HFW names next senior partner

HFW names next senior partner

Richard Crump, the longstanding senior partner, will be succeeded by Giles Kavanagh in April 2022

In addition to his role as head of the firm's aviation practice, Giles Kavanagh will become the next senior partner.

By early April 2022, Kavanagh will take over from Crump, who has led HFW through a period of growth in terms of revenue, headcount and footprint over the last 15 years.

In addition to his role as a sustainability partner at HFW, Kavanagh will step down as head of the aviation group, which he has led since 2011 when he moved his team from legacy firm Barlow Lyde & Gilbert (BLG).

Kavanagh is the second former BLG partner to be named as senior partner of a leading law firm. Former BLG colleague Simon Konsta served as both senior partners of BLG and Clyde & Co.

Among his contemporaries are Julian Acratopulo of Clifford Chance and Patrick Farrell and Robin Spring Thorpe of Norton Rose Fulbright, who are widely considered London's top aviation disputes lawyers.

Particularly during the global financial crisis and the pandemic, he managed client relationships with manufacturers, flag carriers and major insurers due to his ability to handle disputes, regulations and the intricacies of aviation and finance.

In Crump's 15 years at HFW, the firm has grown from its traditional shipping and insurance practice to become a full-service law firm that values transactions as highly as it does disputes, with a clearer brand and more potent messaging.

In 2021, the firm reported revenue of £200m for the first time and it has made a concerted effort to expand its Middle East presence since opening in Dubai in 2006, announcing partnerships with local law firms in Kuwait, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia in 2015. When it launched its 20th office in Abu Dhabi in 2018, the firm became the 20th firm worldwide. However, the firm has since ceased its association with the Lebanese firm El-Khoury & Partners and does not have any presence on the ground there.

Additionally, in 2016, it expanded its presence in Australia, opening offices in Perth and Sydney furthermore to its oldest base in Melbourne. It became the second international law firm to establish an alliance in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone through a formal partnership with local shipping boutique Wintell & Co. The firm then hired a team from Squire Patton Boggs to open its own Shanghai practice and has also added to its Hong Kong team, one of its oldest overseas offices.

Although its US ambitions have been uncertain in comparison to rivals like Clyde & Co or Kennedys, it combined in 2017 with Houston's Legge Farrow Kimmitt, McGrath & Brown and has carefully consolidated its US and Latin American strengths.

Mr. Crump has been one of the few UK partners to relocate full-time to Singapore since 2014, demonstrating his commitment to the global outlook.

As far as we know, Crump will remain at HFW as a consultant serving as a sounding board for Kavanagh and managing partner, Jeremy Shebson. He will not play any additional role in the firm's management.

During her remarks, Shebson thanked Crump for his "immeasurable contribution to the firm for the past 15 years" while Kavanagh said HFW had "broken away from its roots as a shipping company" to take on a more multi-sector focus alongside the firm's expanded international network.

We are excited to work with Jeremy and the board to continue strengthening and growing our business - across all of our sectors, offices, and services to ensure that we remain responsive to the changing needs of our clients.

We are facing greater competition in the legal market than ever before. However, I believe that with the talents we have at HFW, we can work together to build a bright future for our firm."