In a significant move for the Middle Eastern shipping market, sector specialist HFW has hired partners Robert Lawrence and Ian Chung from rival Clyde & Co in Dubai to strengthen its grip in the region.
Lawrence and Chung are doyens of the shipping sector in the United Arab Emirates, ranked as ‘leading individuals’ in The Legal 500’s Dubai shipping category. Significantly, the pair constituted a large chunk of Clyde’s shipping practice in the region, leaving them with partner David Leckie (who relocated from London to Dubai in May) and legal director Len Soudagar.
As such, HFW has significantly weakened a tier one-ranked rival and consolidated its position at the top of the UAE market.
HFW now has five of the 11 lawyers rated as leading individuals by The Legal 500, with the others being UAE managing partner Yaman Al Hawamdeh and partners Richard Strub and Tien Tai.
Lawrence and Chung have over 30 years’ combined experience in the Middle East. Lawrence is a disputes lawyer with a particular focus on the marine and offshore industries, while Chung is a transactional lawyer specialising in the marine and transportation sectors.
For Chung, it is a return to HFW, having been a partner at the firm until 2017 when he left for Clyde.
Al Hawamdeh (pictured) spoke to Legal Business of HFW’s lofty ambitions in the UAE: ‘By welcoming two of the region’s top maritime and offshore experts to our already preeminent team, HFW is now the clear market-leader for all types of shipping matters, including disputes and transactions.
‘This is just the start of our plans to significantly expand our offering in the Middle East – not just in shipping, but across all of our sectors, including aviation, commodities, construction, energy, and insurance. We are actively seeking partners and teams practicing in those sectors, with a view to establishing HFW as the number one sector-focused law firm in the Middle East.’
Lawrence added: ‘As a shipping disputes lawyer, there is simply no finer place to practise than HFW. The size, expertise and client base of the firm’s global shipping group is unrivalled – it really is the gold standard for advice to the industry. HFW has also consistently demonstrated its long-term commitment to the Middle East – which is incredibly important to local clients – as well as a willingness to invest in bold moves.’