HFW announces 14 new Senior Associates across core sectors

Global, sector-focused law firm HFW has announced the promotion of 14 new senior associates, effective 1 April 2023.

The promotions continue HFW's growth across its international network and core sectors, spanning Europe and Asia-Pac, and each of the firm's global industry groups: aerospace, commodities, construction, corporate and commercial, insurance, and shipping.

HFW has also announced the promotion of four new partners, four new legal directors and an of counsel, effective 1 April 2023, further strengthening its global offering.

Jeremy Shebson, Managing Partner & Giles Kavanagh, Global Senior Partner, HFW:

"On behalf of the entire firm, we'd like to extend our warmest congratulations to our newly promoted Senior Associates on this well-deserved achievement. You have each demonstrated dedication and exceptional legal skills in supporting our clients, and we look forward to you continuing to develop your careers at HFW."

New Senior Associates

Adélaïde Rambaud (Insurance & Reinsurance, Paris)

Adélaïde's practice focuses on insurance law, industrial risks, and dispute resolution. She deals with domestic and international disputes, mostly on complex claims involving civil liability, commercial litigation, defective products including health products, as well as insurance coverage issues.

Carlita Bloecker (Shipping, Melbourne)

Carlita has broad shipping experience in contentious matters acting on behalf of vessel owners, P&I clubs, charterers, freight forwarders, stevedores, vessel repairers and warehousing operators across matters involving shipbuilding, vessel arrests, damage to cargo or vessels as well as defending criminal proceedings in respect of environmental or animal welfare obligations. In the commodities sphere, she has acted on behalf of clients in respect of the contentious and non-contentious sale and purchase of commodities, and ancillary contracts of carriage.

Florian Schacker (Shipping, Dubai/London)

Florian has a broad dry-shipping practice acting for owners, charterers, managers and their P&I clubs and insurers, focussing on litigation and arbitration disputes under charterparties, bills of lading, COAs and MOAs. He also regularly advises on non-contentious matters, including the drafting of charterparties and other commercial agreements. Florian is dual-qualified in England and Wales and Germany.

George Kaye (Shipping, Monaco)

George has a practice encompassing shipping, international trade, yachting and insurance. George's shipping and international trade work is focused on claims under charterparties, bills of lading and commodity contracts. He also acts for the owners and charterers of superyachts in sale and purchase, charter and new build disputes. George regularly acts for clients in both English High Court proceedings and international arbitration.

Hugo Monro (Shipping, Singapore)

Hugo specialises in shipping and other commercial disputes with a particular focus on charterparties, COAs, bills of lading and other commercial agreements. Hugo has represented vessel owners, charterers, freight-forwarders, mining companies, traders, bunker suppliers, ship managers, P&I Clubs and other marine insurers in a wide range of shipping matters. He has significant experience of both English High Court proceedings and international arbitration.

James Neale (Shipping, London)

James is a regulatory and compliance lawyer, specialising in sanctions, export controls, anti-bribery and corruption, product regulation and customs. James's experience includes transactional advisory work, the conduct of investigations, engaging with regulators, and the implementation of compliance policies and procedures. His clients include shipowners, charterers, insurers, and commodity traders.

Jefferson Tan (Commodities, Singapore)

Jefferson specialises in climate and sustainable finance and does commodities and derivatives work. He has advised on structuring and financing voluntary carbon projects, futures products for voluntary carbon credits, security and trading documentation for environmental products (e.g., UKAs). He has also led high-value multi-jurisdictional bilateral, syndicated and sale-and-leaseback transactions.

Lorraine Chiu (Aerospace, Hong Kong)

Lorraine has experience in advising financial institutions, financial lessors, aircraft owners and airlines in cross-border transactions involving commercial aircraft and business jets. Her key specialties include aircraft financing and leasing, including sale and lease-back arrangements and operating leases. In addition to her broad commercial aircraft experience, she also acts on business jet financing, leasing and sale and purchase transactions.

Natasha Joukhdar (Construction, Sydney)

Natasha has experience in advising clients on a broad range of construction and engineering and complex commercial disputes, including arbitration, expert determination, litigation, mediation and adjudication. The disputes Natasha has dealt with vary from complex legal analysis of construction disputes arising from construction contracts to commercial disputes generally, and more recently property related disputes. She has also acted on behalf of clients in respect of non-contentious construction contracts and negotiations.

Rachel Irwin (Construction, Sydney)

Rachel regularly acts for and advises contractors, specialist subcontractors and construction design consultants in large-scale infrastructure, construction, engineering and commercial matters across the East and West Coast of Australia. Rachel has broad experience drafting contracts, undertaking contract reviews and advocating for clients in mediation, adjudication, arbitration and litigation.

Shane Gibbons (Insurance & Reinsurance, Geneva)

Shane primarily advises on claims and coverage issues relating to complex insurance policies, with a particular focus on trade credit, professional indemnity and other financial lines. Aside from Insurance, Shane has acted on claims relating to sophisticated financial products, such as interest rate swaps, oil derivatives and cyrpto disputes, as well as on various employment related matters. On the non-contentious side, Shane's practice also incorporates advising on regulatory issues applicable to both insurance companies and other regulated financial entities.

Whitney Jiang (Corporate & Commercial, Sydney)

Whitney's area of practice includes commercial transactions, property acquisitions and development; drafting legal due diligence reports and finance facility documents; advising on duties and Foreign Investment Review Board applications. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Whitney worked in the banking and finance industry, has sound knowledge with the stock market, derivatives, IPOs and share structuring. Whitney speaks and writes fluently in Mandarin.

Winnie Chung (Shipping, Hong Kong)

Winnie specialises in shipping and international trade dispute resolution. She acts for shipowners, charterers, traders and P&I Clubs in arbitration and Court, including disputes under charterparties, bills of lading, bunker supply contracts, shipbuilding contracts and MOAs. She also has experience in ship arrest, winding up and other enforcement matters.

Zoe Triantafyllou (Shipping, London)

Zoe advises banks, other financial institutions, lessors, export credit agencies and owners on a wide range of transactional matters including debt finance, export credit finance, leasing structures, restructurings and refinancings primarily in the commercial shipping, cruise/travel and yacht industries. She also has experience in project finance.

About HFW

HFW is a leading global law firm in the aerospace, commodities, construction, energy, insurance, and shipping sectors. The firm has more than 600 lawyers, including 180 partners, based in offices across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. HFW prides itself on its deep industry expertise and its entrepreneurial, creative and collaborative culture.

Chris Johnson
Head of Communications

D +44 (0)20 7264 8159
M +44 (0)7976 939864
E[email protected]

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