HFW has hired Elizabeth Sloane as a partner in Melbourne to expand its service in the international shipping and commodities sectors in the Asia-Pacific region.
“Elizabeth’s practice will both complement and supplement the firm’s client base, and she will work with a range of shipping sector clients, including shipowners and charterers, IG P&I Clubs (International Group of Protection and Indemnity Clubs), insurers, commodity traders, banks and financiers,” Gavin Vallely, HFW’s managing partner in Australia, told Asia Business Law Journal.
Sloane has rejoined HFW after spending five years as a partner at Stephenson Harwood in Hong Kong. She previously worked at HFW’s Hong Kong office from 2008 to 2016. In addition, she served as president and board member of the Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association Hong Kong SAR China from 2017 to 2023.
She specialises in maritime law, international trade and transport, cross-border fraud and asset tracing and enforcement. She also has an international arbitration experience, having acted as counsel under many arbitral rules including the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre, Singapore International Arbitration Centre and Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration, among others. Sloane also sits as an arbitrator in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Vallely has also observed that increased levels of cyberattacks and other electronic interference, piracy activities, international sanctions and regulations relating to emissions requirements have contributed to creating a challenging operating environment for the global shipping sector.
He noted these developments had contributed to an increased need for legal assistance, often on an urgent basis, to support clients across a wide range of events that had been disrupting their commercial activities and presented a substantial risk to their businesses.
Sloane brought a vast amount of sector experience that would enhance the firm’s service capacity in these areas, said Vallely.
