Global law firm HFW has strengthened its global maritime practice with the addition of a new partner, who joins after spending nine years at an international firm in Hong Kong.
HFW has continued its growth in the Asia-Pacific region with the addition of shipping litigation and international arbitration partner Elizabeth Sloane, who joins the firm’s Melbourne office.
Sloane joins HFW from UK-headquartered international law firm Stephenson Harwood, where she grew its shipping disputes practice in Hong Kong for nine years, five of which were as a partner. She previously worked at HFW in Hong Kong between 2008 and 2016.
Sloane specialises in maritime law, international trade and transport, cross-border fraud and asset tracing and enforcement and has significant international arbitration experience, currently sitting as an arbitrator in Hong Kong and Singapore.
She’s admitted to practice in Australia, Hong Kong, and England and Wales. Sloane is also a former president of the Hong Kong SAR chapter of the Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA).
“Returning to HFW was an obvious choice for me. HFW’s global maritime disputes practice is market leading. The firm’s strengths across its core sectors in Asia-Pacific are unrivalled and align perfectly with my areas of focus in the region,” Sloane said.
“I began my career as a maritime lawyer at HFW 17 years ago, spending eight years in HFW’s Hong Kong office. I am looking forward to collaborating with many of the same colleagues and clients again.”
HFW’s global shipping practice now comprises more than 220 lawyers advising on dry shipping, admiralty and crisis management, and transactional work for clients across the industry – and global head of shipping Paul Dean welcomed the new appointment.
“I am delighted to welcome Elizabeth back home to HFW. She is a highly skilled practitioner with extensive experience across all facets of the shipping and maritime industry,” he said.
“As well as developing a practice in Melbourne alongside our existing team of maritime experts, Elizabeth will maintain her practice in Hong Kong and will also support our clients in Singapore and across Asia-Pacific.”
HFW has been in Australia since 2006 and has added 15 new partners across its offices in Melbourne, Perth and Sydney since the beginning of FY2023–24. This includes the addition of a Perth-based commodities partner from HSF in January, as well as the firm’s appointment, earlier that month, of a partner from KWM as a new special counsel for its aviation and asset finance offerings and the appointment of a partner from Clifford Chance in October last year.
This news also comes after the promotion of five senior associates in Australia in March, as well as the hiring of two special counsel for its insurance practice in November last year.
The firm now has 33 partners and more than 150 lawyers in total in Australia, working as part of an Asia-Pacific team of more than 260 lawyers and a global team of more than 700 lawyers – and HFW Australia managing partner Gavin Vallely added that “Elizabeth is a terrific addition to our Asia-Pacific shipping and commercial arbitration team”.
“Her practice and experience will add further depth to these core areas of our regional service offering,” he said.
The firm has added more than 50 new partners across its international network since the beginning of FY2022–23, including team and partner hires in Hong Kong, London, Melbourne, Paris, Perth, Piraeus, Riyadh, Singapore, and Sydney. The firm also recently launched an office in Shenzhen to support its clients in China’s Greater Bay Area, and Hong Kong managing partner Peter Murphy said this growth would continue for the firm moving forward.
“We continue to grow our business in Asia-Pacific, and Elizabeth rejoining HFW is a great addition to that growth,” he said.
“We have a strong presence across our sectors in the region, and Elizabeth’s expertise in shipping, international arbitration and commercial litigation reinforces our current capabilities. All of us are looking forward to welcoming Elizabeth back to HFW.”
Lauren is a journalist at Lawyers Weekly and graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism from Macleay College. Prior to joining Lawyers Weekly, she worked as a trade journalist for media and travel industry publications and Travel Weekly. Originally born in England, Lauren enjoys trying new bars and restaurants, attending music festivals and travelling. She is also a keen snowboarder and pre-pandemic, spent a season living in a French ski resort.
