Sector-focused law firm HFW has added to its leading
Middle East practice with the hire of shipping and offshore marine partners
Robert Lawrence and Ian Chung.
The pair, who between them have more than 30 years’
experience in the Middle East, are joining HFW’s Dubai office from Clyde &
Co, where Lawrence headed the firm’s International Trade and Transport practice
in the region. The move will see Chung return to HFW, where he was a partner
until 2017. Lawrence joined HFW at the start of this week, while Chung will (re)join
on September 5th.
HFW, which has operated in the Middle East for more than
15 years, now has 20 partners and more than 50 lawyers in total across offices
in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait City and Riyadh.
Yaman Al Hawamdeh, UAE Managing Partner, HFW, said that “this
is a very significant development for HFW in the Middle East. Robert and Ian
are go-to lawyers for maritime, offshore and international trade work, and
adding them to our already market-leading team means that we are now
unquestionably the number one shipping practice in the region for both disputes
and transactional matters.”
HFW said that Lawrence was “a leading disputes
lawyer with a particular focus on the marine and offshore industries, including
English law and Middle East claims arising from EPC contracts, offshore
casualties, ship build and ship conversion projects, trade and transport, and
marine insurance. He also advises on enforcement proceedings – onshore and in
the DIFC; commercial litigation, including joint venture disputes; as well as
non-contentious and regulatory matters.”
He will also work closely with HFW’s team in Riyadh,
where he has significant experience advising Saudi-based clients, as well as
litigating before the Saudi Commercial Courts and the Saudi Insurance Disputes
Committee.
Chung specializes in transactional matters within the
marine and transportation industries, including M&A and joint ventures,
corporate and commercial, regulatory and licensing, finance, and general
advisory work. He also has significant experience on insolvency and
restructuring, and has acted for banks and borrowers on some of the most
significant regional restructurings in recent years.
