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Holman Fenwick Willan 
Frairy Court, 65 Cructched Friars, London EC3N 2AE
Lex 100 winner
Favoured by 3 users (Register to add this entry to your favourites)

The trainee verdict

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The lowdown (in their own words...)

Why did you choose this firm over any others? 'Specialist shipping department'; 'excellent trainee retention rate'; 'opportunity to complete a seat abroad'; 'interesting departments'; 'friendly atmosphere'; 'medium-sized firm, where I was hoping to obtain good-quality work and a work/life balance' 

How does your training compare with peers' at other firms? 'The hours are longer'; 'more hands-on experience'; 'more responsibility'; 'better quality of work'; 'less hierarchical'; 'more client contact'; 'friendliness of our firm seems to be unparalleled' 

Best thing about the firm? 'Supportiveness of the staff'; 'diverse client base'; 'departmental ski trip'; 'international nature of shipping law means no two clients are ever the same'; 'the canteen'; 'quality of the work' 

Worst thing about the firm? 'The work/life balance is not what I expected'; 'some partners are a bit old school'; 'coffee'; 'not a fair distribution of work'; 'that if you want something, you really have to push for it' 

Best moment? 'Attending an arbitration'; 'spending six months in the Greece office'; 'being invited to a closing dinner with the clients'; 'running a small case with minimum supervision and plenty of client contact'; 'positive feedback on drafting tasks'; 'being handed day-to-day responsibility of a major case' 

Worst moment? 'Reviewing documents at 2am'; 'having my application to register a company rejected twice in two days'; 'some late evenings fighting with the printer'; 'missing dinner with friends/family to work late' 

The Lex 100 verdict

The firm

Holman Fenwick Willan is an international law firm specialising in shipping and transport, trade and energy, insurance and reinsurance and commercial law. It currently has around 170 fee-earners in the London office and another 300 spread throughout its network of international offices, which includes Paris, Brussels, Piraeus, Dubai, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Melbourne. Over the past two years the firm has also seen a growing emphasis on corporate matters relating to port and terminal facilities. The arrival of the aviation team from Barlow, Lyde & Gilbert was a further boost for the firm. 

The star performers

Arbitration; Commercial litigation; Commodities; Fraud; Insurance; Insurance/reinsurance litigation; M&A: lower mid-market; Multi-modal transport; Personal injury: defendant; Professional negligence; Shipping.

The deals

Advised French marine services company Bourbon and Rothschild on the $545m sale of 16 supermax vessels; advised Smit Salvage Americas as salvors following the blowout at Deepwater Horizon; represented a shipowner in a $5m demurrage claim; advised Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank PJSL in recovering $600m-plus loans; advising on cross-border issues relating to trusts law and offshore corporate structures.

The clients

ACE; ARIG Insurance; Aspen Re; Catlin; Chubb; ING Bank.

The money

(from Legal Business magazine) 

Turnover in 2010: £99.9m (+1% from 2009) Profits per equity partner: £520,000 (-1%) 

The Verdict

Holman Fenwick Willan trainees are attracted to the 'interesting departments', 'friendly atmosphere' and 'international aspects' of the firm ('I am about to go to our Hong Kong office for my next seat'). With well-regarded specialisms in shipping and litigation (lots of dispute resolution and insurance), the firm also makes a good initial impression with its highly-rated vacation scheme. Trainees also like the fact that they get to do three seats in litigation departments. Being a medium-sized firm there is plenty of opportunity for a truly 'hands-on experience' with 'good-quality work'. With this comes increased responsibility and you will also be given more client contact than some of your peers. If this sounds a little daunting, there is a two-week induction at the beginning of your training so you won't just be 'plonked at your desk on the first day and told to get on with it'. Current trainees also comment on the friendliness of the firm and the fact that 'it isn't very hierarchical' with 'supportive and approachable' staff. The diversity of clients is also a big pull ('the international nature of shipping law means no two clients are ever the same'). You may find that due to the international nature of much of the work some long hours are required ('reviewing documents at 2am wasn't fun') and the firm can feel a bit 'old school' to some trainees. However, the perks, including departmental weekend skiing trips in Switzerland and 'spending six months in the Greece office' make up for the small quibbles. HFW should be a serious contender, particularly if you're interested in shipping and contentious work.

A day in the life of.....

A day in the life of.....

Katherine NobleKatherine Noble,second-year trainee solicitor, Holman Fenwick Willan 
Departments to date:  Ship finance, trade and energy litigation
University: Queen Mary, University of London 
Degree: Law, 2(1) 

9.30am: Arrive at my desk. Check my emails for anything needing immediate attention and then make a cup of coffee. I am currently in the ship finance department and most of the work involves clients (banks and shipowners) in Europe, the Middle East and Far East. I spend the first part of my morning catching up on what has happened overnight and early this morning.

10.00am: Speak to some of the other partners for whom I am working to discuss matters for the day. There is a closing meeting taking place at our offices later, as well as change of ownership for a yacht registered under the Bahamas flag.

10.15am: Prepare the numerous execution copies of the loan and security documents for the closing meeting. This is a deal involving a loan for three vessels, one registered under the Panama flag and two registered under the St Kitts & Nevis flag.

11.00am: Review and collate the documents required for the Bahamas change of ownership, including notarised bill of sale, the seller's corporate authorities and a power of attorney for the buyer.

11.30am: Collect the execution copies for the closing meeting and go to reception to meet the notary. Join the solicitor and the parties to the transaction for the closing meeting.

12.45pm: Arrange for the mortgages to be sent to the Panamanian Consulate and the St Kitts & Nevis Registry for registration.

1.00pm: Receive an email attaching constitutional and vessel documents for review from the borrower regarding another loan transaction. I notice one of the vessel certificates is missing. Much of this job is being proactive and it is vital to deal with issues immediately and efficiently.

1.30pm: Grab a sandwich at a local café with a couple of other trainees.

2.15pm: Send an email to correspondent lawyers in Malta. Instruct them to carry out due diligence on the Maltese borrowing companies and Malta-flagged vessels, and to make arrangements for the mortgage registrations.

2.30pm: Make a telephone call to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency regarding a yacht flagged in the UK which is changing ownership. I ensure that the relevant documents are pre-approved by the Agency.

3.30pm: Head off to the Bahamas Maritime Authority with the notarised bill of sale and other documents needed for the change of ownership. Unfortunately, this does not involve a trip to the Bahamas itself but instead to offices only a short walk away.

4.45pm: Return to the office with the new vessel documents, including the transcript of registry, which I email to the client immediately. Make copies of the other documents and send the originals to the managing agent in time for the yacht to sail.

5.00pm: I am assisting on an amendment to a loan facility secured by mortgages against several vessels and by guarantees. One of the vessels is changing flag and name and the loan agreement and security documents need to be amended and redrafted. I make a cup of tea and then turn my attention to some complicated drafting.

7.00pm: Receive an email from correspondent lawyers in St Kitts & Nevis regarding loan and security documents for another transaction. Send the drafts to the bank for their approval.

7.30pm: Make a list of matters to deal with tomorrow. Arrange to meet a few trainees for a quick drink before heading home.

About the firm

About the firm

Address: Friary Court, 65 Crutched Friars, London EC3N 2AE

Telephone: 020 7264 8888

Website: www.hfw.com

Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Senior partner: Richard Crump

Managing partner: Greg Gray

Total partners: 130

Other fee-earners: 300

Total trainees: 30

Other offices: Paris, Rouen, Geneva, Brussels, Piraeus, Dubai, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Perth, Melbourne. 

Who we are:  An international firm specialising in all areas of international commerce. 

What we do: Shipping and transport, corporate projects and finance, trade and energy, insurance and reinsurance, commercial, aviation and employment. 

What we are looking for: Entrepreneurial, ambitious, hard-working and enthusiastic individuals with good attention to detail and passion for law. 

What you'll do:  Four six-months seats, with the opportunity to travel to one of our international offices. You will have an appraisal for each seat and you will attend internal and external training seminars, PSC, and internal workshop training.

Perks: Pension, private health insurance, season ticket loan, gym membership, staff cafe. 

Sponsorship: GDL and LPC fees 

Application process

Apply to: Aidan Connor, HR officer 

How: Online. 

When to Apply: Summer vacation scheme by 14 February 2012. 

What is involved: Assessment day, written test. 

Facts and figures

Trainee places available for 2014: 15 

Applications received pa: 500+ 

Percentage interviewed: 10% 

Salary

First year: £36,000 

Second year: £38,000 

Newly qualified: £58,000 

Vacation schemes

Summer: Last two weeks of June and second and third week of July. Apply by 14 February 2012.