensive support to clients facing challenges in shareholder disputes, joint ventures and other business disputes, being a trusted adviser to clients in protecting their investment and business interests. Donna's clients benefit from her ability to spearhead their overall disputes strategy, providing clear, strategic advice tailored to their unique needs. Her approach is characterised by a seamless coordination with local counsel worldwide, allowing her to manage disputes spanning multiple jurisdictions with precision and efficiency. Her work on high-profile cases, such as the Arch Cru investment fund collapse and the Swiss Franc depegging disputes, highlights her capability to handle high-stakes situations with skill and effectiveness. Clients value Donna’s direct and pragmatic approach, which combines technical knowledge with impeccable strategy and commercial savvy. Her reputation for delivering results and inspiring confidence makes her an invaluable guide in the legal landscape, helping clients overcome challenges and achieve success in their ventures.

Ivan Ng

Jane Ng

Tze-wei Ng

Tom Nicholls

Tom is global head of the firm's Corporate practice group and has particular expertise in public and private M&A and equity capital markets. Tom has acted on numerous takeovers and over 60 IPOs on the London Stock Exchange. He is well known in the mid-cap sector where clients value his in-depth knowledge of the London market and highly commercial and pragmatic approach. Tom regularly advises on domestic and cross border acquisitions and disposals involving both private and listed companies. His practice includes advising on IPOs and secondary issues (Main Market and AIM) both in London and internationally and advising quoted companies on their obligations to the FCA and the London Stock Exchange. Tom acts both for listed issuers as well as for investment banks and financial advisers in their capacity as sponsors, nomads and brokers. Reflecting the varied constituents of the London markets, he has advised clients across numerous industries but has a particular focus on the technology, energy transition and professional services sectors. He also advises clients on general company law issues and strategic advice including corporate governance for public and private companies as well as private fundraisings, joint ventures, investment agreements and commercial contracts. Tom is consultant editor of "A Practitioner's Guide to the AIM Rules" published by Sweet & Maxwell and is ranked as a key individual for Capital Markets (mid-cap) by both The Legal 500 and Chambers UK directories.

Ron Nobbs

Partner – Head of Construction, Middle East

Naeem Noor

Naeem Noor is Of Counsel at Stephenson Harwood, based in London, and is a recognised pensions specialist. He has extensive experience advising employers and trustees on all aspects of pensions law, including complex scheme rule amendments, pensions taxation and investment issues. Naeem’s practice covers a broad range of advisory work—such as contingent asset arrangements, scheme mergers, closures to future accrual, and risk settlement transactions such as insurance buy-ins and buy-outs. Naeem also advises on transactional matters, including the management of employer debt and the application of TUPE legislation in corporate transactions. Naeem is a regular contributor to trade publications and is recognised for his calm, knowledgeable, and thorough advice, as highlighted by The Legal 500 UK 2025.

Pedram Norton

Pedram is a partner specialising in cross-border ship finance and offshore maritime transactions. He has over ten years' experience advising banks, funds, export credit agencies, ship-owners and operators on a broad range of syndicated and bilateral financings, vessel sale and purchase, leasing transactions and restructurings throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Pedram has built a strong reputation with clients who value his approachability, commercial solutions, attention to detail and dedication to getting the deal done.

Emma Nowell

Emma advises clients in the maritime and offshore sectors, including shipowners, shipyards charterers, and financial institutions. Her expertise spans contentious and non-contentious matters, making her a go-to advisor for shipbuilding contracts, charterparty agreements, and ship finance enforcement. Emma's clients benefit from her extensive experience in arbitration and High Court litigation, ensuring they navigate legal complexities with confidence. Emma's practice is characterised by her ability to advise clients on a broad range commercial contracts used in complex maritime and offshore projects, from engineering and construction, refit/retrofit, installation, commissioning, charter and operation of specialist vessels and equipment used in the maritime and offshore industry. She collaborates closely with Stephenson Harwood's international offices, leveraging her experience from working in Hong Kong to provide a global perspective. Her role in the yacht and superyacht team further highlights her versatility and commitment to delivering comprehensive legal solutions. Clients value Emma's direct approach and her ability to act swiftly and decisively, whether advising on complex contractual issues or dealing with maritime disputes. Her reputation for combining technical knowledge with practical solutions makes her a trusted partner for maritime and offshore stakeholders seeking to protect and enhance their interests.

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Joe O\'Keeffe

Joe O'Keeffe is a partner at Stephenson Harwood, widely recognised as a leading lawyer operating that the legal interface between marine and energy insurance and international trade. He supports a diverse clientele, including insurers, brokers, traders, banks, and energy companies, many of whom are household names. His practice covers the full range of marine insurance sub-classes, from hull and machinery to P&I liabilities, and he has been involved in many of the most significant losses in the market over the last 30 years, such as the Buncefield Explosion and the Costa Concordia disaster. Joe provides comprehensive legal support, advising on fraudulent claims, total loss work, and war detainment claims in challenging jurisdictions. He has extensive experience advising P&I insurers on coverage and claims issues, and he has played a pivotal role in landmark cases like the Versloot Dredging Supreme Court case. His work in international trade involves guiding clients through the complexities of sale contracts, contracts of carriage, and insurance policies. Clients value Joe's ability to navigate intricate legal challenges and complex claims with deep market knowledge and insight, built on three decades experience in the London and international insurance markets, ensuring their interests are protected and their objectives achieved.

Tom Page

Tom Page is a partner in the corporate team at Stephenson Harwood, specialising in corporate finance with a focus on capital markets, takeovers and private M&A. A number of high profile companies have entrusted Tom to assist with their IPOs including Hotel Chocolat, easyHotel, Hornby and Manolete Partners. Tom also regularly acts for London mid-cap brokers on IPOs and secondary fundraisings (including placings, cash boxes and open offers) such as Stifel, Deutsche Numis, Cavendish and Panmure Liberum. Tom is ranked in Chambers for Capital Markets: AIM and is a consultant editor of 'A Practitioner's Guide to the AIM Rules'. Public takeover work includes buy-side such as advising Novacyt on its acquisition of Yourgene Health and sell-side such as advising easyHotel on its takeover by ICAMAP and CDPQ. Private company M&A roles include advising De Vere on the sale of the Grand Hotel, Brighton and Snap-on Inc. on its acquisition of Norbar Torque Tools. Tom has particular experience in the life sciences and healthcare sector and is a Recommended Lawyer in Legal 500 for Life Sciences & Healthcare. Tom has advised leading names in the sector such as Novacyt, BTG and Benevolent AI.

Shaun Park

Shaun Park is a finance Partner at Stephenson Harwood, specialising in asset finance and transport finance. He expertly guides banks, financial institutions, alternative lenders, investors, borrowers, lessors, and lessees through intricate cross-border and domestic finance transactions. His expertise spans ECA-backed facilities, sustainability-linked loan facilities, syndicated loan facilities, corporate lending, and complex lease structures. Shaun's background as a commercial manager for a global shipbuilding company provides him with a unique insight into the maritime industry, making him the preferred counsel for high-profile shipowners and operators. Clients appreciate Shaun's excellent commercial awareness and sophisticated approach, ensuring their transactions are handled with precision and strategic insight. His deep understanding of maritime assets, including commercial vessels, yachts, sea farms, containers, real estate, and receivables, sets him apart in the field, allowing clients to overcome challenges and achieve success in their ventures.

Chris Pettett

Chris is a managing associate who specialises in complex cross-border disputes. His clients include banks, insurance brokers, asset managers and sovereign states. Chris's notable work includes acting for around 2,000 retailers in a group action against Mastercard and Visa in the Competition Appeal Tribunal in relation to multilateral interchange fees, and acting for Pakistan in a landmark banking dispute against India. He advises on High Court litigation, particularly in banking, funds, and financial products disputes. Chris is adept at crafting efficient debt recovery strategies and has collaborated with US law firms on high-value securities disputes. He is also well acquainted with litigation in the Competition Appeal Tribunal. Chris has a keen interest in and in-depth knowledge of private international law, in particular the complex rules surrounding jurisdiction and the enforcement of foreign judgments. He regularly writes and speaks on this subject. Clients appreciate Chris's dedication to achieving the best possible outcomes, valuing his ability to see every aspect of a problem. Fluent in German and Dutch, he is well-equipped to assist clients across Europe, enhancing his capability to manage international disputes effectively.

Jonathan Pittal

Jonathan has specialised in private equity for over 25 years and is known for his exceptional problem-solving and commercial acumen. He was the founder of Stephenson Harwood’s leading Private Equity Group and has led its growth. Jonathan helps founders, managers and private equity sponsors on a wide range of private equity matters, including minority investments, buyouts and exits. He also regularly advises fund managers on their establishment, incentive arrangements and succession planning matters.

Tom Platts

Tom is a corporate and commercial law expert. He has extensive experience advising on domestic and cross-border M&A, strategic joint ventures, corporate restructurings and capital markets transactions. International clients value Tom's commercial, pragmatic advice and his energetic approach to developing long-term client relationships.

Adam Polonsky

Adam Polonsky is a partner at Stephenson Harwood in the highly-regarded Group Actions and Competition team and is renowned for his expertise in complex multi-party litigation and general commercial disputes, often involving high-value claims in the Commercial Court. Adam assists a diverse range of clients, from large corporates headquartered in the UK, to smaller businesses and business-owners located throughout Europe. He has a burgeoning practice in shareholder disputes and securities litigation. Adam provides comprehensive support through all stages of litigation, from pre-action through to trial, offering careful advice on how best to navigate complex court process. His strategic approach, often through targeted interlocutory applications, ensures clients are well-positioned to secure and vindicate their rights. Adam's ability to handle complex proceedings and his proactive approach to settlement is highly valued by his clients. Clients appreciate Adam's depth of experience, his sensitivity to their litigation goals and his ability to act decisively in high-pressure situations. His work with over 1,000 claimants against Visa and MasterCard showcases his capacity to manage large-scale group litigation, making him a sought-after advisor for those seeking to make use of the collective proceedings regime to protect their rights.

Ros Prince

Ros is head of our market leading fraud and asset recovery team. She is recognised internationally as being one of the leading global lawyer for her work helping clients to recover assets by enforcing judgments and arbitration awards. Chambers & Partners' global Asset Tracing & Recovery guide ranks her as one of just 8 lawyers ranked in Band 1 across the world. She acts regularly on the largest enforcement cases, and is currently representing the former majority shareholders of Yukos Oil Company in enforcing US50+ billion arbitration awards against the Russian Federation in England, to our knowledge the largest enforcement case in legal history. She has extensive experience of high value cross border fraud cases. As well as running fraud investigations and bringing claims, she frequently obtains and defends against injunctions, including freezing orders and search orders. The Legal 500 UK list Ros in the 'Hall of Fame' and Chambers & Partners UK list her as a 'Leading Individual' in Band 1 for civil fraud. Ros frequently acts on cases for and against states and state owned entities, and has deep expertise in questions of state immunity. Almost all of her cases are international, and most of them involve parallel actions in other jurisdictions, whether to secure assets held through offshore structures or to co-ordinate a global strategy in the face of parallel civil or criminal litigation.Including acting for the former majority shareholders of Yukos, Ros has obtained the largest judgment order in English legal history, against the Russian Federation. Ros’ expertise is highly regarded internationally, and she has been asked to speak on asset recovery related topics at events organised by the United Nations, the Commonwealth, and a number of governments.

Anne Pritam

Anne advises employers, employees, partnerships, LLPs, partners, contractors, consultants, federations, foundations and charities. She understands multiple sectors, including financial services, professional services, life sciences, transport, education, charities and the performing arts. Anne has acted for a small family business with a handful of employees to a multinational conglomerate with a unionised workforce of thousands; the managing partner of a global consulting firm, and a self-employed theatrical fight-choreographer. Anne pursues and defends claims in Court and Tribunal, undertakes independent investigations/reviews, and is an entertaining speaker and trainer. She combines almost three decades' experience of workplace law with fresh, innovative problem-solving skills. Her advice reflects emotional intelligence and good humour, aligning with each client's culture & values. Anne co-founded the Firm's current award-winning employment law team in the Middle East. She co-wrote the DIFC Employment Law Commentary (1st ed.) commissioned by the Chief Justice of the DIFC Courts.

Jonathan Proctor

Jonathan is a go-to adviser for lenders, borrowers, corporate trustees, and other stakeholders navigating complex finance transactions across Europe, the United States, Asia, and the Middle East. He brings sharp commercial insight and practical solutions to clients ranging from funds and joint ventures to corporates, banks and other financial institutions. Known for his collaborative style and commercial acumen, Jonathan is a driving force in the firm’s Finance and Restructuring teams. He has steered clients through market-leading bond and debt restructurings, innovative financings and high-profile distressed situations. Jonathan has played a pivotal role in building the firm’s Real Estate Finance practice acting on debt financings across the full range of asset classes and leads key relationships with NatWest Group, Leumi UK, QNB Group, SMBC and BACB plc. Recent highlights include advising a group of lenders on a high profile back leverage transaction, supporting lender syndicates on distressed real estate and acting on a series of PBSA financing transactions. Jonathan is also recognised for his expertise in complex bond restructurings and for guiding corporate trustees through a range of enforcement and distress scenarios. Clients value his adaptability, commercial focus, and relentless commitment to delivering results.

Beatrice Puoti

Beatrice Puoti is a Partner and the Head of Private Wealth, London at Stephenson Harwood. Beatrice advises UK residents and non-residents, domiciled and non-domiciled or non-long term resident individuals, on all of their personal tax and trust and estate matters, as well as private banks, trustees, and family offices on complex international tax, trust, and estate planning and structuring matters. With Roman law and common law qualifications, Beatrice has a strong European tax and trust practice, with particular expertise in Italian legal and tax issues. Her experience extends to advising financial institutions and trustees on international trust and tax matters, as well as the structuring, ownership, and acquisition of UK and non-UK real estate and assets. Beatrice is also highly regarded for her expertise in cross-border estate planning, especially where Roman Law and Common Law intersect. Beatrice is widely recognised as a leading figure in the UK private wealth sector, chairing and speaking events internationally. Her leadership, charisma, and dedication have earned her a loyal client following and a reputation for excellence in the field. She is ranked by Legal 500 for Personal Tax, Trusts and Probate, and by Chambers & Partners for Private Wealth, Family Offices & Funds Structuring, and as a Foreign Expert for Italy. Clients and peers commend her technical expertise, client-handling skills, and emotional intelligence. Beatrice has been featured for many years in the Private Client Global Elite, Spear’s Indices for Top Recommended Tax & Trusts Lawyers, and eprivateclient’s Most Influential list.

Alexandra Pygall

Alexandra advises clients for whom intellectual property rights are of paramount importance. With degrees in both law and chemistry, Alexandra is regularly instructed by clients in the life sciences sector, advising companies at the cutting edge of research, development and commercialisation. However, her client base also spans other industry sectors, drawn by her ability to combine strategic insight with commercial clarity and technical knowledge. She advises on collaboration and licence agreements, and guides clients through the IP aspects of M&A, investments, and commercial contracts. Her work ensures clients can move quickly and confidently, knowing their most important intangible assets are protected and driving value. When disputes arise, Alexandra helps clients defend, enforce, and unlock the value of their IP. She has extensive experience in IP licensing, ownership, infringement and validity disputes, before both the courts and arbitral tribunals. She is a highly regarded IP expert, recommended for patent, copyright and trade mark transactions, enforcement, and litigation by directories such as IAM Patent 1000, WTR 1000, Legal 500 and Chambers. Alexandra was awarded the Lexology Client Choice Award for healthcare and life sciences UK 2018, named in The Lawyer “Hot 100” Dealmakers 2019 and in Managing Intellectual Property’s Top 250 Women in IP 2025.

James Quarmby

James Quarmby is a leading UK private client lawyer, renowned for his expertise in taxation, asset protection, and succession planning. He has a wide-ranging practice, advising on UK and international taxation, residency and domicile, offshore pensions and trusts, asset protection, succession planning, and HMRC disputes. James frequently appears in the press and broadcast media, featuring across outlets such as Newsnight, BBC Breakfast, BBC News, BBC World Service TV, Sky News, Bloomberg TV, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4 (including the Today programme), BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC World Service, LBC, Times Radio, and numerous print media quotes. He writes and lectures widely on tax policy. Recognised across the private wealth sector for his expertise, James has been included in eprivateclient's "50 Most Influential" list for ten years running. He also features in the Private Client Global Elite and Spear's Tax & Trusts Indices. Ranked as a Leading Individual in the Legal 500, he is acknowledged by the Chambers HNW guide in both the Private Wealth Law and Family Offices & Funds Structuring categories. James was named Tax & Trusts Lawyer of the Year at the 2022 Spear's Wealth Management Awards. In addition to being a solicitor regulated by the SRA, James is a Registered Tax Technician, regulated by the Association of Tax Technicians (ATT). He is an active member of STEP and a contributing editor for LexisNexis.

Evangeline Quek

Office Managing Partner, Greater China

Genevieve Quierin

Genevieve Quierin is a partner at Stephenson Harwood, where she represents a diverse range of corporate and individual clients across sectors such as banking, finance, private equity, luxury and media. Her practice is broad, covering everything from strategic pre-action advice to high-stakes multi-jurisdictional litigation. Clients appreciate her ability to distil complex issues into clear, actionable strategies, making her a sought-after advisor in both claimant and defendant roles. Genevieve's expertise extends to competition private enforcement actions, many of which are group actions. She is known for her pragmatic approach, working closely with third-party litigation funders and insurers to ensure her clients' interests are robustly protected. Clients value Genevieve's commitment to high standards of service and her ability to think commercially, setting her apart in the legal landscape. Genevieve was recently named in The Lawyer Hot 100 2025 and featured in Global Competition Review’s - Women in Antitrust. She is ranked as a Leading individual in Legal 500 for Dispute Resolution, specifically in Banking Litigation: Investment and Retail, Commercial Litigation: Premium, and Group Litigation: Claimants. Additionally, Chambers UK ranks Genevieve for her expertise in Competition Law: Private Enforcement: Claimant, as well as Commercial and Corporate Litigation.

Paul Reeves

Paul Reeves is a leading employment law specialist and Head of Employment at Stephenson Harwood LLP. With over two decades of experience, Paul is recognised for his strategic acumen and deep legal expertise across the full spectrum of employment law. He is widely regarded as “one of the most talented employment lawyers in the country,” (Legal 500, 2024) praised for his tenacity, commercial insight, and exceptional client engagement. Paul advises a broad client base including FTSE 100 companies, financial institutions, international luxury brands, and senior executives. His practice spans contentious and non-contentious matters, including: + High Court litigation and Employment Tribunal defence + Senior executive appointments and exits + Internal investigations (grievance, disciplinary, whistleblowing) + Regulatory compliance under the Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SMCR) + TUPE and multi-jurisdictional employment issues on corporate transactions + Drafting and negotiating complex remuneration structures and restrictive covenants Paul is a trusted advisor with sensitive mandates, often called upon to lead bespoke training for HR and compliance teams, both domestically and internationally. His leadership has been pivotal in positioning Stephenson Harwood’s employment team as elite-ranked in legal directories such as The Legal 500 and Chambers UK. He qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales in 1999. Paul is also featured in the 2026 Doyle’s Guide of leading London employment lawyers for employers.

Yong Ren

Registered Foreign Lawyer (New York) Partner, Stephenson Harwood LLP

Helen Rhind-Hufnagel

Helen is an M&A specialist advising on cross-border transactions across Southeast Asia, often involving European and US parties. Clients respect Helen's pragmatic, commercial approach whilst remaining astute to cultural sensitivities. Helen also advises extensively on compliance issues across the region, in particular anti-money laundering and anti-bribery.

Stephen Richards

Partner and Head of Pensions Advisory, Stephen is recognised by clients and the pensions industry as a market-leading pensions lawyer advising some of the UK's most well-known pension schemes, companies and institutions. Stephen's clients include the Santander (UK) Group Pension Scheme, Arriva, the First Group Pension Scheme, BNP Paribas and the Royal Society Pension Scheme. Clients go to Stephen for innovative solutions to their most difficult pensions problems. From creating new funding structures to setting up new pension schemes, clients trust Stephen with their biggest projects and most difficult challenges. Feedback on Stephen consistently notes his commercial style on strategic issues and his responsive and pragmatic approach on day-to-day matters. As one of the industry's leading pensions lawyers, clients say Stephen sets the standard for blending the highest-quality service, clear and concise advice and a pragmatic and proportionate approach.

Florent Rigaud

William Robertson

William advises regulated businesses and their investors on a broad range of UK and European financial services regulatory issues. Much of his work is advisory, assisting firms with product launches, day-to-day compliance needs, group structuring and interactions with the regulators. He also works closely with the firm’s corporate and funds practices on transactional matters and with the firm's contentious practice in relation to s.166 appointments, FCA investigations and insolvency procedures. William has particular expertise in the bulk transfer of retail investment books (including ISA, SIPP and Child Trust Fund accounts) and in prudential and client assets regulation. He regularly assists FCA- and PRA-authorised firms with regulatory capital issues, credit risk mitigation techniques, and with their interactions with CASS auditors. He enjoys scrutinising new regulatory initiatives, including in his role as a member of the CLLS regulatory law subcommittee.

Gaëtan Rogeau

Julie Romer

Julie regularly advises banks, debt funds and alternative credit providers on leveraged finance and corporate lending transactions. She also works alongside the Stephenson Harwood Private Equity team on the financing aspects of leveraged buyouts for our private equity clients. Julie supports her clients on all aspects of a financing transaction from term sheets and initial approaches to lenders through to completion. Much of her work is cross-border and she is adept at navigating the challenges that can arise in overseas jurisdictions in order to ensure a smooth process. Julie has built a reputation in the market for her commercial and pragmatic approach and her efficient deal execution.

Linda Roxburgh

Linda Roxburgh is a Partner at Stephenson Harwood, specialising in shipping and offshore work with a particular focus on yachts and superyachts. Her extensive experience includes structured financings, construction and conversion/refit contracts, charters and sale and purchase agreements, making her a go-to advisor for banks and other financiers, project companies and vessel owners in both the commercial shipping and the yacht and superyacht spheres. Linda's clients benefit from her ability to draw on her wide experience to anticipate potential issues and to navigate smoothly through intricate transactions. Linda's expertise in transactional yachting covers everything from negotiating transactions based on the industry standard forms to bespoke agreements tailored to specific projects. Her work with owners, designers, and project managers amongst others highlights her comprehensive understanding of the industry, allowing her to deliver solutions that align with her clients' visions and objectives. Clients appreciate Linda's calm and pragmatic approach, responsiveness and commercial acumen, making her an invaluable asset in high-stakes deals. Her reputation for solving complex challenges efficiently sets her apart, enabling her to protect her clients' interests in a transaction, with a minimum of fuss.

Bryony Roy

Bryony Roy is a seasoned competition law specialist, trusted by clients active in a range of sectors, including technology, financial services, pharmaceutical, retail, and manufacturing. Her expertise spans the full spectrum of UK and EU competition law. She has particular experience guiding clients through global cartel investigations, where she provides strategic advice from internal audits to immunity and leniency submissions, settlement discussions, the preparation of defences and subsequently, to appeals to the European courts. Bryony also has significant experience advising global corporations and private equity firms on complex cross-border mergers and joint ventures, securing regulatory approvals and advising on compliance. Her clients benefit from her ability to navigate complex regulatory landscapes, whether advising on abuse of dominance issues, market investigations, or assessing horizontal and vertical commercial agreements to ensure their compatibility with the competition rules. Bryony's approach is both analytical and pragmatic, offering clear guidance that enables clients to make informed decisions and achieve successful outcomes.

Michael Rutili

Michael's clients include business owners, entrepreneurs, investors, financial sector professionals, entertainers and sportspeople. Michael advises individuals and families relocating to, leaving or with interests in the UK on the most appropriate and efficient tax and estate planning. His understanding of the most common issues and criticalities in the various jurisdictions involved (especially European and US ones) enables him to better understand clients' needs and concerns and work seamlessly with the other advisers involved. Michael also regularly works with his litigation colleagues on matters of a more contentious nature, which include disputes involving entities and structures (trusts, foundations, companies), successions and tax matters. Michael takes a pre-emptive approach, stress-testing clients' wealth planning and governance structures and affairs in order to reduce the risk of future litigation. Having studied and worked in various European countries, Michael is fluent in French and Italian and speaks good Spanish and basic German. Michael has won a number of prestigious legal awards and is ranked in the leading directories which cite his technical knowledge, coupled with his language skills, and describe him as 'knowledgeable, friendly and responsive' as well as 'very pragmatic and efficient on cross-border situations'. He was named in the 'Elite' category of the Private Client Global Elite directory for 2025 and 2026. Michael is also a regular speaker at industry events (recent engagements include IBA and STEP conferences), writes extensively and has been quoted in a number of publications, including The Financial Times, The Times and Spear's.

Toufic Safie

Sally Samadi

Sally’s practice focuses on supporting clients across a range of sectors on their complex technology projects and transformations as well as use of emerging technologies. She has particular expertise in IT and business process outsourcings, long term services agreements, software licensing including cloud services agreements and digital transformation projects. Sally also advises on use of emerging technologies and has supported clients with their AI programmes including developing AI implementation and deployment roadmaps and amending or developing AI specific contract terms. Sally has notable experience advising clients in the financial services sector with balancing the need to deploy more innovative technology solutions against the requirement to do so in compliance with an increasingly complex set of regulatory requirements, notably in relation to operational resilience, EBA and PRA guidelines and AI usage. Sally also provides strategic contractual support for transitional arrangements in complex M&A and carve-out transactions.

Tammy Samuel

Tammy previously led Stephenson Harwood’s Global Finance practice and served on the firm’s Global Leadership team for five years. She now acts as the firm’s Client Champion, focusing on delivering exceptional client service and innovative solutions. Currently, Tammy is instrumental in expanding Stephenson Harwood’s Transport practice in the Middle East, including significant work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Tammy is known for her collaborative approach, working seamlessly alongside clients as an integrated member of their team. She partners with manufacturers, maintainers (across rolling stock and buses), operators, procurers, regulators, and public sector bodies throughout the transport industry. Her expertise spans the full lifecycle of transport projects, including strategic advice on railway and bus franchises and concessions - covering both bidding and operational phases - procurement (such as manufacturing and maintenance agreements), infrastructure development (including station and depot construction and electrification), electric assets (including battery technology), and regulatory matters, including the creation of new regulatory frameworks. Tammy has advised bidders in every round of UK rail franchising and concessioning, as well as on bus franchising initiatives. She is frequently involved in high-profile procurements and works closely with commercial litigation teams on related disputes. The Rail and Road team at Stephenson Harwood is recognised as an industry leader, regularly publishing articles, presenting at seminars, and hosting key industry events.

Oliver Sangster

Oliver has extensive experience advising clients in high-profile matters covering high court litigation, international arbitration, adjudication, judicial review proceedings, and appeals before the Competition and Markets Authority. Oliver's construction experience includes complex delay/disruption and defects claims arising out of projects both in the UK and the UAE, encompassing airports, power plants, offshore pipelines, and road and utility networks. He regularly provides strategic advice to PFI project companies and their investors in the health and education sectors, in disputes arising out of both alleged service performance failures and latent defects. He also advises rail investors on day-to-day dispute avoidance. Oliver also has extensive experience advising losing bidders in public procurement challenges.

Sophie Schultz

A specialist property litigator with over 15 years' experience, Sophie helps clients navigate the complexities of property law and resolve disputes quickly and cost-effectively. She advises property investors, developers, lenders, corporate occupiers and individuals on every manner of property dispute. Sophie has particular expertise in rights of light and disputes relating to property development. She is renowned for her legal knowledge and ability to get to the bottom of a tricky issue. Sources quoted in Chambers UK have praised her "phenomenal" knowledge (2015) and described her as a "walking brain" (2014) that is "able to tie the opposition up in knots" (2011). Sophie regularly acts on a wide range of landlord and tenant disputes, representing both landlords and tenants, including lease renewals, forfeiture, dilapidations, service charge and agreement for lease disputes. She also has extensive experience in the development sphere, advising both developers and neighbours on claims (including injunctions) relating to nuisance, rights of light, trespass and party wall matters, restrictive covenants and easements. She is equally at home using her experience to help developers navigate and pre-empt claims as assisting neighbours assert their rights. Other experience includes adverse possession, boundaries, easements, insolvency-related issues, joint ventures, leasehold enfranchisement, professional negligence, residential property and sale and purchase disputes. Sophie gives practical advice which goes straight to the heart of an issue. She deploys her expertise in the law and strategy to secure the best result for her client at the earliest possible stage. Clients express their appreciation of having her in their corner to fight their side. She has a track record of achieving excellent results. She aims to resolve disputes without court proceedings wherever possible. Often straightforward 'without prejudice negotiations' are most effective but she also has experience of mediation, arbitration and expert determination. She is a solicitor advocate and member of the Property Litigation Association. Sophie has written for Property Week, Estates Gazette, Landlord & Tenant Review and FM World.

Stewart Scott

Stewart's client base includes major corporate entities seeking strategic guidance in managing and restructuring their real estate portfolios. His approach is characterised by his ability to navigate complex acquisitions, disposals, and lettings, ensuring clients achieve their business objectives efficiently. Stewart's practice encompasses all aspects of real estate transactions, from major portfolio acquisitions to intricate lettings and management. His clients benefit from his comprehensive understanding of the market and his ability to provide tailored solutions that align with their strategic goals. Stewart's work is pivotal in helping clients optimise their real estate assets, whether through restructuring or strategic investment. Clients value Stewart for his commercial acumen and his ability to act as an extension of their team, providing not just legal advice but strategic partnership. His reputation for delivering results in high-stakes situations makes him a sought-after advisor in the real estate sector, where his insights drive success and growth for his clients.

Matthew Seah

Matthew is a partner in our highly ranked and market leading shipping and offshore finance team based in Singapore. His particular focus extends to working with clients on asset finance and restructuring transactions related to a variety of asset classes within the maritime sector. Having built up close to a decade's experience, Matthew is known in particular for his dedication in project managing cross-border transactions, his sensible and commercial approach to developing client solutions and his commitment to helping clients achieve their commercial goals.

Jack Secunda

Jack is a managing associate in our contentious trusts group with substantial experience in complex, high value trust and private wealth disputes in various jurisdictions around the world. Jack specialises in trust and private wealth disputes. He has been closely involved in many of the highest value and most complex trust cases which have been litigated in recent years, including in England, Bermuda, Gibraltar, Cayman, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the BVI. Jack has been mentioned in the last three editions of the Legal 500 UK (Contentious Trusts and Probate) directory. He was described as a "standout" in the 2022 edition and as having "an encyclopaedic knowledge of the details of his cases" in the 2021 edition. He has also spoken at a number of trust and private wealth industry events, including most recently the TL4 Contentious Trusts 'Next Gen Summit' in 2024 and the CONTRA/Informa 'Trust in Litigation' conference in 2023. In addition to his trust and private wealth specialisms, Jack also has extensive experience in other areas of litigation, including in particular civil fraud and financial services litigation. Jack is also a solicitor-advocate and has Higher Rights of Audience for High Court (Civil) proceedings.

Kamal Shah

Kamal Shah leads Stephenson Harwood's International Arbitration, Africa and India groups, offering unparalleled expertise in international arbitration, litigation, and fraud and asset recovery. His clients include governments, banks, and high net worth individuals, who rely on his deep understanding of multi-jurisdictional disputes and his ability to navigate intricate legal landscapes. Kamal's practice spans a wide array of sectors, from energy and infrastructure to finance and public international law. Kamal provides strategic advice on high stakes matters, including enforcement of arbitration awards and complex shareholder disputes. His work with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Government of India highlights his capability to manage significant international cases, ensuring clients achieve favourable outcomes. Kamal's approach is both meticulous and innovative, allowing clients to confidently address their most challenging legal issues. Clients value Kamal for his exceptional project management skills and his commitment to finding the right solutions. His leadership in African-related disputes and his role in co-publishing the text of the ‘African Promise’, which seeks to tackle the under-representation of Africans on international arbitration tribunals, demonstrates his dedication to advancing the field of international arbitration. Kamal is also the co-author of the leading text "Arbitration in Africa: A Review of Key Jurisdictions".

Rustum Shah

Kristian Shearsby

Kristian is a corporate lawyer specialising in the life sciences and technology sectors. He advises companies at all stages of development, from early-stage biotech and technology companies through to listed public companies, investment funds, and banks operating within these sectors. Kristian’s corporate practice regularly involves advising clients on their transformative transactions, including venture capital investments, joint-venture arrangements, mergers and acquisitions and public securities issues, with a focus on delivering successful outcomes within mandated deadlines. Kristian provides commercial and pragmatic advice, leveraging his industry and transactional experience to support innovative businesses as they grow. He works closely with colleagues on complex IP, licensing, and commercial issues, ensuring clients receive expert support tailored to their needs. His international experience, particularly with cross-border transactions involving the US, adds a valuable dimension to his practice. Clients value Kristian's dedication to forging strong, long-lasting relationships and his commitment to helping them overcome challenges and seize opportunities. His work with leading life sciences and technology companies underscores his reputation as a trusted guide in these dynamic and evolving sectors.

Penelope Shen

Ben Sigler

Ben has extensive experience in all aspects of dispute resolution including arbitration, litigation, and regulatory investigations, and he has a particular focus on the financial and technology sectors. Ben's experience also encompasses dealing with issues arising from allegations of fraud, insolvency claims, and a wide variety of applications for interim relief. Ben has acted for, and against, sovereign states and other governmental entities, banks, and corporates, including high profile entities across a range of sectors (finance, commodities, property and so forth), as well as high-net worth individuals, and the majority of his instructions include a significant cross-border element. Whilst Ben's practice spans the full gamut of corporate and commercial disputes, he has particularly notable experience of, and expertise and interest in, advising majority and minority shareholders, directors, interested third parties, and companies in the context of shareholder disputes (both in relation to private and public companies) and co-venturers and other interested parties in the context of partnership disputes (in relation to limited liability partnerships, limited partnerships, and partnerships at will). This aspect of his practice is complemented by his wealth of experience in advising on disputes relating to reputation management and information law issues, which are often engaged in this context.

Mark Silveira

Mark Silveira is Of Counsel in the private capital and funds team at Stephenson Harwood. Mark has over 15 years of experience in advising fund managers, institutional investors, and family offices on a broad range of investment matters, nationally and internationally, with a focus on the formation and governance of closed-ended funds across a range of asset classes, including buy-out, infrastructure, energy, real estate, growth and venture capital. He also advises on executive and employee incentive arrangements, managed accounts, joint ventures, co-investment vehicles, fund restructuring, and management firm creation. His guidance extends to, and fund governance, helping clients achieve their investment goals with confidence. Mark's clients benefit from his knowledge of the broader market to negotiate complex agreements and deliver tailored solutions.

Henry Simpson

Since qualifying in March 2021, Henry's practice has developed to include international arbitration, award enforcement, and commercial disputes, with a particular focus on energy and shareholder disputes, and cases with political dimensions. Henry has acted for HNW individuals, corporates, and state-owned entities in a variety of disputes before Tribunals and the Courts. He provides focused, practical legal advice, which reflects clients' commercial and political concerns. He is an experienced arbitration practitioner, having acted in large number of arbitration matters, under a variety of institutional rules including the LCIA, ICC, and various commodity trading frameworks. Henry is also an English-qualified solicitor-advocate (Higher Courts Civil), seeks to make oral advocacy part of the services offered to clients, and has been appointed as tribunal secretary in an ICC arbitration. An important part of Henry's practice also concerns arbitration enforcement matters. He has successfully represented clients seeking to either enforce, or resist, the enforcement of arbitral awards both in the English Courts and internationally. He is also particularly experienced in enforcement matters across multiple jurisdictions, involving complex corporate structures and State-owned entities. Henry enjoys practicing as a disputes' lawyer and helping clients navigate, and successfully resolve, their legal problems.

David Sinclair

David Sinclair is a seasoned real estate development and investment lawyer based in London, specialising in advising both international and domestic clients on high-profile and complex investment and development projects. His expertise spans a wide range of commercial properties, including offices, hotels, logistics hubs, and manufacturing facilities. Clients such as Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and the developers of The OWO trust David to navigate the intricacies of property acquisition, financing, and development, ensuring their projects are completed successfully and efficiently. David provides comprehensive legal support in real estate investment, from acquisition and financing to ongoing management. His work for fund managers such as Schroders showcases his ability to manage substantial portfolios and deliver strategic advice that aligns with their business objectives. Whether expanding production facilities or developing luxury hotels. David's approach is characterised by precision and a deep understanding of the real estate market. Clients value David's ability to act as an extension of their team, bringing a can-do attitude and commercial savvy to every transaction. His reputation for being a deal-doer is well-earned, as he consistently helps clients overcome challenges and achieve their goals in the competitive real estate sector.

Dorothy Siron

Emma Skakle

Emma Skakle is an energy disputes specialist who supports major players in the international trade, natural resources, and shipping sectors. Her clients include trading houses, energy companies, and insurers, who rely on her expertise in navigating multi-jurisdictional disputes. Emma's in-depth understanding of the commodities markets makes her a sought-after advisor in London arbitrations and High Court litigation. Emma's core areas of practice are commodity trading disputes (oil and gas, metals, grains, sugar, and biofuels) and related charterparty, bill of lading, and letter of credit issues, often involving sensitive and complex issues such as fraud. She represents clients in arbitrations under all the major rules (LCIA, ICC, LMAA, GAFTA, FOSFA, RSA and SAL), as well as handling disputes arising out of company or asset disposals/acquisitions, share purchase agreements, and joint venture agreements. Clients value Emma's ability to act as an extension of their team, offering pragmatic solutions and clear guidance. Her experience in-house at a global shipping company and a large steel producer gives her unique insights into her clients' industries, allowing her to deliver tailored advice that aligns with their business objectives.

Jessica Smart

Jessica Smart is a Partner and Head of Immigration at Stephenson Harwood. She is a leading specialist in UK immigration and nationality and advises a range of clients, including high-net-worth individuals and corporate entities. For private clients and families, Jessica advises on all UK immigration routes. For her clients in the UK, Jessica supports them with obtaining Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) (also known as Permanent Residence or Settlement), British citizenship and passport. For corporate clients, Jessica supports them through the sponsor licence process and subsequent sponsorship of skilled workers. She advises UK businesses on compliance with sponsor licence duties and responsibilities and the law in relation to the prevention of illegal working. Jessica has extensive experience advising offshore energy clients on immigration strategy and nuanced areas of law involving seafarers and crew. Jessica is ranked by the Chambers and Partners HNW guide. She has also been recognised by the Legal 500 for her immigration expertise and is named in ALM's 2026 Private Client Global Elite. She was the winner of the 'Future Icon' award at the Citywealth 2025 Magic Circle Awards. Jessica was the Immigration Council Member for England and Wales at The Law Society for 4 years and is a member of The Law Society's Immigration Law Committee. She is also a member of the Home Office Business Advisory Group, and the Immigration Law Practitioners' Association (ILPA).

Dan Smith

Dan Smith is a Partner specialising in high-stakes commercial disputes and litigation. He represents corporates, financial institutions, bondholders, lenders, shareholders, investors, issuers, trustees, management, and related parties in major cross-border disputes, focusing on High Court litigation and contentious restructuring and insolvency matters, along with internal and external investigations into fraud and other wrongdoing. His expertise spans nearly two dozen jurisdictions across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. He is experienced in shareholder, investment and management disputes, corporate trust and bondholder disputes, and contractual and commercial disputes. He acts for claimants and defendants, often across multi-party disputes in multiple jurisdictions, and with numerous stakeholders. Clients value Dan's ability to develop comprehensive and practical dispute strategies early, aligning them with clients' business objectives to achieve success through litigation or alternative dispute resolution. His approach includes risk prevention strategies, pre-dispute counselling, and analysis. His membership in the London Solicitors Litigation Association, along with his contributions to leading cases and trends in litigation, further solidify his reputation as a trusted guide in navigating complex legal challenges.

Jonathan Spearing

Jonathan Spearing is a specialist in the energy, natural resources, and commodities sectors, serving a diverse clientele including mining groups, oil and gas companies, refiners, trading houses, charterers, banks, energy utilities, and industrial consumers. His expertise spans both litigation and advisory roles, making him a versatile asset for clients facing commercial disputes or seeking transactional guidance. Jonathan's practice covers High Court litigation and international arbitration, with a particular focus on the supply, carriage, storage, distribution, and financing of commodities. He is renowned for his market-leading practice in commodities fraud cases, offering clients a sharp intellect and committed approach to resolving complex legal challenges. He also advises client on complex physical commodity and structured commodity finance transactions. Clients appreciate Jonathan's hands-on and practical approach, often seeking his strategic legal advice at board level for commercially or politically sensitive issues. His ability to navigate stressful situations with a calm and steady hand makes him a valued partner in achieving successful outcomes.

Duncan Stiles

Duncan Stiles is a hugely experienced senior corporate partner at Stephenson Harwood LLP who counsels a diverse international client base on strategic investments into the UK and on complex cross-border M&A across the world. His practice spans a variety of sectors including technology, energy transition, industrials, professional services and real estate. Duncan’s practice is particularly focussed on the United States. He is ranked in the Chambers and Partners Global 2026 Guide for Corporate/M&A (Foreign Expert – USA) and leads Stephenson Harwood’s US Area of Focus with overall responsibility for the firm’s relationships with US law firms and US strategy. He regularly acts for US corporates, including financial sponsor backed portfolio companies, on their European investments. Recent examples include deals for KKR backed Industrial Physics, Intercontinental Exchange, Kroll, Corporation Service Company, Scrub Daddy and Illuma Holdings. He also regularly “quarterbacks” advice for US law firms needing support across a variety of European jurisdictions. His reputation for delivering results on complex cross border transactions makes him a sought-after adviser for a range of international clients. He recently advised China’s Citic Europe Holdings on the sale of Invia Group (a leading online travel agency); counselled the Dutch Denkavit Group on its UK market entry acquisition of the Volac Milk Replacer business and led on Spanish Grupo Amper’s sale of Energy Computer Systems (advanced distribution management systems software) to QEI Automation Solutions. All Duncan’s international clients appreciate his ability to explain unfamiliar UK legal requirements and concepts in a commercially accessible and understandable way.

Jamie Stranger

Nicholas Stretch

Nicholas Stretch is a partner at Stephenson Harwood, specialising in employee incentives and remuneration. With over 25 years of experience, he advises both private and quoted companies on share plans, management incentives and bonus arrangements, ensuring they navigate the complexities of tax structuring and corporate governance with ease. His expertise extends to handling the impact of corporate transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, and IPOs, on employee incentives. Nicholas collaborates closely with Stephenson Harwood's employment team to guide clients through senior-level appointments, remuneration, and terminations, ensuring compliance with financial services remuneration codes. His clients appreciate his ability to make complex legal areas understandable, allowing them to focus on their business goals. While based in London, he has worked on many engagements with our Dubai office. A former chairman of Share Plan Lawyers and the QCA Share Schemes Expert Group, Nicholas is valued for his commercial insight and ability to deliver tailored solutions that align with clients' strategic objectives.

Suditi Surana

Rania Tadros

Middle East Managing Partner

Jay Tai

Jay is a partner in the corporate department. His practice focuses on private equity, mergers and acquisitions, and complex corporate and commercial transactions.

Joan Tan

Joan is a managing associate in the shipping and offshore finance team in Singapore. She has a key focus in PRC leasing and regularly assists on complex multi-jurisdictional loan and sale and leaseback transactions involving top-tier PRC lessors and major banks. In addition to vessel financing and leasing matters, she is also experienced in related matters involving vessel sale and purchase and vessel and mortgage registrations/deletions in various jurisdictions. Joan's principal area of practice includes other non-contentious shipping transactions and extends to general banking and finance matters. Joan also contributed to the fourth edition of the leading ship finance industry handbook, Shipping Finance: A Practical Handbook.

Alexander Tang

Jeffrey Tanner

Jeffrey is a partner who is recognised as a leading transactional lawyer known for his expertise in banking, finance and marine and energy transactional matters.

Peter Theochari

Peter specialises in guiding banks, financial institutions, and asset owners through maritime and aviation finance transactions. His work spans multi-jurisdictional financings, chartering, leasing, asset sale and purchase, and secondary debt trading, with a focus on ‘big ticket’ transactions. Peter’s clients include some of the world’s most prominent financial institutions and asset owners who rely on his ability to navigate complex financial landscapes and deliver innovative solutions. Peter’s expertise extends to the full life cycle of transportation assets, from acquisition and disposal to distressed asset scenarios such as insolvencies and restructurings. He has advised on other types of high-value transactions, including the sale and leaseback of ships and aircraft, letter of credit and guarantee financing, and the financing of super-luxury yachts. His strategic insight and commercial acumen ensures that clients can confidently manage their assets and investments, and his ability to solve problems quickly and effectively has made him a trusted partner in the maritime and aviation sectors.

Lucy Thorpe

Lucy Thorpe is a partner in the private equity group at Stephenson Harwood, specialising in advisory and transactional work for private equity and growth capital investors, founder shareholders, management teams and portfolio companies. Her expertise spans several industry sectors, including technology and business services, where she acts on all matters throughout the lifecycle of a company. Lucy’s recent work has focused on the mid-market and lower mid-market, advising clients such as Bowmark Capital (on its investments, portfolio company management and exits) and the management teams of several PSG Equity portfolio companies (on their sale and reinvestment, alongside new institutional or trade buyers). Lucy provides comprehensive support on corporate, constitutional and post-investment matters, including bolt-on acquisitions. Her strategic insight is exemplified by her role in over 30 acquisitions for the Civica Group (a Blackstone portfolio company), as part of its ‘buy and build’ strategy. She is known for her ability to act quickly and think commercially, working as an extension of her clients’ teams to navigate complex transactions and achieve successful outcomes. Clients value Lucy’s ability to solve problems efficiently. Her pragmatic approach and deep industry knowledge make her a sought-after advisor in the private equity space.

Paul Thwaite

Paul has over 25 years of experience in resolving complex multi-party construction and engineering disputes. He is trusted by his clients to deliver successful results on high-profile and high-value matters. He enjoys difficult cases and finding innovative legal solutions. Paul has a wealth of experience in advising on risk management and dispute avoidance during the construction phase of major projects. He has acted for both employers and contractors in relation to projects in the commercial, industrial, transport, retail, energy, waste, water, health and education sectors. Paul specialises in contractor claims for delay and disruption, cases involving major building defects and disputes arising out of FM contracts and PFI projects. Paul also specialises in procurement disputes and challenges in the High Court acting for both the public and private sector. Paul is recognised as a leading practitioner in construction law by Chambers UK and The Legal 500. Since May 2024, Paul has been the firm’s Senior Partner with responsibility for chairing the elected Supervisory Council and overseeing the management of the firm. Prior to that, Paul was joint practice group leader of commercial litigation.

Jamie Tilling

Jamie is an insolvency disputes lawyer. Jamie guides clients through complex insolvency disputes, particularly those with cross-border elements. Jamie works with clients on a wide range of corporate and personal insolvency matters. He acts for insolvency practitioners, secured and unsecured creditors, debtors, shareholders, directors, litigation funders and claims purchasers, and private individuals. Much of Jamie’s work focuses on the recovery of assets by insolvency practitioners appointed over insolvent estates, particularly in cases involving fraud. Jamie is often instructed on complex cross-border matters, and has experience with large scale multi-jurisdictional litigation across Europe, the United States, Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. He also advises clients on how insolvency processes can be deployed in a wider asset recovery context. Jamie delivers practical solutions for clients, solving problems commercially and strategically. Clients value Jamie’s straightforward approach and guidance.

Teresa Tsoi

Galina Usorova

Galina is a managing associate specialising in insurance disputes, complex commercial litigation, including civil fraud and asset recovery. Dual-qualified as an English solicitor and Russian advocate, she has played a key role in some of the leading High Court and arbitration matters cases involving marine insurance mandates and cross-border fraud. Galina is highly experienced in obtaining and defending freezing injunctions, disclosure orders, and other forms of interim relief. She regularly acts for both claimants and defendants in the English High Court and manages complex disputes in foreign jurisdictions, including the BVI, Channel Islands, Cayman Islands, Switzerland, and Cyprus. Galina also advises on sanctions-related matters and disputes. With a strong interest in ESG litigation, Galina leads the firm’s Greenwashing Risk team, guiding clients through emerging risks and regulatory challenges. Her recent work includes acting for an insurer in a well-publicised case arising out of a collapsed fish farm, acting for a leading trading house in a £600 million global asset recovery action and defending a prominent Russian businessman in a US$600 million civil fraud claim brought by two major Russian banks. Galina’s extensive experience in handling high-value, international disputes and her commitment to innovative legal solutions make her a trusted advisor to her clients.

Julien Vandenbussche

George Vaughton

George advises lenders and sponsors on real estate finance transactions. His clients include banks, funds and other financial institutions from the UK, Europe, Asia and the US. He is experienced with vanilla and structured deals and covers investment and development loans for all classes of commercial property across the UK and continental Europe.

Iwan Walters

Alan Ward

Alan has acted in relation to some of the most high-profile and complex multi-jurisdictional investigations commenced by regulatory and criminal enforcement agencies in the UK, USA, Europe, and Asia. He regularly advises financial institutions and corporates on regulatory and criminal-law compliance, internal investigations and interactions with regulators. Alan is a partner in the regulatory litigation practice group. He advises corporate entities and individuals in the context of regulatory and criminal investigations, commenced by agencies such as the Serious Fraud Office ("SFO") and Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA"). He also assists corporates and individuals in relation to the conduct of, and responses to, internal investigations. Alan's work regularly involves allegations of misconduct on financial markets. Recently, he has advised a number of individuals in the context of investigations into suspected market abuse on a diverse array of international markets, including equity, debt and commodities markets. He has also advised firms and exchanges on detecting and preventing market misconduct. Alan represented a number of individuals in relation to the global LIBOR and foreign exchange (FX / forex) investigations, including both individuals who were the subject of regulatory and criminal allegations of market misconduct and senior managers investigated by regulators for alleged oversight failures. Alan is one of a very small number of lawyers who has successfully represented a senior trader at a major investment bank at trial. He has also been instructed to advise corporates and individuals in providing assistance to agencies including the SFO, FCA, Prudential Regulation Authority ("PRA"), Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC") and other US authorities. Much of Alan's work has a significant international dimension. He regularly advises corporate clients and financial institutions, including banks and asset managers, on matters that may have an impact, regulatory or otherwise, in more than one jurisdiction. Alan writes regularly in the legal and mainstream press and speaks at a number of industry conferences, both in the UK and internationally.

Alan Ward

Alan Ward is a partner at Stephenson Harwood specialising in regulatory litigation and investigations. He advises financial institutions and corporates in navigating high-profile investigations commenced by agencies such as the Serious Fraud Office ("SFO") and Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA"), along with internal, non-public investigations into allegations of financial and non-financial misconduct and irregularity. His client base includes major banks, asset managers, and trading houses, corporates across sectors and high-profile public bodies, who value his ability to handle their most sensitive and business critical matters. Alan has represented firms, directors, senior managers and traders in many of the most high-profile and significant investigations of the past two decades. He has represented individuals in two of the largest insider dealing prosecutions commenced by the FCA and acted for senior traders and manager in relation to the global LIBOR and foreign exchange investigations, including successfully representing clients at trial. In 2025 he represented a trader and a corporate, in two separate regulatory actions concerning allegations of market manipulation. Clients value Alan's collaborative and practical approach, which combines deep technical knowledge with a focus on identifying and managing risk in a proactive and proportionate manner. His experience in complex cases underscores his reputation as a trusted advisor in regulatory and corporate crime matters.

Jonathan Ward

Jonathan specialises in guiding financial institutions, international ship owners, and shipyards through the intricacies of ship finance and commercial shipping matters. His expertise spans complex loan financings, operating and finance leasing, sale and purchase, and corporate acquisitions, with a particular focus on Europe and the Far East. Clients appreciate his ability to navigate high-stakes restructurings, such as the Omega Navigation Chapter 11 bankruptcy and major restructurings for Torm, Genco, Maritime Equity Partners, Bourbon Offshore and Prosafe. He provides strategic advice on 'big ticket' asset finance transactions worldwide, representing a diverse range of clients including export credit agencies and major international ship owners. Jonathan's work includes advising on innovative projects like Hoegh Autoliners' acquisition of zero carbon ready Aurora class PCTC vessels and J.P. Morgan Asset Management's acquisition of LNG-fuelled inland barges. Jonathan's clients value his ability to transform challenges into opportunities, ensuring their ventures are both financially sound and strategically advantageous. His leadership in the Chinese ship finance practice underscores his commitment to delivering results that align with clients' commercial objectives.

Charlotte Welsh

Charlotte advises states, state-owned entities, companies and high-net-worth individuals in resolving their cross-border disputes. She has extensive experience in international commercial arbitrations, as well as fraud and asset tracing matters, across sectors including energy, banking and finance, and projects and infrastructure. The cases she handles frequently involve matters of significant political and economic importance. She handles these issues strategically while delivering practical, commercial legal advice. Having lived in Kenya and completed a secondment at JMiles & Co. in Nairobi working on LCIA and ICC arbitrations, she has developed valuable insight and experience of both working and living in Africa. This positions her strongly to advise clients on disputes involving an African dimension. Charlotte was part of the team who co-authored a leading text, "Arbitration in Africa: A Review of Key Jurisdictions, together with other contributors from across Africa. She also writes regularly on arbitration topics, such as the law governing the validity of an arbitration agreement and the Arbitration Act 2025. In addition, she has a broad experience of English High Court litigation, including acting in proceedings arising from the collapse of a hedge fund and advising a professional fund manager She has also acted for an international auctioneer on a dispute relating to the authenticity of a Russian painting following a secondment in the art law department of that auctioneer.

Ryan Whelan

Alexa Whitehead

Alexa is a partner in Stephenson Harwood’s corporate team, where she supports clients within the investment and asset management industry. She provides comprehensive legal and regulatory advice to investment funds, managers and investment banks on fund launches, IPOs, secondary issues, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, reconstructions and other complex transactions. More recently, she has worked with various investment trusts, defending challenging requisitions from activist shareholders. Alexa's clients benefit from her ability to deliver clear, actionable advice that aligns with their commercial objectives. Known for her proactive approach and deep understanding of the market, Alexa is a trusted advisor for clients. Her involvement in recent high-profile transactions underscores her reputation as a leading figure in the market.

Simon Wong

Kate Worthington

Kate advises clients on all aspects of UK corporate tax, including VAT and stamp duties. She has particular expertise in relation to real estate matters and has acted extensively for institutional investors, listed funds (including REITs), private companies and individuals in this context. Kate also has experience in corporate and financing transactions, funds, joint ventures, domestic and international tax structuring and tax disputes.

Michelle Yong

Michelle's practice encapsulates the entire lifespan of the shipping cycle – she reviews and negotiates complex ship and rig building contracts, has drafted numerous sale and purchase agreements for both buyer and seller, assists owners in reviewing financing arrangements, provides risk management and litigation advice in various charterparty, ship management and other disputes and is regularly instructed by banks or owners in the most high profile restructurings, insolvencies and enforcements in the market. Michelle also acts for commodities traders in trade finance, bill of lading disputes and other supply problems involving force majeure and quality and quantity disputes, where her deep understanding of shipping issues has proven particularly helpful. Michelle has represented clients in SCMA, SIAC, HKIAC, LMAA, LCIA and ICC arbitrations and mediations. Michelle is a dual qualified lawyer in Singapore and in England and Wales. She sits on the committee of the Singapore chapter of the Women's International Shipping and International Trade Association and the Women in Practice committee of the Law Society of Singapore where she is committed to doing her part to level the playing field for women in the shipping, trade and legal industries.

John Zadkovich

John advises on a range of energy, trade and finance matters, with particular expertise in international commercial arbitration, investigations and public international law. John has a strong legal and commercial understanding of the trade, energy (including oil and gas, mining/natural resources, hydrogen and renewables), infrastructure and finance sectors. John is experienced in working with most international arbitration rules and recognised institutions, including ICC, LCIA, SIAC, LMAA, HKIAC, CIETAC and UNCITRAL, and frequently appears as counsel before arbitral tribunals. He has also advised clients regarding regulatory and internal investigations and appeared as counsel before regulatory tribunals. John’s clients range from sovereign states, state owned entities, and multinational and domestic companies, to trading houses, private equity firms and family offices. He has more than 20 years of legal experience across Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East, having previously worked at Australian, English and American law firms, including six years in Hong Kong.

Chinar Zaidi

Managing Associate

Jay Ze

Partner, Stephenson Harwood LLP

Hongkai Zhou

Haris Zografakis

Haris Zografakis has spent over 30 years helping a diverse range of clients, from mining companies and oil majors to shipowners and state-owned enterprises, navigate the intricate world of shipping and international maritime trade. His expertise spans the globe, offering strategic advice and solutions to clients facing challenges in commodities disputes, maritime decarbonisation, and complex multi-jurisdictional cases. Haris provides comprehensive support in dispute resolution, having acted in hundreds of arbitrations and court cases, including High Court and Supreme Court proceedings. His practice covers a wide array of issues, from demurrage claims to high-stakes oil and gas disputes. He is also deeply involved in non-contentious work, structuring transactions and advising on decarbonisation strategies, ensuring clients are well-prepared for future challenges. Clients value Haris for his tenacity and tactical acumen, as well as his ability to deliver excellent legal and commercial advice. His leadership in the firm’s commodities practice has been instrumental in its recognition as a First Tier team by The Legal 500. Haris’s work is not just about resolving disputes; it’s about empowering clients to succeed in a rapidly evolving maritime landscape. He is chair of the International Working Group on maritime decarbonisation of Comite Maritime International. He has published and lectured extensively worldwide, including at COP, for BIMCO and the IMO. He has been recognised by Lloyd's List as a top ten maritime lawyer worldwide.