The large group of lawyers in Clyde and Co LLP‘s shipping practice includes numerous dedicated marine lawyers and the team is praised as ‘a market leader in Australia (and beyond) because of its specific expertise in high-value commercial disputes relating to commodities and shipping‘. Key practitioners in the team include Ernest Van Buuren and Melissa Tang, who ‘specialise in complex disputes, regulatory work and advice’, and special counsel James Cooper, who is often called upon for the group’s largest mandates. The team lost Maurice Thompson in January 2024.

Gavin Vallely leads a team at HFW, which is described as ‘technically of the highest standards‘ across the full spectrum of shipping work. Vallely is ‘widely acknowledged as an expert in the shipping and transport areas’ and is supported by ‘a team of experts’. The group also includes Stephen Thompson and Simon Shaddick; Thompson utilises his significant commercial, shipping and trade law nous to act for a multitude of clients including ship owners, operators, charterers and third-party services providers, while Shaddick is described as having ‘approachability, depth of knowledge, and an ability to apply concepts to reality’. After the research had concluded, Maurice Thompson joined with a team of seven practitioners from Clyde & Co LLP in January 2024.

Frazer Hunt heads up Mills Oakley‘s team, which is particularly strong in the insurance sector and represents several marine insurers in Australia, emblematic of the expertise of the group more widely, which is primarily spread across Melbourne and Sydney. Hunt is well supported by Maurice Lynch, whose ‘experience is valued and his prompt responses highly appreciated’ by clients. At associate level, Henry Holland stands out for his work for major domestic and international insurers and works on high-value insurance claims in the shipping industry, both in Australia and globally.

Andrew Tulloch and Stephen Thompson lead the Colin Biggers & Paisley team from Melbourne and Sydney respectively. The group is instructed on a range of shipping issues such as admiralty, sea carriage, and marine insurance claims, and mandates ranging from high-value, multi-jurisdictional transactions to contentious proceedings. Of particular note is the group’s assistance with cargo and chartering matters, where it acts for marine insurers. Sydney-based Stuart Hetherington is a go-to practitioner for work in maritime and logistics law.

Clifford Chance is ‘a strong participant among the admiralty and maritime players in Perth’, where practice head Pat Saraceni is based; she is described as ‘an excellent, results driven lawyer, operating at the top of her game’. Senior associates Nathan Sexton and Shannen Bowen are also key team members, especially for contentious work. The group has additional experience dealing with regulatory and compliance issues and deals with Australian regulators such as the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Authority.

Hall & Wilcox fields an ‘experienced, commercial, pro-active team with sound knowledge of contract, charter party and personal injury issues’. Key to the group’s multi-jurisdictional expertise is practice head Chris Sacré in Sydney, who is ‘conscientious, commercial and has wide experience of maritime law issues in London and Hong Kong in addition to Australia’. Elsewhere in the team, Kendall Messer in Perth is ‘highly engaged, well connected and fast to grasp detail,’ and is an experienced practitioner, dealing with a range of shipping litigation and transactional work.

The team at Kennedys is adept at handling the full range of shipping, trade and commodity services for clients throughout the maritime industry, acting on a variety of Australian and international marine insurance matters for clients including Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance. Praised as a lawyer who ‘understands the issues insurers face and works to find the best possible outcome for his clients‘, Peter Craney splits his time between Sydney and Melbourne; he leads the team alongside Jonathan Wyatt in Perth and Sydney-based marine specialist Chris Finn.

Sparke Helmore Lawyers‘ marine and transport group is led by Michelle Taylor, a practitioner with substantial experience in shipping casualty work, who is well supported by Richard Howard. The group has a strong national presence, with offices located across Australia, and also acts for key overseas clients, including the Government of Sri Lanka. As well as dealing with a range of local matters, the group also has experience drafting ship operation agreements and shipbuilding contracts, including those relating to projects in Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, Singapore, China and Germany.

Naraya Lamart leads the group at Wotton + Kearney, which is described as ‘an excellent team, developing a real name in the market’, which will ‘always go beyond to arrive at the right contractual answer’. The team has a strong marine insurance practice and has experience acting in a range of proceedings, including hull and machinery, P&I, FD&D, cargo, freight forwarder and marina operator liability claims. On the regulatory side, Richard Howard is highlighted for his capabilities in negotiating with port authorities and regulators.