Stephen Hofmeyr KC > Chambers of Gavin Kealey KC > London, England > Barrister Profile
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Stephen Hofmeyr KC
Position
Stephen Hofmeyr KC is a leading commercial barrister with a wide-ranging international commercial law practice.
With a strong sectoral focus across a wide range of practice areas, Stephen’s expertise in commercial law ranges from complex commercial contract disputes, to related company law claims, both for individuals and corporate clients, in particular, shareholder disputes and claims against directors. His relatively unique combination of legal and accounting qualifications has equipped him to specialise in all aspects of commercial law and make him particularly suited to complex disputes.
He is due to appear again in the Supreme Court twice in 2023 in appeals in Herculatio Maritime v Gunvor (MV POLAR) and Argentum Exploration Ltd v Silver. He is also involved in dealing with, amongst other matters, more than 80 aviation insurance claims arising out of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, various M&A insurance claims, a Singapore based arbitration concerning the construction of a jack-up rig, a London based arbitration concerning the safety of a container terminal. He also continues to advise on on-going Business Interruption and M&A insurance claims.
Career
Qualified 1982; Gray’s Inn; practised as an Attorney and Conveyancer with Bisset, Boehmke & McBlain, Cape Town 1984-86; practised as a barrister in current chambers from 1987; took silk 2000; appointed to Securities and Futures Authority Arbitration Panel 2000; Recorder 2005.
Languages
Afrikaans, an understanding of Flemish and Dutch.
Education
Diocesan College, Cape Town (Theron Scholar); University of Cape Town (Abe Bailey Travel Scholar); University College, Oxford (Rhodes Scholar); (1976 BCom; 1978 LLB; 1981 MA Juris); called to the bar by the Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn 1982; Attorney and Conveyancer of the Supreme Court of South Africa 1984; Advocate of the Supreme Court of South Africa 1986.
Leisure
Birdwatching, walking, tennis, skiing, water sports; member Vincents.
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Shipping
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2Stephen Hofmeyr KC – 7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Incredibly strong on engineering and technical details. Clear, controlled and effective advocacy.’
With ‘excellence across the board’, barristers at 7KBW offer clients a diverse set of expertise that covers both wet and dry shipping. The set remains a go-to choice for a variety of stakeholders in the maritime sector, including insurers, charterers, P&I clubs, and shipowners. One of the highlights for Stephen Hofmeyr KC in 2022 was the Argentum Exploration Limited v Silver, a case that decided the Republic of South Africa was not entitled to immunity from the jurisdiction of the court under the State Immunity Act 1978 regarding the salvage of silver from a ship sunk in the Indian Ocean in 1942. Alistair Schaff KC has a strong reputation regarding superyachts, while Dominic Kendrick KC acts in cases relating to sanctions, amongst others. Marcus Mander also had another strong year, acting in SK Shipping Europe PLC v. Capital Maritime & Trading Corp, a case that arose out of the charter of four crude carriers, opposite Christopher Smith KC. N G Casey KC took silk in 2023, and Robert Bright KC (as was) was appointed to the High Court bench at the beginning of the same year.
London Bar > Energy
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 3Stephen Hofmeyr KC –7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Rigorous and with a strong intellect and firm judgement, Stephen has huge expertise in energy matters combined with fearless and firm advocacy.’
London Bar > Insurance and reinsurance
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 2London Bar > International arbitration: arbitrators
7 King’s Bench Walk ‘has a large number of very experienced insurance practitioners, and arbitrators – all of high quality’ and remains ‘one of the go-to sets for complex insurance arbitrations.’ The set’s expertise extends to arbitrations arising from a wide range of sectors spanning international business and commerce, commercial claims, aviation, shipping, commodities, and logistics, as well as energy and natural resources disputes. Members specialise in sitting as independent arbitrators or party-appointed co-arbitrators with the set’s former judges, including Lord Jonathan Mance, Sir Stephen Tomlinson and Sir Jeremy Cooke, being particularly sought-after. A wide offering at the junior end enables the set to offer solutions to resolving lower value international trade, commodities, and insurance claims. Stephen Hofmeyr KC, Siobán Healy KC and James Drake KC
also have an enviable track record of high-profile arbitrations.
London Bar > International arbitration: counsel
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 3Stephen Hofmeyr KC –7 King’s Bench Walk ‘Stephen possesses a strong foundation of legal knowledge and expertise in arbitration, and has excellent analytical skills to assess complex legal issues, identify relevant facts, and develop effective legal strategies.’