Law firm Stephenson Harwood has strengthened its shipping and international trade practice in the Middle East with the arrival of two new partners from collapsed Ince & Co.
Mohamed El Hawawy and Khurram Ali will also be bringing across a team of five other fee-earners to make up the region’s biggest shipping law team, the UK headquartered company said.
El Hawawy is based in the United Arab Emirates and joined Ince in 2013. Ali had been at Ince for more than three years and was previously with Clyde & Co.
Eifion Morris, Stephenson Harwood, said: “We have an enviable and rich maritime heritage, and while most other firms have experience weighted towards one area or the other, we have premier ship finance and maritime practices in one firm.”
“In the Middle East, the arrival of Mohamed and Khurram strengthens our practice there, which has grown into the largest specialist maritime, trade and insurance team in the region,” he added.
El Hawawy will help lead the firm’s Middle East shipping and insurance practices, focusing particularly on litigation and dispute resolution.
“With expertise across both wet and dry shipping, Mohamed is frequently instructed on the largest and most complex maritime disputes in the region, including ship abandonment issues, vessel collisions, allisions, casualties, groundings, salvage and emergency response,” Stephenson Harwood said.
He was previously Ince & Co Middle East’s joint managing partner in Dubai.
Ali specialises in dispute resolution with a particular focus on maritime, transportation, ports/terminals, oil and gas, and international trade disputes, as well as general commercial litigation.
He brings more than two decades of experience advising a range of clients including shipowners, charterers, terminal and port operators, logistics companies, protection and indemnity clubs, traders, offshore operators and shipowners.
‘Highly regarded’
“Mohamed and Khurram are exceptional lawyers who are highly regarded by clients and peers,” said Rania Tadros, office managing partner of Stephenson Harwood’s Dubai office. “Their knowledge and expertise complements the strength of our existing specialist team and is another milestone in the development of our Middle East practice.”
The law firm will now have six partners in the Middle East, along with 14 associates and advisers.
In October, Stephenson Harwood added a team of eight shipping lawyers from Ince in Asia.
The group was led by partner Paul Ho, a lawyer with 27 years of experience, including 21 years based in Shanghai.
The rest of the team comprises two counsels, three managing associates and two associates.
The practice has a strong focus on shipbuilding, offshore construction, ship finance, international trade and ship sale-and-purchase transactions, as well as general commercial litigation, Stephenson Harwood said.
At the start of October, the UK Solicitors Regulation Authority closed down law firm Axiom Ince amid claims of misusing client funds.
