International law firm Wikborg Rein has further strengthened its leading presence in the shipping and offshore and onshore construction sectors with the appointment of three key senior hires to its London offices.
Nick Shepherd has joined as a partner from Ince & Co, where he was most recently the head of that firm’s office in Piraeus, Greece. According to Wikborg Rein, Shepherd has a reputation as an 'owner's lawyer' for the Greek shipping market, where he is the first-choice lawyer for a number of the largest shipping groups, including TMS / Dryships / Ocean Rig (George Economou); the Navios Group (MAngeliki Frangou); Alpha Bulkers / Pantheon Tankers ( Anna Angelicoussi); and Marmaras Navigation / Delta Tankers (Diamantis Diamantides). Shepherd’s practice spans a wide range of contentious and non-contentious work, including charter parties, drilling contracts, logistics, casualties, marine insurance, sale and purchase, shipbuilding and ship arrest. Shepherd regularly acts as lead counsel for groups of owners on key industry issues; most recently he spearheaded the owners’ response to the OW Bunker collapse, taking the industry test case from arbitration through to the U.K. Supreme Court within 15 months.
Mike Stewart, meanwhile, has joined as a partner from K&L Gates in London, where he was a member of that firm’s Energy, Infrastructure and Resources group. Stewart specializes in complex, high-value disputes arising out of major energy and infrastructure projects in emerging markets, and has developed particular expertise in relation to FIDIC contracts, having advised on FIDIC-based projects in Turkey, Oman, Jordan, India and Ethiopia. He has advised on construction and energy disputes throughout the Middle East, acted on international arbitrations arising out of major projects in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Yemen, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, India and Sri Lanka, and on disputes arising from FPSOs in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brazil.
Also joining Wikborg Rein from K&L Gates, as a senior lawyer, is Mary Lindsay. Lindsay’s practice concentrates on international arbitration. She is primarily concerned with disputes arising out of complex construction, infrastructure and energy projects, having acted on international arbitrations in India, Yemen, Oman, Azerbaijan and Russia. Lindsay also provides ongoing advice in respect of live projects in the Middle East and has a particular focus on electrical engineering and process plants.