HFW has boosted its leading Middle East practice with the hire of top-ranked shipping and offshore marine partners Robert Lawrence and Ian Chung. Lawrence and Chung collectively have more than 30 years’ experience in the Middle East, and join HFW’s Dubai office from Clyde & Co, where Lawrence headed the firm’s International Trade and Transport practice in the region. The move sees Chung return to HFW, where he was a partner until 2017.

Lawrence joins HFW on August 22, while Chung will join on September 5. Lawrence is a leading disputes lawyer with a particular focus on the marine and offshore industries, including English law and Middle East claims arising from EPC contracts, offshore casualties, ship build and ship conversion projects, trade and transport, and marine insurance. He also advises on enforcement proceedings – onshore and in the DIFC; commercial litigation, including joint venture disputes; as well as non-contentious and regulatory matters. Lawrence acts for a wide range of clients across the Middle East, as well as ship owners with assets operating in the region, including those based in Singapore, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. He will also work closely with HFW’s team in Riyadh, where he has significant experience advising Saudi-based clients, as well as litigating before the Saudi Commercial Courts and the Saudi Insurance Disputes Committee. On the other hand, Chung specialises in transactional matters within the marine and transportation industries, including M&A and joint ventures, corporate and commercial, regulatory and licensing, finance, and general advisory work. He also has significant experience on insolvency and restructuring, and has acted for banks and borrowers on some of the most significant regional restructurings in recent years.