With a strong track record of representing major international banks and commercial lenders, the ship finance specialist lawyers at Stephenson Harwood routinely cover bill of lading disputes and the sale and purchase of vessels. The practice frequently handles restructuring and enforcements of shipping finance transactions, with the head Evangeline Quek specialising in arbitration proceedings, international trade issues, and enforcement proceedings from her bases in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Since joining the firm as partner in October 2023, Paul Ho focuses on offshore construction and cross-border claims, Shirley Li is an insurance and commercial litigation expert, and Simone Liu is also highlighted as key. All these lawyers are based in Shanghai.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘SH has an associate law firm in the PRC providing maritime legal support.’

  • ‘The lawyers know the maritime industry.’

  • ‘An exceptional shipping team involved in many of the most interesting and high-value cases.’

  • ‘Elizabeth Sloane is quite simply brilliant. She is unfazed and tactically astute, always willing to go the extra mile for clients and a talented drafter. Ken Chu is an associate to watch.’

  • ‘The dispute resolution and financing teams at Stephenson Harwood's Shanghai office are very professional. The dispute resolution team can handle legal matters governed by English law, Hong Kong law, and Singapore law, and provide all-round support to domestic clients in international disputes. The financing team is active in the field of ship financing all year round, providing full legal services for ship financing to major domestic financial leasing institutions. Stephenson Harwood has gradually expanded its team members in recent years, including absorbing teams from other firms. In terms of billing, it is basically at the market average level.'

  • ‘Evangeline Quik is a very experienced maritime dispute resolution lawyer. As a partner in the Asia-Pacific region, she manages the offices in mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore, while also providing high-quality legal services to clients. Simone Liu is well-known in the field of domestic ship financing. The team she leads has long provided stable and high-quality ship financing legal services to major financial institutions.'

Key clients

  • China Development Bank
  • China Development Bank Financial Leasing
  • Everbright Fortune International Leasing
  • ICBC Financial Leasing Ltd.
  • Michharry and Company Nigeria Limited ("MCN").
  • The People’s Insurance Co of China (Hong Kong) Ltd
  • The Export-Import Bank of China
  • CMB Financial Leasing Ltd.
  • Pantainer (H.K.) Limited
  • Panalpina World Transport (Japan) Ltd
  • Maersk Line
  • Societe Generale

Lawyers

Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Paul Ho
Paul Ho
Hall of fameStephenson Harwood
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Evangeline Quek

Other key lawyers

Paul Ho, Shirley Li, Elizabeth Sloane, Andrew Rigden Green, Jason Toms, Simone Liu, Hongkai Zhou, Elton Chan