HFW

The Legal 500 Future Lawyers verdict on HFW

HFW’s reputation in shipping and international trade is unparalleled. A ‘guaranteed international secondment’ also makes the firm an attractive place to train . The ‘global nature of HFW’s work, which can entail anything from translating documents for an international office to corresponding with clients based across the world’ was a big enticement, particularly for trainees with foreign language skills. ‘Spending six months in the Melbourne office’ was one trainee’s high point, whilst another delighted in ‘attending a client visit with a partner to their head office in Luxembourg and assisting in resolution of a windfarm defect claim’. The benefits of HFW’s smaller trainee intake are twofold: trainees step into a ready-made close-knit community, whilst also getting more visibility and responsibility within teams, including plenty of facetime with partners and supervisors. At HFW there is an emphasis on ‘approachable training, with an open work culture to ask questions within the wider team, as opposed to a more hierarchical approach’. More than one respondent thought that the firm ‘could improve on diversity and inclusion’, owing to a ‘lot of lawyers from private school backgrounds’ and a perceived ‘shortage of ethnic diversity’. As with most firms, there is also a ���variability in supervision’ which can affect trainee experience from one seat to the next. Thankfully, a good work/life balance, whilst still ‘retaining top-level work in our specialist sectors’ is a welcome payoff. For a firm with a ‘global focus, a guaranteed overseas secondment and multiple international offices’ which is a leader in its chosen sectors, research HFW.

A day in the life of... Jordan, trainee, HFW

Departments to date: Commercial litigation and shipping (Hong Kong secondment)

University: University of Exeter

Degree: Law with Spanish LLB

9.15am: I arrived at HFW’s office in Admiralty, Hong Kong. As a trainee on secondment, the firm provides you with accommodation near the office. Today, my commute was a 15-minute walk in the sunshine.

When I arrive at my desk, the first thing I do is complete some outstanding items on my timesheet. Then, I review my email inbox to see if I received any emails overnight and update my to-do list – I do this at the start of everyday to help me plan the day ahead. Afterwards, I check the news headlines to stay up-to-date on current affairs.

9.45am: I go to the office kitchen to grab a coffee and have a chat with some of my colleagues.

10.00am: My supervisor asked me to help a client draft their witness statement for an ongoing dispute regarding the sale of goods during the pandemic. I review the documents the client has sent to us to understand the chronology of events. Helping to draft a witness statement is an excellent opportunity to review and understand the fine details of a dispute, something which can be difficult as a trainee who changes seat every six months. It is also an opportunity to improve my formal drafting skills.

1.00pm: I leave the office for lunch. Luckily, there are many restaurants and takeaways close to the office. I walk five minutes from the office, passing the High Court of Hong Kong, to Pacific Place, a shopping centre in Hong Kong with a large food court in the basement. I choose a lunchtime favourite of mine, kimchi fried rice with BBQ beef.

I meet a fellow trainee who works nearby at another firm. We eat lunch together on the rooftop of the shopping centre, enjoying the sunny views of the Hong Kong skyline. A secondment in Hong Kong is a fantastic way to meet other trainees who are also on secondment there; there are around 30 trainees from other London firms also on secondment in Hong Kong.

2.00pm: I return to the office and at my desk I check my email inbox to see if any emails arrived during lunch. I check my to-do list to plan my afternoon.

2.10pm: I recently received feedback from my supervisor on a research note I drafted. The research note concerned a judgment of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong and its application to criminal law legislation affecting the shipping sector. One of the benefits of training at a sector-focused firm is that you can experience a wide range of legal work within each of the sectors. I respond to my supervisor’s questions and incorporate these answers into the research note.

3.00pm: I send the updated research note to my supervisor and we discuss it. My colleagues are generous with their time and enjoy talking about their work.

3.30pm: An has associate asked me to review an expert report on a question of English law. In international disputes, it is common to submit to a non-English court an expert opinion on English law. Before we submit the expert report to a court in Asia, we have to ensure that the report does not contain any errors and is in the correct format.

4.30pm: For the rest of the afternoon, I return to helping the client draft their witness statement.

6.30pm: Earlier today, my supervisor invited me to attend an event with him after work. At the event, he presents on his experience in handling admiralty and crisis matters. The event is a great opportunity to meet fellow professionals and enjoy some drinks and snacks.

8.30pm: After the event has finished, I say goodbye to my colleagues and enjoy the short walk home along the seafront.

About the firm

The firm: Every year we recruit only a small number of trainees – around 16 per year, split across a September and March intake. This enables us to give every trainee our full attention, and means that your individual contribution makes a real difference. Overall, we aim to provide you with a dynamic, supportive and varied environment in which you are challenged to become the best lawyer you can be and encouraged to contribute to the success of our global business.

The clients: ABN AMRO Bank, Alpha Petroleum Resources Limited, BP plc, Excelerate Energy, Gategroup, HSBC Bank plc, ING Bank, Klaipėdos Nafta, Maersk Group, Markerstudy Holdings Limited, Northern Offshore Services, Qatargas, Swedbank, Trafigura, Tsakos Energy Navigation, Tullow Oil plc, Turkish Airlines Inc, Victoria Group AD and existing shareholders.

The deals: Acted for the financiers on the amendment of loan facilities pursuant to the Hermes cruise debt holiday programme in respect of the Saga cruise ships ‘SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY’ and the ‘SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE’ whereby repayments of principal were deferred as a result of the Covid-19-related effects on the cruise market; acting for BW Epic Kosan Ltd. (previously Epic Gas) in connection with the refinancing of 17 LPG ships owned and operated by Lauritzen Kosan; acted for Northern Offshore Services in respect of (1) their purchase of two transfer vessels from SureWind and (2) the lease financing of those vessels provided by Flexam Invest; advised Trafigura Nala Matter on the formation of Nala Renewables – a new joint venture company with IFM Investors; advised Victoria Group on the disposal of its edible oil business, Victoriaoil, to Sun Valley and its co-owner Vaja Jhashi; advised Markerstudy on its acquisition of the Co-operative Group Ltd’s carrier, CIS General Insurance Ltd; advised Lithuanian LNG terminals operator Klaipėdos Nafta on its acquisition of a floating, storage and regasification unit (FSRU) following a public tender involving nine other leading international law firms; advising Qatargas, the world’s largest supplier of LNG, which is partly owned by Qatar Petroleum, on its vessel acquisition project, which forms a key element of the expansion of its North gas field; advising a leading commodities trader on a bid to purchase mining interests in Greece, including on international merger control aspects; advised a leading brand owner on its licensing and distribution arrangements in Europe, with particular reference to competition law.

Senior partner: Giles Kavanagh

Managing partner: Jeremy Shebson

Other offices: 21 global offices across the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific.

Who we are: We are a sector-focused, entrepreneurial law firm. We have a passion for the sectors we work in – whether solving complex issues across construction, aviation and shipping, or providing advice across insurance, commodities and energy. We are people who like to get things done. We are specialist lawyers here to add value to our clients.

What we do: Aviation, commodities, construction, energy, financial institutions, insurance and reinsurance, logistics, mining, ports and terminals, shipping, space, yachts, travel, cruise and leisure.

What we’re looking for: We look for trainees who are bright, commercially focused and hard working. Strong communication and team working skills are a must. In addition, as our training contract is truly international, we look for individuals who have a global perspective and an interest in completing international work.

What you’ll do: A training contract at HFW consists of four six-month seats – typically three contentious and one transactional, with at least one seat spent abroad gaining a global perspective of our work and clients.

Perks: Contributory pension; season ticket loan; group life cover, personal accident insurance and income protection; non-contributory medical insurance; private GP scheme; other voluntary benefits including gym membership, cycle to work scheme, dental insurance, dining card, home insurance, travel insurance, Give as You Earn. Onsite massage.

Sponsorship

Law school fees paid, depending on the point of offer, and a maintenance grant of £15,000 is available for each year of study for the PGDL and SQE.

Seat options

Aerospace, commodities, construction, contentious insurance, corporate and commercial, fraud and insolvency, non-contentious insurance, oil and gas, regulatory, shipping finance, shipping litigation, trade finance.

Tips from the recruiter

1. Do your research – not every firm is going to be the right place for everyone. Take your time to work out what is important to you from your place of work. This will help you narrow down the list of firms to which you want to apply (it takes a long time to do a good application form!), as well as help you tailor your answers on application forms and in interviews.
2. Be yourself throughout the recruitment process – you will shine much more and end up at the firm that is right for you if you show your true self throughout the process.
3. Proofread everything – attention to detail is a key skill for lawyers. The recruitment process is a competitive one and it won’t matter how great your answers are if an application form has lots of spelling or grammatical errors in it.

Diversity and inclusion