Chums on Seats - US team defeated in golf rematch

US team defeated in golf rematch

READERS may recall that a US golf team narrowly beat a team from the Rest of the World at the well-known but tricky Stadium Course at PGA West in California last year. It was inevitable that there would be a rematch on the other side of the Atlantic, and events conspired so that there were sufficient Americans in town for this to be played on the day following the Association of Average Adjusters Dinner at the Savoy in London in May, at the Royal Wimbledon Golf Club in London SW19.

Tim Taylor of Hill Taylor Dickinson led the Rest of the World Challenge against the Americans, captained by Hal Watson from the Houston firm of Liddell Sapp Zivley Hill & Laboon. Although Tim failed to win a single point in the match - a failure attributed by him to the understandable concern that his team would not make it to Wimbledon by 0800 after a heavy evening at the Savoy - his team was able to contrive a comprehensive thrashing of the Americans by the margin of 14 points to 4.

The margin of the result was due to several key factors. Team selection played a big part, as well as solid performances from Doug Cole of Richards Lindley and the dynamic Norton Rose duo of Andy Powell and Paul Williams. The Rest of the World team was able to bring in such fine international competitors as David Angus from Montreal and Gerard Moussault and Jan van Zuuren, who flew in from Trenite van Doorne in Rotterdam.

There were some new faces on the American team, including John Kimball (of Wilford on Time Charters and Baltusrol Golf Club fame) and Kent Westmoreland of Phelps Dunbar, who had a titanic singles match of the highest quality against Rob Wallis ending in a half. But it was to no avail. The Americans seem to have been defeated by a combination of the requirement to wear a coat and tie in order to eat and drink in the clubhouse and the ability of the Rest of the World team to consume liberal quantities of Pimms, claret, roast beef and treacle pudding and then to wash it all down with Kummel before the second eighteen holes. It was the first time many of them had been out-lunched and played 36 holes in a day, with or without buggies.

There is talk of a rematch in the US next year at a venue to be agreed. It is hoped that next time there will be better control of the finances. According to some accounts, the overrun on the bar bill at Royal Wimbledon resulted in a $50 supplementary call on participants. More informed observers know it was just a hot, but agreeable, day.

Healy & Baillie's fifty

HEALY & Baillie has completed its fiftieth year in maritime law. And celebrating alongside his colleagues was one of the founding partners, Nick Healy, still practising law in the firm he started in 1948 with Allan Baillie and, at that time, a third partner, O Taft Nelson. Back then, the firm operated from a small office at 52 Broadway with just two young women acting as secretaries, receptionists and book-keepers. In 1965, Healy & Baillie moved to 29 Broadway, from where it has steadily grown into a firm with roughly forty attorneys and additional offices in Hong Kong, New Jersey and Connecticut. As they say on Broadway, it has been a good run.

New maritime practice in Adelaide

AUSTRALIAN maritime and insurance lawyer Ian Maitland has set up his own practice, Ian Maitland and Associates, in Adelaide. Ian is the immediate past president of the Australian and New Zealand MLA and has moved from Finlaysons, where he spent thirteen years, to establish his own firm.

Constant & Constant grows in Paris

THE Paris office of Constant & Constant has moved to larger premises in the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore and has also recruited three new lawyers. Marianne Piris joins from the in-house legal department of UBAF Bank, a subsidiary of Credit Lyonais, and Jaques Le Vaillant has joined the firm to practise shipping and commercial litigation. Edward Olive has joined the Paris office from Constant & Constant in London. There are now six lawyers at the firm's new office in Paris.

New partner at Haights

MICHAEL J Mitchell has been made a partner by Haight Gardner Holland & Knight. He specialises in casualty and pollution work as well as charter party and cargo disputes and personal injury defence.

McCormack elected president of USMLA

HOWARD M McCormack has become the third Healy & Baillie partner to be elected president of the US Maritime Law Association. (Nick Healy and Gordon Paulson are both past presidents).

The first item on Howard's agenda is to continue the work of the USMLA on the proposed new Carriage of Goods by Sea Act of 1998 which is the subject of hearings before the US senate. Events to celebrate the association's centennial year in 1999 are also being planned.

Forty not out for New York firm

PARTNERS Poles, Tublin, Patestides & Stratakis hosted a party at The Union League Club on Park Avenue, New York recently to mark the fortieth anniversary of the Manhattan law firm.

Skuld opens correspondent office in New York

ANCHOR Marine Services Inc has been established to provide general correspondent and advisory services on all types of cases throughout the US to the Skuld P&I club and its members.

The owner and president of Anchor is Charles Anderson, who has left Haight Gardner Holland & Knight after nine years to set up his new company. Assisting Anderson are two vice-presidents of Anchor, Renan Alamina and Pamela Milgrim, who have over thirty years of claims handling experience between them.

In addition, a consultancy arrangement has been set up with Captain Bill Monson's company, WAM Inc of Houston.

Richards Butler beefs up shipping team

JONATHAN Hunt and his team of two assistants, Nicholas Woo, an English and Singaporean lawyer, and Michael (Kyong-Hwa) Kim, a Korean, have left Sinclair Roche & Temperley to join the London-based shipping group at Richards Butler.

Hunt was a partner at SR&T for over twenty years. He was managing partner between 1986 and 1992, and again from 1995 to 1996.

Waterson Hicks recruits from Ocean P&I

STUART Blaxell has joined the team of maritime litigators at Waterson Hicks in London. A qualified solicitor, he was formerly head of defence with Ocean P & I.

WF&W buys out SR&T in Singapore

WATSON Farley & Williams has bought out the Sinclair Roche & Temperley operation in Singapore. Neale Gregson, Steven Burkhill and Stuart McAlpine from SR&T in Singapore will join WF&W as partners on September 1, 1998. Stephen Fordham, who formerly ran SR&T's Singapore office but who has been retired for some time, will also join WF&W as a consultant. All staff in SR&T's Singapore office have been offered employment by WF&W. Nigel Thomas, one of WF&W's senior shipping partners in London, is to head up the new operation.

SR&T will still be represented in the Far East through its offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai and, via its alliance with Colin Ng & Partners, has associated offices in Singapore, Jakarta and Bangkok.

Eight new partners at Clyde

SIX men and two women have been appointed partners by Clyde & Co in London.

Trevor Barton has lived for the past four years in St Petersburg and runs Clyde's associate office there. Chris Mills has been in the firm's Middle East office in Dubai for three years. Russell Rawlings has recently returned to Clyde's Guilford, UK office after four years in Singapore but still travels extensively to investigate all types of marine casualties.

James Burns, Margaret Curzon (pictured), Ross Johnstone, Fiona McLaren and Jeremy Shebson are all based at the London office.

Marine adviser for Constant & Constant STUART Francis has been appointed marine adviser at Constant & Constant in London. Stuart, a master mariner with eighteen years' seagoing experience on a wide range of vessels, will act as technical adviser to the firm, and will be particularly involved in dealing with maritime casualties.

Obituary

JOHN Morris, formerly senior partner at Sinclair Roche & Templerley, has died at the age of 62 - only two months after retiring as consultant to the firm. John's death from a sudden heart attack came as a shock to his many friends and colleagues in the shipping community. He leaves his wife, Vera, and two sons, who are both lawyers.