Holman Fenwick Willan

The Firm

Holman Fenwick Willan LLP is a fast growing international law firm with a strong global presence and a reputation for providing an excellent service to an impressive list of domestic and international clients.

We have approx. 500 lawyers working in offices across Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe and South America we provide a global and seamless service 24 hours a day. We are dynamic, entrepreneurial and leaders in our specialist areas. Many of our partners are recognised experts.

Our approach to client relationships is built on a wide-ranging and inclusive perspective of each business, its unique strategies and market risks.

On that foundation, we deliver fast, effective and creative solutions. With practicality as a guide, we rapidly provide clear and unequivocal advice, free of jargon-heavy language. Our commitment to our clients, total and determined, shines through.

We continue to extend our geographical footprint through associations with local law firms in key strategic jurisdictions, including in Riyadh (in association with Al-Enezee), Beirut (in association with EKP) and Kuwait City (in association with Rula Dajani Law Office). We have also entered a
Formal Law Alliance (FLA) in Singapore with Asia Legal LLC and have a 'best friends' association in Abu Dhabi with Salem Al Maddfa Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Giving back to the whole society is a priority at Holman Fenwick Willan with partners and associates encouraged to spend time on our various worldwide pro bono initiatives.

To find out more have a look at our HFW Firm Brochure.

Our Shipping Group

Our shipping lawyers provide a comprehensive service to the global maritime business community. We have over 200 lawyers and 13 Master Mariners worldwide, specialising in maritime law, reflecting our long involvement in this field.

Our maritime lawyers have a sound understanding of how the market works across dry shipping,
admiralty and crisis management, and transactional work. We represent the full spectrum of those involved in the industry, including shipowners and charterers, P&I Clubs, banks, international agencies, shipyards, marine insurance underwriters, governments and brokers.

Some recent quotes from Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 are listed below:
"They are right at the top of their game in terms of their shipping know-how" Chambers UK2016: Shipping
"They have a lot of depth; if you have problems, you are likely to find someone with a lot of experience in that area" Chambers UK 2016: Shipping
"Led by the 'brilliant' Paul Dean, Holman Fenwick Willan boasts an ‘impressive combination of industry knowledge and the infrastructure of a top-tier, full-service law firm’. The team acted for Versloot Dredging, the owners of the DC Merwestone, on a dispute with Hull & Machinery Underwriters; and was instructed by Clementine Shipping and British Marine (Asia) on a casualty dispute." Legal 500 UK 2015: Shipping

What we do in our Shipping group

We represent the full spectrum of those involved in the industry, including shipowners and charterers, P&I Clubs, global port & terminal operators, transport and logistics companies, banks, investment funds, international agencies, shipyards, marine insurance underwriters, governments
and brokers.

Dry shipping
The firm has one of the largest practices in this area and is considered a global leader in dry shipping and transport work. The matters we handle include charterparties, bills of lading, other carriage contracts, shipbuilding and construction contracts, employment and personal injury,
insurance and risk management, trading (physical and financial freight) as well as logistics and ports and terminals work. Our marine insurance lawyers are recognised as industry leaders in this field.

Admiralty and Crisis Management
We have extensive global crisis management experience and have been retained to act on many of the highest profile shipping casualties in recent years. This includes work on collisions, salvage, wreck removal, total loss, piracy and terrorism, oil pollution and other environmental damage.We have been instructed on behalf of shipowners and/or their insurers in over 100 piracy hijackings since July 2008, advising on the full range of legal issues that arise from these incidents.

Ship and Offshore Finance
We have a leading ship finance practice, acting for ship finance banks, a wide range of owners, operators and other investors across all areas of the shipping and offshore sectors. Our work includes advising on all forms of finance including syndicated, club and bilateral debt financings as well as leasing, export credit financings, seller's credits, derivatives and other credit enhancement products, bond issues and other forms of capital raising. With the continued pressure brought to bear by the global financial crisis, we have recently been working with a number of the world's leading ship finance banks and owners on matters in relation
to, in particular, loan agreements, loan restructuring and work-outs, loan (including ship mortgage) enforcement and insolvency issues.

Transactions and Regulation
We provide the full range of transactional services required by clients in the shipping and offshore sectors such as:
 Capital raising (debt and equity)
 Sales, mergers and acquisitions of shipping companies
 Shipping funds (both offshore and onshore)
 Private equity transactions in the shipping sector
 Reorganisations and restructurings
 Advising on corporate governance issues
 Advising on second-hand sale and purchase of vessels
 Shipbuilding contracts
 Ship recycling
 Ship registration
 Charterparties
 Pooling and management agreements
 All forms of joint venture agreements and strategic partnerships, including between shipping companies.

In addition, we provide extensive advice on the regulations governing the maritime sector, including (but not limited to) MARPOL, SOLAS, MLC, and Hague-Visby Rules. Recently, we have been very active in advising on international trade regulations and sanctions, particularly those adopted at UN, EU, UK, UAE, French and Australian levels, and we regularly co-ordinate advice from other jurisdictions,