HFW is a global, sector-focused law firm providing services to businesses in

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astr ...

, commodities,

construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form Physical object, objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Pr ...

energy In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of hea ...

and

resources Resource refers to all the materials available in our environment which are technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally sustainable and help us to satisfy our needs and wants. Resources can broadly be classified upon their av ...

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

and reinsurance, and shipping. The firm was founded in 1883 and now has more than 600 lawyers, including 170 partners, based in 20 offices across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia.

History

HFW was founded in 1883, and its early expertise was representing maritime clients following shipwrecks and collisions. It has since broadened its practice to focus on six core sectors globally: aerospace, commodities, construction, energy and resources, insurance and reinsurance, and shipping. In June 2017, the firm changed its name from Holman Fenwick Willan to HFW. HFW was one of the first London-based law firms to expand internationally, opening its first international office in 1977, in Paris. A year later, it became one of the first international law firms to open an office in Hong Kong. HFW then launched in Singapore in 1990, Piraeus in 1993 and Shanghai in 1999. It moved into Australia and the Middle East in 2006, opening offices in Melbourne and Dubai. HFW subsequently expanded its Australia presence, launching offices in Sydney in 2009 and Perth in 2011. It also opened offices in Brussels in 2009, Geneva in 2010 and São Paulo in 2011. In June 2016, HFW became only the second international law firm to enter into a formal association with a Chinese law firm under the

Shanghai Free Trade Zone Shanghai Free-Trade Zone (Shanghai FTZ or SFTZ), officially China (Shanghai) Pilot Free-Trade Zone, is a free-trade zone in Shanghai, China. On 22 August 2013, the State Council approved the establishment of the zone. Officially launched on 2 ...

rules. In January 2017, the firm merged with US law firm Legge, Farrow, Kimmitt, McGrath & Brown. This was notable for being a fully integrated merger, whereas most transatlantic law firm combinations at the time used the

Swiss Verein A Swiss association ("''Verein''" in German, "association" in French, "associazione" in Italian) is a type of corporation in Swiss law. It is similar to the Anglo-American voluntary association. Unlike in Germany, a Swiss association does not nee ...

structure. In June 2018, HFW expanded its Latin America presence by entering into a cooperation arrangement with a new Brazilian law firm, Costa, Albino & Lasalvia (CAL). In October 2018, the firm opened in Abu Dhabi with the hire of two partners from

Reed Smith Reed Smith LLP is a global law firm headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with more than 1,500 lawyers in 30 offices throughout the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. History Reed Smith was founded in Pittsburgh in 1877 by ...

. The move meant HFW had 19 partners and more than 50 lawyers - including 28 Arabic speakers - in four offices across the Middle East, making it one of the largest practices of any international law firm in the region. HFW also has an office in Riyadh, and is one of only two international law firms with a base in Kuwait City. In August 2019, the firm launched in Monaco with the hire of a market-leading team from

Ince Ince may refer to: *Ince, Cheshire, a village in Cheshire, UK *Ince-in-Makerfield in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, UK *Ince (UK Parliament constituency), a former constituency covering Ince-in-Makerfield *Ince (ward), an electoral ward covering ...

Core sectors and services

HFW is unusual for an international law firm in that it is focused on sectors, rather than practice areas. The firm's entire business, from legal services to CSR and pro bono, is built around six core sectors globally: Sectors * Aerospace * Commodities * Construction * Energy and Resources * Insurance and Reinsurance * Shipping The firm also offers a broad range of legal services: Services * Dispute Resolution * Corporate * Finance * EU, Competition and Regulatory * Fraud and Insolvency * International Trade Regulation * Commercial * Cyber Security * Data Protection * Digital Trade * Employment * Financial Institutions * Financial Services Regulation * Government Services * Logistics * Mining * Oil and Gas * Ports and Terminals * Projects The firm has one of the largest and most active disputes practices in the market, covering litigation, international arbitration and alternative forms of dispute resolution. HFW was the most active law firm in the English Commercial Court in 2017 and 2018, according to

The Lawyer ''The Lawyer'' is a legal business information product for law firm leaders, commercial lawyers, barristers A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. The ...

's Litigation Tracker. It is also the most active law firm for arbitration-related litigation and one of the most active firms litigating on behalf of FTSE 100 clients.

Awards and recognition

HFW featured in the 2019 Social Mobility Employer Index, which lists the UK organisations taking the most action to tackle social mobility. HFW was also ranked in the index, which is produced by UK charity th
Social Mobility Foundation
in 2017 and 2018.

Offices

The firm has 20 offices across

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

, the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

and Australia: London, Paris, Monaco, Hong Kong, Singapore, Piraeus, Shanghai, Melbourne, Dubai, Sydney, Brussels, Geneva, Perth, São Paulo, Kuwait, Riyadh, Houston, Jakarta, Rio de Janeiro and Abu Dhabi.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:HFW Law firms established in 1883 Law firms based in London 1883 establishments in the United Kingdom Foreign law firms with offices in Hong Kong