Shipping

Alex Davis

Alex is the marine and international trade practice group leader and also heads the marine insurance sub-group. Alex has acted for major London Lloyd’s and company market insurers as well as Continental insurers on a wide range of marine insurance based matters. He regularly advises his clients on complex coverage issues on hull, cargo, war, port risk, shipyard liability, general liability and mortgagee interest policies. He has significant experience of acting primarily for International Insurance markets handling major casualties, collisions, salvage, and wreck removals. He regularly contributes to major publications such as Lloyd’s List on relevant issues and has recently co-presented a paper on marine cyber risk at the IMCC with Rod Johnson. He has particular expertise in relation to NOAs, CTLs and issues arising thereafter having led one of the main cases resulting in the development of the law in this area. He is also a recognised as leading practitioner on mortgagee interest coverage issues. He has advised geo-seismic operators and their insurers on risk management issues and advises the London market on pre-inception risk issues. He is listed as a leading individual in marine insurance in the major legal directories.

John Hicks

Managing Partner

Philip Roche

Glenn Winter

Partner

Nikki Chu

Nikki has over 11 years’ experience as a disputes lawyer in the marine and international trade sectors. She adopts a practical and commercial approach to ensure that disputes are resolved efficiently. She specialises in dry shipping, including charterparty, bill of lading, cargo and shipbuilding disputes and assisting clients with LNG shipping issues. Nikki has also advised on commercial disputes including injunctive relief and issues arising from ship finance contracts. She has worked on cases involving major incidents such as container stack collapses and fires. On the non-contentious side, she advises on the drafting and negotiation of shipping contracts (including LNG charterparties). She has acted for a wide range of clients including owners, charterers, P&I Clubs, insurers, traders, cargo interests and maritime investment companies. Having spent a year at an International Group P&I Club in London, she is well-experienced in dealing with FD&D and P&I matters, often with a real-time element. Nikki is listed as a Rising Star by The Legal 500 UK 2024. Clients value her dedication to cases and attention to detail and say that “Nikki Chu has the capacity to delve to the bottom of the legal issues at hand. She would leave no stone unturned to research all the available authorities and academic writings, and to consider the matter from all possible angles.” She is passionate about improving diversity within the legal industry and was shortlisted as a finalist in The Rising Star in Diversity Change category of Women, Influence & Power in Law UK Awards 2022.

Jonas Adolfsson

Partner

Dolly Brown

Partner

Eleanor Midwinter

Specialist Counsel

Will Trustram

Jeremy Biggs

Ian Chetwood

Ian is a disputes lawyer with significant experience in shipping cases and large scale commercial disputes in court proceedings, arbitrations and ADR for clients around the world. His clients include ship owners, cargo owners and insurers. He specialises in wet and dry shipping cases and has taken cases to the Supreme Court and to the CJEU. He has provided expert advice on English law in foreign courts.

Alex Davey

Partner

Sean Gibbons

Sean specialises in shipping, shipbuilding and offshore disputes and also advises shipyards and shipowners on negotiations for new contracts.  He is recognised by The Legal 500 as a leading individual and has been praised by both, The Legal 500 and Chambers, for his commercial perspective when advising clients. Sean advises a diverse range of clients, including shipowners and charterers, P&I and defence clubs, shipyards and banks. He has extensive experience of High Court litigation and arbitration (LMAA, LCIA and ICC) in relation to disputes under charterparties, bills of lading, MoAs and shipbuilding contracts covering vessels/superyachts and offshore structures of all types.  Sean also advises in contract negotiations relating to newbuildings. He is regularly instructed in matters involving investigation and defending of fraudulent cargo claims made against shipowners, insurers and banks and has spent extensive time in West African countries investigating such claims. As a result, Sean is a specialist in obtaining freezing/inspection/disclosure orders and anti-suit injunctions in the English courts, especially as a part of the asset tracing process. Sean also advises ship finance banks in relation to enforcement of mortgages. This includes the provision of both legal and practical advice on the strategic options available to enforce the lenders’ security. Sean is a core member of the Stephenson Harwood yacht and superyacht team and regularly advises on contentious and non-contentious matters in the sector.

Chris Grieveson

  Chris is a Managing Partner at Wikborg Rein's London office and is an English Solicitor. Chris specialises in shipping, oil & gas, and commodity trading law. Shipping He has extensive experience of all aspects of shipping law (both globally and especially within Asia having lived and worked there for 12 years). He has been involved in handling some of the world’s major casualties and pollution incidents. Chris regularly advises shipowners, charterers, P&I clubs and traders on all aspects of carriage of goods, charterparty and marine insurance law. Chris also has extensive experience of shipbuilding and S&P disputes. Offshore In the offshore industry Chris advises operators and contractors in the drafting and negotiation of proposed contracts; handling claims and disputes concerning contractual performance; accidents; and claims under insurance policies. His experience includes all aspects of the industry from the initial bid and tender process through commissioning, and in-field operation. He has acted for all sectors of the industry including EPC and EPCI contractors, drilling contractors, FPSO/FLNG operators, accommodation rig providers, supply boat /barge operators, and oilfield service contractors. Trading Chris’ trading experience includes advising commodities traders, especially metals, coal and oil traders with their sale and purchase arrangements, particularly for long term off take contracts and disputes. Chris has handled numerous disputes for traders arising out of delays, force majeure, quality issues and letter of credit problems. Commercial Fraud Chris has extensive expertise of acting in civil fraud claims in the shipping and offshore industry including asset tracing, he has particular expertise in cases involving Russia, the CIS, China, Indonesia and Vietnam as well as Europe. Compliance and Crisis Management Chris has significant experience advising clients on compliance, regulatory and investigations in the Marine Sector. In particular, he has been extensively involved in anti-bribery and corporate crisis management including the conduct of internal investigations and the handling of criminal law consequences and civil disputes triggered by potential misconduct.  

Rob Jardine-Brown

Rob's main area of practice lies within the shipping and offshore fields. He is a lawyer with a broad range of marine and offshore experience specialising in dispute resolution, mediation, commercial litigation and arbitration. Within shipping his experience covers all aspects of the construction of ships together with their employment, operation and disposal. In the offshore field Rob deals with a variety of commercial and operational issues with particular emphasis on disputes relating to the construction of offshore units including FPSOs, drilling rigs and offshore production and supply vessels. He also lectures on shipbuilding matters.

Darryl Kennard

Darryl is a partner in the marine, trade and energy team in the London office and a key member of the emergency response team. He is one of the few shipping lawyers who specialise in both ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ work from collisions, salvage, groundings, total losses, fires and piracy through to charterparty disputes and claims arising under bills of lading. Based in Norway for one year and in Singapore for five years, Darryl receives instructions from salvors, container lines, dry bulk and tanker owners as well as charterers, traders, P&I clubs and other insurers.

Kirsty MacHardy

Kirsty is an experienced litigator specialising in a wide range of shipping matters, acting principally for major owners, charterers, P&I Clubs and banks located in Europe and worldwide. Kirsty advises on all aspects of shipping disputes including disputes arising under shipbuilding contracts, MoAs, charterparties including for LNG vessels, bills of lading, shipping investments and joint ventures and problem loans/work-outs.  She has significant experience in handling large-scale litigation in the High Court and arbitration, including successfully taking cases to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. On non-contentious shipping matters, Kirsty frequently advises clients on drafting bills of lading and charterparty standard clauses, negotiating and drafting shipbuilding contracts and refund guarantees and drafting and advising on MoAs for the sale and purchase of second-hand tonnage. Kirsty also has very significant expertise on advising on sanctions applicable to certain trades.

Mike Phillips

Mike specialises in shipping, contentious ship finance and ship and offshore vessel construction. Mike’s clients include shipowners, traders, insurers, banks, funds and shipyards. With over 20 years’ of practice in the marine and international trade sector, Mike has a wealth of knowledge and experience which he brings to bear to help clients resolve their most complex and difficult problems. Representing some of the largest and most well-known companies in the marine and international trade sector, Mike is known as both an exceptional lawyer and a clever strategist. Equally at home in London arbitration or multi-jurisdictional Court proceedings, Mike has a strong record of success for clients in a wide range of matters from shipping and cargo claims, groundings and vessel fires through to complex multi-vessel finance enforcement. On the construction side, Mike represents shipyards and buyers on a range of construction projects from super-yachts through to complex offshore vessels and rigs. Mike regularly delivers training to industry professionals, on a bespoke basis for clients, and through the leading industry association, BIMCO. The Legal 500 2019 has called Mike “outstanding”. Mike was shortlisted as Legal 500 Transport Lawyer of the Year in 2019.

Robert Platt

A commercial contracts and dispute resolution specialist, Robert’s expertise spans a broad range of industry sectors, with a particular focus on shipbuilding and offshore construction. Most recently he has also been heavily engaged on a number of high-profile cruise newbuilding projects. His clients include leading shipowners, offshore contractors and well-known shipyards. Robert is recommended for his expertise by The Legal 500 UK. In 2019, Legal 500 reported that he has a “well-deserved reputation as a brilliant lawyer and tough negotiator”.

Andrew Preston

Partner

Elizabeth Turnbull

Partner

Michael Volikas

Michael specialises in resolving commercial disputes on behalf of those in the shipping sector, both in court and through arbitration. Michael works on both wet and dry shipping cases, with a strong focus on dispute resolution. He has specialist expertise in charterparties and bills of lading; sale and purchase agreements; and shipbuilding and refund guarantees. He has acted in cases that have reached the House of Lords, High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, as well as in the European Court of Human Rights and the CJEU.

Nicholas Woo

Partner

Simon Culhane