Stephenson Harwood LLP

Clement Leung

Clement is a managing associate finance lawyer with a particular focus on aviation, derivatives and structured finance.

Gregg Johnston

Gregg is the head of the Singapore based shipping and offshore finance team. Gregg acts on many of the highest profile transactions in the Asia Pacific region and is one of a few "go to" international ship and offshore finance lawyers with a focus on Korea. He acts for major ship financing banks and ship owners and has deep experience in all facets of shipping and offshore finance including syndicated lending, export-credit backed financings, FSRU financing, sale and leaseback transactions, loan portfolio sales, restructuring and workouts and enforcement work.

Gregory Xu

Dr Gregory Xu is a partner who leads the general banking and project finance offering for Southeast Asia out of the Singapore office. He has over a decade of private practice experience and is a specialist in a range of complex multi-jurisdictional transactions. Gregory has extensive experience acting for financial institutions, funds, government agencies and companies in structuring, documenting and re-structuring against a combination of limited recourse and non-recourse syndicated and bilateral transactions in the fields of general/corporate finance, project finance, asset finance, trade finance, acquisition finance and leverage finance. He focuses on the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions and regularly acts for clients in China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. Gregory has specialist experience in the transportation sector, having advised on significant aviation, shipping and offshore oil and gas financings, particularly for FPSOs, FSRUs and LNG vessels. He acts for blue-chip clients on single and/or fleet-based asset (aircraft and ships) and equipment sale-and-purchase and sale-and-leaseback transactions and other corporate and commercial law arrangements. His expertise also extends to international security enforcement actions and restructurings, particularly those arising from insolvency and corporate proceedings. Gregory is presently admitted to practice law in the New York, England & Wales, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand and sits on the Admissions, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and Young Lawyers Committees of the Law Society of Singapore. Prior to joining the firm, he was with a Magic Circle law firm and acted for clients across both their top-ranking banking and finance and asset finance practices.

Helen Rhind-Hufnagel

Helen is an M&A specialist advising on cross-border transactions across Southeast Asia, often involving European and US parties. Clients respect Helen's pragmatic, commercial approach whilst remaining astute to cultural sensitivities. Helen also advises extensively on compliance issues across the region, in particular anti-money laundering and anti-bribery.

Huay Yee Kwan

Huay Yee is a shipping and offshore finance partner. She has a long track record of advising on high value and complex transactions for clients. Her experience encompasses a wide range of asset classes including offshore assets and maritime containers.Huay Yee has experience representing lenders, owners, private equity houses and lessees, advising them on international financing transactions including export credit supported financings and tax-leveraged leasing structures. Additionally, she has also advised clients on international security enforcement actions and restructurings, particularly those arising from insolvency and corporate rehabilitation proceedings.

Iain Young

Iain specialises in banking and asset finance, particularly in relation to ships and offshore assets. He is a pioneer of the Singapore office and has been based in Singapore since 1996. Iain acts for leading banks and export credit agencies, with well recognised shipping and offshore desks, prominent owners and operators and well established shipping funds. His work includes negotiating and agreeing loan and security documentation whether pre or post-delivery, advising on and drafting documentation relating to lease structures, drafting and negotiating shipbuilding contracts, charters, other employment contracts, sale and purchase documentation and sale and lease back type structures.

Jay Tai

Jay is a partner in the corporate department. His practice focuses on private equity, mergers and acquisitions, and complex corporate and commercial transactions.

Jeffrey Tanner

Jeffrey is a partner who is recognised as a leading transactional lawyer known for his expertise in banking, finance and marine and energy transactional matters.

John Simpson

John is a Director of the Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration and a Committee Member of the Maritime Law Association of Singapore. John has also served on the Advisory Board to the National University of Singapore Centre for Maritime Law. As a recognised expert in charterparty law, John was appointed to the Singapore Maritime Foundation drafting committee for the Singapore Time Charter Form, which eventually evolved into the new NYPE 2015 charterparty form. John has also advised GlobalORE on revisions to the Standard Iron Ore Trading Agreement (SIOTA). John advises on drafting and negotiation of shipbuilding contracts, charterparties, bills of lading, MOAs and associated disputes. John also has particular expertise in the drafting and negotiation of transhipment project contracts. John acts mainly for contractors in the offshore oil and gas sector and has advised on charterparties and construction contracts for FPSOs, FSRUs, drilling rigs, production platforms and offshore support vessels as well as advising on subsea construction disputes. John has assisted clients with tender processes, bids and negotiation of final contracts as well as disputes occurring during the running of the project. John advises traders on potential disputes arising out of letters of credit, bills of lading, charterparties and contracts for the international sale of goods, particularly coal, iron ore, oil, LPG, LNG and LME metals. John has also advised on the drafting of long term contracts for the sale of LNG and on sale and repurchase transactions.

Jonathan Goacher

Jonathan is a US-qualified partner, known for his corporate and sanctions work in Asia. He has extensive experience of guiding clients through new market entries, complex M&A, joint ventures and corporate closures across eastern Asia. Clients appreciate his responsiveness and commercially-savvy, solutions-orientated advice, and his particular expertise in many highly-regulated business sectors.

Justin Gan

Justin is a dispute resolution partner that helps clients resolve commercial disputes whether in litigation, arbitration, mediation, or pre-proceedings. He has a strong focus on marine and international trade matters, and also handles non-contentious work in that sector. He is fluent in Mandarin and his matters often bear a Chinese element.

Matthew Seah

Matthew is a partner in our highly ranked and market leading shipping and offshore finance team based in Singapore. His particular focus extends to working with clients on asset finance and restructuring transactions related to a variety of asset classes within the maritime sector. Having built up close to a decade's experience, Matthew is known in particular for his dedication in project managing cross-border transactions, his sensible and commercial approach to developing client solutions and his commitment to helping clients achieve their commercial goals.

Michelle Yong

Michelle's practice encapsulates the entire lifespan of the shipping cycle – she reviews and negotiates complex ship and rig building contracts, has drafted numerous sale and purchase agreements for both buyer and seller, assists owners in reviewing financing arrangements, provides risk management and litigation advice in various charterparty, ship management and other disputes and is regularly instructed by banks or owners in the most high profile restructurings, insolvencies and enforcements in the market. Michelle also acts for commodities traders in trade finance, bill of lading disputes and other supply problems involving force majeure and quality and quantity disputes, where her deep understanding of shipping issues has proven particularly helpful. Michelle has represented clients in SCMA, SIAC, HKIAC, LMAA, LCIA and ICC arbitrations and mediations. Michelle is a dual qualified lawyer in Singapore and in England and Wales. She sits on the committee of the Singapore chapter of the Women's International Shipping and International Trade Association and the Women in Practice committee of the Law Society of Singapore where she is committed to doing her part to level the playing field for women in the shipping, trade and legal industries.

Pedram Norton

Pedram is a partner specialising in cross-border ship finance and offshore maritime transactions. He has over ten years' experience advising banks, funds, export credit agencies, ship-owners and operators on a broad range of syndicated and bilateral financings, vessel sale and purchase, leasing transactions and restructurings throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Pedram has built a strong reputation with clients who value his approachability, commercial solutions, attention to detail and dedication to getting the deal done.

Rebecca Crookenden

Rebecca is a managing associate specialising in dispute resolution with a focus on disputes arising under sale contracts, the international trade of commodities, charterparties and bills of lading. Rebecca's expertise relates to advising in connection with a range of commercial disputes including injunctive relief, breach of contract, negligence as well as disputes arising under insurance contracts.

Saugata Mukherjee

A structured and asset finance expert with a particular focus on aviation finance. Saugata also advises clients in respect of general banking matters, structured products and derivatives.

Suzanne Johnston

Suzanne is a private wealth, trust and UK tax lawyer based in Stephenson Harwood’s Singapore office. She has extensive experience in complex cross-jurisdictional trust and estate planning.

Tom Platts

Tom is a corporate and commercial law expert. He has extensive experience advising on domestic and cross-border M&A, strategic joint ventures, corporate restructurings and capital markets transactions. International clients value Tom's commercial, pragmatic advice and his energetic approach to developing long-term client relationships.

Yi Lee

Managing associate