Mike Phillips has joined London law firm Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) as partner from Stephenson Harwood where he was formerly head of the Marine and International Trade practice group.
The move comes as WFW looks to expand its maritime disputes capability and broaden its maritime services.
Phillips, who joined Stephenson Harwood in 2008 and became head of marine in 2014, specialises in maritime disputes, international trade, shipbuilding and offshore construction and ship finance.
He stepped down from the position of head of Marine and International Trade at Stephenson Harwood in the summerof 2019 and the deparment is now headed by Alex Davis.
Commenting on the move to WFW, Phillips said: “Joining WFW is a fantastic opportunity for me to both reach out to potential new clients and better service my existing portfolio.”
Stephenson Harwood said: "Mike has been a valued member of the firm for more than 15 years; we thank him for his contributions, and wish him well for the future.”
WFW London dispute resolution co-head Andrew Ward said Phillips’ experience “aligns perfectly with one of our firm’s core sectors”.
He added: “His arrival further strengthens our global maritime disputes offering and is testament to WFW’s growing reputation for dispute resolution advice across all our key areas of expertise."
WFW has been going through some senior personnel changes recently. In September, it promoted the long-time boss of its Athens office George Paleokrassas to co-head of its global maritime sector division.
Paleokrassas takes on the role alongside London-based Lindsey Keeble, who has led the division since 2014.
Phillips is also the second partner to leave Stephenson Harwood in recent months. In November, Stephenson Harwood partner Paolo Ghirardani left to join HFW.
