Global, sector-focused law firm HFW is boosting its market-leading shipping practice with the hire of Singapore partner Christopher Metcalf.
Christopher is a dry shipping expert and is ranked by The Legal 500 and Chambers as one of Singapore’s top shipping lawyers. He will join HFW in September from Clyde & Co, subject to local regulatory approvals.
This continues HFW’s significant strengthening of its Singapore shipping practice, following the recent hire of renowned former shipbroker Chris Jones and the hire of ship finance partner Siri Wennevik in 2018.
HFW also relocated admiralty and crisis management partner Toby Stephens and ship finance partner John Forrester from London to Singapore in 2017.
Toby Stephens, Head of Shipping, Singapore, HFW:
“Chris is one of the top shipping lawyers in Singapore and I’m thrilled to welcome him to the team. He brings considerable dry shipping expertise to complement our existing strength in wet shipping and ship finance, and further enhances our ability to offer specialist advice to clients across the shipping and maritime industry.”
Mert Hifzi, Singapore Office Head, HFW
“This is another major hire for HFW in Singapore and part of our ongoing drive to expand and diversify our practice throughout Asia-Pacific. We’ve now added six new partners in Singapore over the past 20 months, and will continue to seek opportunities to bolster our offering to clients across our core sectors and services.”
Christopher’s practice spans a wide range of contentious and non-contentious matters in the shipping, offshore and oil and gas sectors, including charter party, COA, bills of lading and other commercial agreements. He also advises insurers throughout South East Asia on coverage and subrogation, and has significant experience of litigation, mediation and arbitration in local and international venues.
His clients include vessel owners and charterers, offshore service contractors, oil majors, mining companies, traders, bunker suppliers, P&I Clubs, and other marine and offshore insurers.
Christopher Metcalf, Partner, HFW:
“I am very excited to be joining the world’s leading shipping law firm. HFW’s expertise, experience, client base and international reach is unrivalled in shipping, and I’m looking forward to working with the team in Singapore and across the firm’s extensive office network.”
HFW has now added eight shipping partners and a senior consultant globally in the past five months, following following its launch in Monaco with the hire of a market-leading team, the arrival of Chris Jones and a record internal promotions round.
HFW’s shipping group will now have 65 partners and more than 190 lawyers across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, making it the largest specialist shipping practice of any law firm globally.
The team advise clients across the industry on the full range of shipping and maritime issues, including dry shipping, admiralty and crisis management, and transactional work.
Paul Dean, Global Head of Shipping, HFW:
“This latest hire and our record number of internal promotions this year reflects our continued and longstanding commitment to the global shipping and maritime industry. We have ambitious plans to further strengthen and broaden our practice to reinforce our position as the number one advisor to the sector globally.”
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 185 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.
