HFW, the global law firm, has announced major changes with the addition of a Monaco office to its practice, as well as the hiring of a number of high-profile team members. The Monaco office will be led by Andrew Charlier, partner at HFW. The team will also include partner Ian Cranston and Marco Crusafio, legal director Ian Fisher and Ruth Monahan, associate George Kaye and trainee legal executive Laura Pike to provide full-service advice to clients throughout the superyacht market. They will join HFW in early September 2019 from Ince, where Andrew was Global Head of Yachts and Ian Cranston was Monaco Office Head.

"This is a major development for our global yacht practice. It isn't every day that you get an opportunity to bring in the number one yacht team in Monaco; the centre of yachting in Europe,” comments Jay Tooker, partner, HFW. “Andrew has vast experience and expertise, and rightly enjoys an outstanding reputation with clients across the industry. These hires further enhance our ability to provide first-class advice to the yachting industry in its key markets around the world, and illustrates our deep and longstanding commitment to the sector."

Following the hires, HFW will have 12 yacht partners across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, making it the world’s largest specialist yacht practice.

"We are very excited to be joining what is unquestionably the world's top yacht practice, with an unmatched international network of top-class lawyers and an enviable client base,” says Andrew Charlier, partner, HFW. “We've always been impressed with HFW whenever we've worked together on matters, and look forward to helping the firm strengthen its position as the go-to advisor for the industry."

HFW acts for owners, banks, builders, managers, insurers, yacht brokers and high-net-worth individuals on the full lifecycle of yachting issues, including design and construction agreements, intellectual property, financing and leasing, sale and purchase of yachts and berths, ownership structures, registration, import and export, VAT and tax, management agreements, crewing and employment, refit and repair contracts, charterparties, restructuring of distressed loans, physical and cyber security, health & safety and regulatory compliance, and crisis management.

The firm will have added seven shipping partners and a senior consultant in the past four months, following an internal promotions round and the recent hire of former shipbroker Chris Jones in Singapore.

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