HFW

The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on HFW

Trainees at HFW consistently cite the firm’s specialist focus as a major draw. “Sector focus” came up repeatedly, with trainees particularly impressed by the firm’s strength in areas like shipping, commodities, and insurance. “I chose HFW because of its strong commodities department as well as the guarantee to be placed abroad for a seat,” one insider told us. Another highlighted the “sector-focused work, especially in insurance and shipping,” and the firm’s “reputation for acting in high-value and complex disputes.” The international nature of the work also proved attractive: “Travel opportunities,” “international secondments,” and “a global reach” came up again and again. The training itself earns solid marks, with several noting that HFW offers “more opportunities for seats in litigation teams,” greater exposure to partners, and “significant levels of responsibility” early on. “I do the first draft of everything and am involved in strategy and client comms,” one trainee said. Another shared that they’d drafted a client memo that went out “with only minor amendments.” Compared with friends at other firms, trainees feel they’ve got a better “work-life balance,” with a “friendly, down-to-earth” vibe and no excessive pressure to hit billable targets. International secondments are a highlight. Trainees had completed seats in Dubai, Hong Kong, Shanghai and beyond, describing them as “excellent,” “seamless,” and “great for developing my understanding of different cultures and legal systems.” One described attending a Middle East aerospace conference that included four days of events and “even a boat party.” That said, there were downsides. A number of respondents mentioned “limited social interaction across departments,” gripes with legal tech, and “tight” expense policies. Some had experienced “inconsistent supervision,” while others pointed to patchy support from HR. Still, most trainees seemed content — praising the firm’s culture, the chance to do meaningful work, and the breadth of international exposure.

About the firm

Introductory paragraph about the firm:  Every year we recruit only a small number of trainees – around 16 per year, split across a September and March intake. This enables us to give every trainee our full attention, and means that your individual contribution makes a real difference. Overall, we aim to provide you with a dynamic, supportive and varied environment in which you are challenged to become the best lawyer you can be and encouraged to contribute to the success of our global business.

List of clients: ABN AMRO Bank, Alpha Petroleum Resources Limited, BP plc, Excelerate Energy, Gategroup, HSBC Bank plc, ING Bank, Klaipėdos Nafta, Maersk Group, Markerstudy Holdings Limited, Northern Offshore Services, Qatargas, Swedbank, Trafigura, Tsakos Energy Navigation, Tullow Oil plc, Turkish Airlines Inc, Victoria Group AD and existing shareholders.

List of deals/cases in which the firm has been recently involved: Acted for the financiers on the amendment of loan facilities pursuant to the Hermes cruise debt holiday programme in respect of the Saga cruise ships ‘SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY’ and the ‘SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE’ whereby repayments of principal were deferred as a result of the Covid-19-related effects on the cruise market; acting for BW Epic Kosan Ltd. (previously Epic Gas) in connection with the refinancing of 17 LPG ships owned and operated by Lauritzen Kosan; acted for Northern Offshore Services in respect of (1) their purchase of two transfer vessels from SureWind and (2) the lease financing of those vessels provided by Flexam Invest; advised Trafigura Nala Matter on the formation of Nala Renewables – a new joint venture company with IFM Investors; advised Victoria Group on the disposal of its edible oil business, Victoriaoil, to Sun Valley and its co-owner Vaja Jhashi; advised Markerstudy on its acquisition of the Co-operative Group Ltd’s carrier, CIS General Insurance Ltd; advised Lithuanian LNG terminals operator Klaipėdos Nafta on its acquisition of a floating, storage and regasification unit (FSRU) following a public tender involving nine other leading international law firms; advising Qatargas, the world’s largest supplier of LNG, which is partly owned by Qatar Petroleum, on its vessel acquisition project, which forms a key element of the expansion of its North gas field; advising a leading commodities trader on a bid to purchase mining interests in Greece, including on international merger control aspects; advised a leading brand owner on its licensing and distribution arrangements in Europe, with particular reference to competition law.

Senior partner: Giles Kavanagh

Managing partner: Jeremy Shebson

Other offices: 21 global offices across the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific.

Who we are: We are a sector-focused, entrepreneurial law firm. We have a passion for the sectors we work in – whether solving complex issues across construction, aviation and shipping, or providing advice across insurance, commodities and energy. We are people who like to get things done. We are specialist lawyers here to add value to our clients.

What we do: Aviation, commodities, construction, energy, financial institutions, insurance and reinsurance, logistics, mining, ports and terminals, shipping, space, yachts, travel, cruise and leisure.

What we’re looking for in a trainee: We are looking for trainees who are bright, commercially focused and hard working. Strong communication and team working skills are a must. In addition, as our training contract is truly international, we look for individuals who have a global perspective and an interest in completing international work.

What you’ll do: A training contract at HFW consists of four six-month seats – typically three contentious and one transactional, with at least one seat spent abroad gaining a global perspective of our work and clients.

Perks: Contributory pension; season ticket loan; group life cover, personal accident insurance and income protection; non-contributory medical insurance; private GP scheme; other voluntary benefits including gym membership, class pass, cycle to work scheme, dental insurance, dining card, home insurance, travel insurance, Give as You Earn. Onsite massage.

Sponsorship

Law school fees paid, depending on the point of offer, and a maintenance grant of £17,500 is available for each year of study for the PGDL and SQE.

Seat options

Aerospace, commodities, construction, contentious insurance, corporate and commercial, fraud and insolvency, non-contentious insurance, oil and gas, regulatory, shipping finance, shipping litigation, trade finance.

Tips from the recruiter

1. Do your research – not every firm is going to be the right place for everyone. Take your time to work out what is important to you from your place of work. This will help you narrow down the list of firms to which you want to apply (it takes a long time to do a good application form!), as well as help you tailor your answers on application forms and in interviews.
2. Be yourself throughout the recruitment process – you will shine much more and end up at the firm that is right for you if you show your true self throughout the process.
3. Proofread everything – attention to detail is a key skill for lawyers. The recruitment process is a competitive one and it won’t matter how great your answers are if an application form has lots of spelling or grammatical errors in it.