Hill Dickinson’s Asia-Pacific offices have maintained their rankings in The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific Guide 2022, one of the legal profession’s most respected directories.
Hill Dickinson Singapore
Shipping
The firm’s Singapore team, which maintains its Tier 1 ranking for Shipping, receives particular recognition from clients as ‘top-notch shipping lawyers’ and ‘the best overall for shipping in Singapore’, with another testimonial stating ‘Excellent – first-rate legal, mariner and ship management expertise all in one place’, summarising the team as ‘Unparalleled, why go elsewhere?’.
The entry also highlights the team’s deepened focus on commodities, with the hire of senior commodities specialists Devottam Sengupta and Iain Sharp covering the trade finance and disputes fronts.
The 2022 rankings single out for praise no fewer than eight individual members of the Singapore office’s ‘substantial team of shipping specialists, including maritime and international trade experts’.
Among them, master mariner Ian Maclean is recognised as a Leading Individual and a ‘superb lawyer’, noted for his ‘considerable real-life experience at sea’ and the fact that his knowledge and experience is ‘second to none when it comes to contentious shipping work’. He is also lauded for his ‘extraordinarily encyclopaedic knowledge, the product of his vast experience both at sea and ashore, and a considerable volume of major casualties which he has handled around the world’.
Shanna Ghose receives recognition as a Next Generation Partner and senior associate Thaddaeus Wee is noted as a Rising Star.
Also singled out for individual recognition are head of office Andrew Lee and Kun Ho Park, who is identified as ‘a diligent and hard-working associate’.
Hill Dickinson Hong Kong
Hill Dickinson Hong Kong continues to be very highly regarded for its excellence in Shipping (Tier 2) and for the firm’s growing presence and reputation with Hong Kong clients and internationally for its wider Dispute Resolution practice.
Dispute Resolution: Litigation
Hill Dickinson Hong Kong’s ‘first rate’ Dispute Resolution practice entry notes the work of co-practice leads Damien Laracy who ‘leads with quiet assurance” and Bryan O’Hare who is described as a ‘top rate litigator and strategist’ and ‘one of the best in Hong Kong’, and acknowledges recent expansion of the team with the 2021 hire of regulatory investigations partner, Yvette Yu, and Edward Liu’s promotion to partner in July 2021.
Bryan O’Hare is noted as a lawyer who is ‘affable’ and ‘very client-focused, highly responsive and commercial’ with project management skills that are ‘second-to-none’.
Edward Liu is noted as an ‘exceptional’ lawyer with an ‘effective depth of knowledge and strategic thinking’, particularly in the context of assisting entities in Greater China with resolving disputes through international arbitration and litigation.
The team is described as ‘highly regarded and now firmly established in the market for handling large, complicated and high value disputes with cross-border aspects’.
Shipping
The firm’s Shipping practice is recognised for its ‘very responsive, user-friendly and cost-effective’ service and ‘outstanding shipping disputes team’, with particular mention of the shipping team’s leadership and numerous ‘very gifted and diligent associates’ including the ‘hardworking’ Maggie Lee who pairs well with ‘highly regarded’ partner Edward Liu.
The ‘incredibly well regarded’ Damien Laracy is described as being ‘equally adept at handling wet and dry shipping cases, and is sought after for advice on ship mortgage enforcement and ship arrests’, while partner Antony Cowie ‘excels at advising clients on corporate and finance-related shipping work’.
The entry also notes the firm’s ability to ‘leverage its wider presence in other key global shipping centres in the provision of cross-border advice’.
It is always pleasing to see the excellent continued recognition by the Legal 500 of our teams in Singapore and Hong Kong. The growth of both offices under the astute stewardship of Andrew Lee in Singapore and Damien Laracy in Hong Kong, together with Hong Kong Disputes practice co-lead Bryan O’Hare, has seen us maintain first-class customer service in key practice areas while adding additional capacity and capability to the respective offerings of both offices.Tony Goldsmith
Head of Marine Business Group
Commenting on the rankings, Tony Goldsmith, who oversees the Hill Dickinson international offices, said: “It is always pleasing to see the excellent continued recognition by the Legal 500 of our teams in Singapore and Hong Kong. The growth of both offices under the astute stewardship of Andrew Lee in Singapore and Damien Laracy in Hong Kong, together with Hong Kong Disputes practice co-lead Bryan O’Hare, has seen us maintain first-class customer service in key practice areas while adding additional capacity and capability to the respective offerings of both offices.”
He continued: “It is particularly rewarding to see so many of our people also recognised for their individual contribution to our performance and it’s good to know that we are building exceptional teams. As always, I congratulate them on their outstanding achievements.”