who we are

HFW is an international law firm with over 700 lawyers working across our global network. We advise clients on legal issues in relation to all aspects of international commerce and we are regarded as one of the world’s leading shipping law firms. The expertise, experience and reputation earned in commercial shipping over our nearly 140 years in business is carried into our yacht practice.

Our yacht team has been an integral part of the yacht industry for over 30 years and has a physical presence in many of the major yachting jurisdictions. The enduring relationships developed with the owners, builders, designers, financiers, insurers, brokers and managers of yachts, our in-depth knowledge of the yacht industry and our international reach ensure we are pre-eminent in the field.

Holman Fenwick has a market-leading yacht practice which draws on the experience of its world-renowned shipping team. Holman Fenwick is regarded as “one of the most prominent firms around,” with a “very high profile in the yachting world.” The firm represents some of the world’s leading shipyards as well as a number of prominent HNW yacht owners.

Chambers

“Every question, advice or legal paper concerning my business is individually tailored to the project or client; HFW has proven to be able to handle it all. They are very well connected within the industry and are viewed as an industry standard.”

Chambers HNW 2023

“Between the Monaco and London offices, and a global presence, their network allows them to address every issue that may arise in yachting.”

Chambers HNW 2023

“HFW are an excellent yacht and maritime law firm,” says an interviewee, who adds that “they have a very deep bench and an extremely well-qualified yacht law team.” The firm’s “extremely professional” yacht lawyers advise clients on sophisticated cross-border financings, transactions and contentious matters.

Chambers HNW 2022

“HFW are well positioned in the super yacht industry to have in-depth market and commercial knowledge,” says a source.

Chambers HNW 2022

what we do

Our yacht team is positioned to assist with any aspect of constructing, purchasing and operating a yacht. We, of course, cannot disclose details of our clients or any of the projects in which we have been involved. However, we are routinely involved in some of the largest and most complex projects in the yacht industry.

For further information about our comprehensive yacht offering, please read our brochure here.

Design agreements and intellectual property issues
Construction agreements
Pre and post-delivery financing, restructuring and work out arrangements
Yacht sale and purchase transactions
Ownership structures
Registration arrangements
Import and export formalities
VAT/Customs issues
Management agreements
Crewing and employment matters
Refit and repair contracts
Charter agreements
Sale and purchase of berths
Physical and cyber security arrangements
Health, safety and regulatory compliance
Business jets and helicopters
Tenders, submersibles and other ancillary equipment
Yacht arrest and dispute resolution
Admiralty and crisis management
Insurance arrangements, including questions of coverage

our experts

Team Heads

Jay Tooker

Jay specialises in yacht and ship building, yacht and ship sale and purchase, yacht, ship and asset finance, corporate law and international trade.

Position: Partner
Specialism: Transactional

London
Tel: +44 (0)20 7264 8386
Email Jay

Andrew Charlier

Andrew Charlier is co-head of HFW’s yacht team and head of the firm’s Monaco office. He specialises in yacht purchase and sale, construction and finance, with 30 years’ experience of representing owners on all aspects of the yachting industry. He also assists clients with the sale, purchase and ownership of private jets.

Position: Partner
Specialism: Transactional

Monaco
Tel: +377 92 00 13 22
Email Andrew

Europe

William MacLachlan

William advises on a wide range of yacht related matters with a particular focus on VAT, design/intellectual property, construction, sale and purchase, charter, management, refit and repair, and also advises on physical and cyber security on board yachts. He spent 8 months seconded to a leading German yacht builder.

William is a trustee of the Mission to Seafarers, one of HFW’s global charity partners, and a member of the board of advisers of the ‘She of the Sea’ campaign to encourage diversity amongst those employed at sea in the yachting industry.

Position: Partner
Specialism: Transactional

London
Tel: +44 (0)20 7264 8007
Email William

Adam Shire

Adam has over 20 years’ experience in the industry and acts regularly for banks and other financial institutions as well as for owners, advising them on finance transactions and sale and purchase of yachts, as well as registrations, management and operating issues.

Position: Partner
Specialism: Transactional

London
Tel: +44 (0)20 7264 8264
Email Adam

Alistair Feeney

Alistair has more than 15 years’ experience of handling disputes relating to yacht construction, sale and purchase, refit and repair, charters and broking. He has acted for builders, owners, charterers and brokers in arbitration and court proceedings in many jurisdictions, including obtaining arrest orders and other protective measures. Alistair works closely with other members of HFW’s yacht team in managing disputes from an early stage, with the aim of achieving early, successful outcomes.

Position: Partner
Specialism: Disputes

London
Tel: +44 (0)20 7264 8424
Email Alistair

Tom Walters

Before joining HFW in 2002, Tom worked for seven years for a naval architecture practice on the UK’s south coast designing superyachts. Tom regularly deals with yacht casualties, insurance claims and transportation disputes. His technical background means he has also been involved with a number of technical cases and construction disputes concerning yachts. Tom advises on the use of Maritime Autonomous Systems (MAS) technology in response to the increasing demand for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and Autonomous Surface Vessels (ASVs). Tom is a member of The Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA) and works with the Society of Underwater Technology (SUT) advising on various legal issues. He is also a member of various SUT Sub-Committees, including Salvage & Emergency Subsea Response and Technology and Innovation.

Position: Partner
Specialism: Insurance & Admiralty & Crisis Management

London
Tel: +44 (0)20 7264 8285
Email Tom

Alex Kemp

Alex specialises in marine insurance and crisis response. He has advised both yacht owners and insurers on a variety of matters affecting large yachts, including fires, groundings, missing vessels, damage sustained whilst being transported, structural defects, main engine damage and damage to gel coatings. He has also advised on yacht casualties including those requiring salvage assistance. Alex has undertaken a secondment at a leading London marine insurer.

Position: Partner
Specialism: Insurance & Admiralty & Crisis Management

London
Tel: +44 (0)20 7264 8432
Email Alex

Alex Sayegh

Alex specialises in the transactional aspects of the commercial yachting industries; advising owners, shipyards and financiers on the construction, refit, repair, sale and purchase of various types of vessels. He has a particular focus on construction contracts for new builds and has extensive experience of negotiating with shipyards and yacht builders throughout the world. Alex also regularly lectures on the subjects of shipbuilding and sale and purchase contracts.

Position: Legal Director
Specialism: Transactional

London
Tel: +44 (0)20 7264 8394
Email Alex

Jessica Taylor

Jessica specialises in the transactional side of yachting and commercial shipping, advising owners, shipyards, financial institutions, brokerage houses, and designers on all aspects of the construction, refit, sale and purchase, design, management, crewing and chartering of large yachts.

Position: Legal Director
Specialism: Transactional

London
Tel: +44 (0)20 7264 8020
Email Jessica

Thomas Willan

Thomas specialises in asset finance, with a particular emphasis on ship, superyacht and aviation finance.
He advises commercial and private wealth banks and other financial institutions, investors, owners, charterers and manufacturers in connection with pre- and post-delivery bilateral and syndicated financings and general banking arrangements.
His work also covers sale and purchase, leasing arrangements, restructurings and workouts.
Thomas has spent time on client secondment at a specialist transport finance bank.

Position: Legal Director
Specialism: Transactional

London
Tel: +44 (0)20 7264 8544
Email Thomas

Ian Hughes

Ian is a banking and finance lawyer with specialist experience in the shipping, superyacht, offshore and aviation sectors. Ian advises banks and other financial institutions, funds, Islamic investors, insurance companies and owners on a variety of matters including new financings, sale and purchase, leasing, restructurings, work outs and enforcements.

Ian is a member of the executive committee of Superyacht UK (part of the British Marine Federation), the membership association of the UK superyacht industry, representing the interests of the industry in the UK and internationally.

Position: Partner
Specialism: Transactional

London
Tel: +44 (0)20 7264 8274
Email Ian

Michelle Chance

Michelle Chance has over 20 years’ experience advising on complex and sensitive employment matters, which often involve discrimination and where the stakes in terms of monetary value and reputational risk are high. Michelle’s specific yacht experience includes advising on the impact of sanctions on potential employment claims of unionised crew members, as well as drafting seafarers employment agreements and advising on and updating employment policies and procedures for crew members in the light of an International Human Rights At Sea investigation into claims of bullying and harassment.

Position: Partner
Specialism: Employment

London
Tel: +44 (0)20 7264 8384
Email Michelle

Mark Thompson

Mark is a Senior Manager & Senior Master Mariner and forms part of our shipping emergency response team. Mark deals with yacht casualties, including fires, collisions, groundings, helicopter incidents, tender/PWC related accidents, pollution, total loss and salvage. Mark attends the scene of yacht casualties in order to manage the casualty response, liaise with other interested parties and protect or Clients’ interests.

Before joining HFW, Mark had 17 years seagoing experience, and has sailed as Master on high speed passenger vessels and freight RoRo vessels. Mark has a background as a marine casualty investigator, holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Navigation, HND in Nautical Science and is qualified as a Specialist Navigating Officer with the Royal Navy.

Position: Senior Manager & Senior Master Mariner
Specialism: Admiralty & Crisis Management

London
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7264 8528
Email Mark

Zoe Triantafyllou

Zoe advises yacht finance providers and yacht owners on a wide range of transactional matters including debt finance, export credit finance, leasing structures, restructuring, refinancing and sale and purchase.

She has also spent time working at HFW’s Piraeus office and speaks fluent Greek.

Position: Senior Associate
Specialism: Transactional

London
Tel: +44 (0)20 7264 8243
Email Zoe

Amalia Tzima

Amalia specialises in the transactional aspects of yachting. She advises owners, shipyards, brokerage houses and designers on matters involving the construction, refit/repair, design, sale and purchase, management and registration of yachts.

Position: Associate
Specialism: Transactional

London
Tel: +44 (0)20 7264 8220
Email Amalia

Zain Kazmi

Zain specialises in transactional, finance and corporate work and advises yacht owners on yacht sale and purchase, crewing and management arrangements.

Position: Associate
Specialism: Transactional

London
Tel: +44 (0)20 7264 8369

Email Zain

Pauline Arroyo

Pauline Arroyo is a partner based in HFW’s Paris office. With a broad experience in yacht-related VAT and customs matters, she advises on EU and French VAT and customs issues in all types of yacht transactions and assists owners and yacht managers in relation to the context of customs controls and litigation in France.

Position: Partner
Specialism: Insurance & VAT

Paris
Tel: +33 1 44 94 40 50
Email Pauline

Stéphanie Schweitzer

Stéphanie has extensive experience in yacht-related employment and personal injury matters. She regularly advises yacht owners and insurers in relation to passenger claims, crew contracts and claims and social security issues. Stéphanie also often assists clients of the yachting industry in relation to contract of carriage, charter parties and yacht arrests.

Position: Partner
Specialism: Disputes & Personal Injury

Paris
Tel: +33 1 44 94 31 64
Email Stephanie

Rosina Dyke

Rosina specialises in the transactional aspects of yachting. She primarily advises owners and financial institutions on the sale, purchase, construction, refit, financing, and registration of yachts and the corporate entity that holds them.

Position: Senior Associate
Specialism: Transactional

Paris
Tel: +33 (0)1 44 94 31 62
Email Rosina

Ian Cranston

Ian is particularly lauded for his shipping and yacht expertise. He has close to 30 years’ experience in successfully handling yachting disputes in arbitration and court proceedings and generally advising owners, charterers, brokers and yards on matters related to yacht sale & purchase, charter, refit and construction.

Position: Partner
Specialism: Disputes

Monaco
Tel: +377 92 00 13 21
Email Ian

Richard Mabane

Richard has been a litigation partner at HFW since 2001, with particular expertise in relation to shipbuilding and repair, charterparties and ship sale disputes. In early 2023 he relocated to our Monaco office with a view to doing more yacht-related work. A highly successful trial lawyer (he has won all 23 of the cases he has taken to trial), Richard is also a strong advocate of mediation, where also has a high success rate, having settled over 90% of his 35 mediations on the day.

Fluent in Italian and French, Richard has very close connections with Italy and a number of longstanding Italian clients. In the field of yachting, he has handled yacht construction, refit and repair, sale and purchase and charter disputes.

Position: Partner
Specialism: Disputes

Monaco
Tel: D +377 92 00 13 23
Email Richard

George Kaye

George specialises in dispute resolution and regularly advises owners, charterers and brokers on matters involving yacht construction, sale and purchase and charter.

Position: Senior Associate
Specialism: Disputes

Monaco
Tel: +377 92 00 13 26
Email George

Middle East, Asia Pacific and the Americas

Tien Tai

Tien has extensive experience in our non-contentious practice, with special focus on yacht building, sale and purchase, registration, crewing and finance in all the major yacht registries including the UAE. His recent experience includes negotiation of yacht refit contracts with GCC yards. Tien has spent time on client secondment at the ship finance team of an international bank.

Position: Partner
Specialism: Transactional

Dubai
Tel: +971 4423 0555
Email Tien

Patrick Cheung

Patrick has extensive transactional experience, with a special focus on ship and yacht building, sale and purchase, registration and finance as well as private jet finance, registration, management and operation agreements.

Position: Partner
Specialism: Transactional

Hong Kong
Tel: +852 3983 7778
Email Patrick

Angie Lo

Angie is a corporate and finance lawyer with a broad non-contentious practice. Her yacht expertise includes yacht sale and purchase, construction and yacht registration, as well as yacht finance and other commercial yacht-related matters.
Fully tri-lingual in English, Cantonese and Mandarin, Angie often advises clients within Hong Kong and mainland China.

Position: Partner
Specialism: Transactional

Hong Kong/Shanghai
Tel: +852 3983 7779
Tel: +86 21 2080 1133
Email Angie

Henry Fung

Henry has an established transactional and contentious practice. His transactional experience includes yacht and construction, sale and purchase and finance matters. On the contentious side, Henry acts for yacht owners, buyers and sellers and shipyards on matters including shipbuilding and MoA disputes, charterparty disputes, personal injury claims and insurance claims. He also acts in crew claims and enforcement.

Position: Partner
Specialism: Disputes & Transactional

Hong Kong/Shanghai
Tel: +852 3983 7777
Tel: +86 21 2080 1111
Email Henry

John Forrester

John heads the firm’s Asia Pacific Ship Finance practice. He specialises in asset finance and other transactional work across the maritime sector. He represents clients on a wide range of transactional matters, including financing, construction contracts, vessel sale and purchase, vessel registration, charters, joint ventures and debt restructuring/work-outs.

Position: Partner
Specialism: Transactional

Singapore
Tel: +65 6411 5350
Email John

Stephen Thomson

Stephen has over 20 years in the industry, advising on yacht sale and purchase, the importation and exportation process under Australian law, as well as management and refit/repair contracts. He also represents clients in relation to ligation arising out of yacht construction disputes and personal injury claims.

Position: Partner
Specialism: Disputes

Sydney
Tel:: +61 (0)2 9320 4646
Email Stephen

Ranjani Sundar

Ranjani has broad experience in yacht-related matters, including yacht sale and purchase, Australian Customs considerations for the import and/or export of yachts and personal injury matters. Ranjani acts for yacht owners and insurers in both contentious and non-contentious matters.

Position: Partner
Specialism: Transactional

Sydney
Tel: +61 (0)2 9320 4609
Email Ranjani

Gavin Vallely

Gavin has more than 25 years’ experience advising on contentious and non-contentious matters concerning commercial shipping and international trade.
His work in relation to yachts has included advising on Australian flag and survey requirements, sale and purchase, construction and repair, importation and related duty and taxation considerations.
He is consistently recognised as one of Australia’s leading maritime lawyers and is ranked as a Band 1 practitioner in Chambers Asia-Pacific Guide and Legal 500. He is described in the Legal 500 as having “unsurpassed maritime sector knowledge“.
Gavin is admitted to practice as a solicitor in Australia and England & Wales.

Position: Partner
Specialism: Transactional & Disputes

Melbourne
Tel: +61 (0)3 8601 4523
Email Gavin

Owen Webb

Owen specialises in yacht-related disputes. He regularly handles matters concerning the sale and purchase, charter, mortgaging and arrest of superyachts for owners, charterers, brokers and financial institutions.

Position: Partner
Specialism: Disputes

Melbourne
Tel: +61 (0)3 8601 4526
Email Owen

24/7 Crisis Management

Universally regarded as one of the world’s leading crisis management law firms, we advise on all legal issues arising from yacht related emergencies, including collisions, grounding, damage in transit, pollution, fire and explosion, salvage, wreck removal and towage, as well as security, political violence, piracy, kidnap and ransom and cyber breaches. Our yacht team includes several leading crisis management and marine insurance experts and is supported by our global admiralty and crisis management team. Members of our admiralty and crisis management team are available year round 24/7 to attend emergencies. With our global network, a bespoke team can be assembled and, if needed, on location within 24 hours practically anywhere in the world.

Our expertise in managing crisis of all types, combined with our understanding of the specialised and sophisticated operations involved in yachting and the yachting industry’s specific concerns regarding confidentiality and privacy, enable us to protect our clients’ interests in the most appropriate and timely manner.

We operate a dedicated crisis management suite in our London office, which can be immediately utilised by our clients and become an extension of their own in-house team. Our admiralty and crisis management team are media trained and on hand to offer:

Immediate incident response support
Advice on regulatory and compliance issues arising out of an incident
Reputation management / media response
Advice on post incident claims handling

In addition, we recognise the importance of preparation in mitigating liability and we regularly advise clients on their crisis management procedures and emergency response policies, including ensuring that their appetite for risk and potential contractual liabilities dovetail with their insurance coverage and internal crisis management procedures.

Our marine insurance and crisis management team

In addition to the support available from our firm’s world renowned admiralty and crisis management team, our yacht team includes experienced casualty response lawyers, a former naval architect experienced in the design of large yachts and master mariners with experience of navigating and operating large yachts, warships and passenger vessels. Our key contacts for yacht related crisis response and marine insurance issues are: