The Legal 500

The Legal 500

THE Legal 500, an annual directory of top law firms in Britain published by Legalease, hit the desks of British firm’s at the beginning of August. Since its inception in 1988, the directory has grown from a paperback guide to a hardback book of doorstopper proportions.

The directory is widely used by company secretaries, finance directors and inhouse lawyers of large corporations. It is unlikely that its recommendations bring their influence to bear so strongly in the worldwide shipping community, where it would be unlikely that a shipowner or P&I club would not know where to turn for legal advice. But the many shipping firms vying for favourable comment do take increasing note of what is being said about them.

The Legal 500 is split into two sections, the editorial followed by an A-Z directory. The editorial section is a mixture of facts about the various firms as well as the opinions of the editor and his team, who base their research on interviews with law firms and clients. Inclusion in the A-Z directory section is on a paid-for basis and these entries are written by the law firms themselves.

Shipping appears under the heading of ‘Transport’ in the editorial section and covers recommendations of firms and individuals acting in the international shipping (wet and dry) and ship finance markets. The three firms in London described as dominating wet shipping on a global scale are Holman Fenwick & Willan and Ince & Co, as joint leaders in the top tier, closely followed by Clyde & Co in the second.

The Legal 500 says that competition on the dry side is fiercer than for wet business, but the same three firms remain as the market leaders for what the directory describes as heavyweight shipping litigation where, it says, there is ‘clear blue water between them and the rest of the field.’ The Legal 500 describes Norton Rose and Watson, Farley Williams as pre-eminent in the ship finance field, with Sinclair Roche & Temperley as well as Clifford Chance and Stephenson Harwood following close on the heels of the two market leaders.

Also included in the Legal 500 series are The European Legal 500 Law Firms in Europe and The Asia-Pacific Legal 500.

All available from Legalease, 28 - 33 Cato Street, London W1H 5HS, UK. Tel: +44 (1)171 396 9313. Fax: +44(1)171 396 9300. The Legal 500 costs £95.00 but a ten per cent discount will be given when ordered by fax with a copy of this review.

GN

Ship arrest handbook

AS our article on ship arrest in France, South Africa and the United States reveals, arresting a ship in a foreign jurisdiction can be a complicated and expensive process. Laws vary from port to port. For the busy lawyer contemplating an arrest, instant access to procedural details in the relevant maritime jurisdiction is critical.

The Ship Arrest Handbook is compiled in just the user-friendly format required. Key maritime jurisdictions are listed in alphabetical order - from Algeria to the United Arab Emirates - and each chapter is framed around a practical questionnaire-based analysis. The same seventeen questions, ranging from what types of claim a ship can be arrested for in each country to what kind of security is normally acceptable to enable a ship to be released, are answered by lawyers or correspondents representing each jurisdiction. Their contact details are also provided as an appendix.

The format allows for cross-referencing and points of comparison between all jurisdictions covered. The Ship Arrest Handbook provides a helpful first point of reference for those planning an arrest.

Ship Arrest Handbook by Smith, Paul. Published by LLP, 69-77 Paul Street, London EC2A 4LQ. Tel: +44 (0)121 553 1000. Fax: +44 (0)171 553 1100. Price £97.

GN

Arbitrating in London

LONDON Maritime Arbitration was published prior to the 1996 Arbitration Act coming into force on February 1 this year, and Chapter 2 contains an overview of the Act itself.

In her article in this issue of The Maritime Advocate, co-author Clare Ambrose explains the effect the Act is likely to have on reducing the high costs and delays in maritime arbitration in London. Arbitration is supposed to be simple. But it isn’t, because too many parties to disputes let lawyers complicate the issue. If you have a dispute which is likely to go near arbitration in London, you would be wise to have a copy of this book. It is not a simple guide, because it covers the subject in depth. But it is simple to follow and well-structured, and it tells you enough to be able to know when a lawyer is not taking the straightforward option.

London Maritime Arbitration. Ambrose, Clare and Maxwell, Karen. Published by LLP, 69 - 77 Paul Street, London EC2A 4LQ, UK. Tel: +44 171 553 1000, Fax: +44 171 553 1100. Price £78.

GN

Avoiding and resolving bunker disputes

MOST bunker disputes involve quantity, quality and demurrage claims, and most are avoidable. According to the International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA), the vast majority of bunker claims could be resolved very quickly.

A new guide prepared by the IBIA Dispute Resolution Working Group says care taken at the pre-contract and delivery stages can prevent a disagreement happening in the first place. If a disagreement does occur, IBIA says detailed hard copy confirmation of the enquiry details and sale contract can prevent a difference of opinion turning into a dispute.

Avoiding and Resolving Bunker Disputes provides a straightforward guide to good practice in the bunker industry. It is aimed at both buyers and sellers of bunkers. The concise guidelines are divided into two parts. The first part covers bunker disputes from a commercial angle, and gives practical advice on how to avoid disputes arising. The second part covers the same areas from a legal point of view, providing brief guidelines on the legal framework in which bunker disputes take place.

The guidelines point out that recourse to the law can be costly and damaging to business relationships. Bunker buyers and sellers who follow the guidance provided in this easily accessible sixteen-page booklet will avoid almost all such disputes.

Avoiding and Resolving Bunker Disputes. Published by IBIA, 2 Turret Grove, Clapham Old Town, London SW4 0EU, UK. Tel: +44 171 627 4404 Fax: +44 171 627 4405 e-mail i...@globalnet.co.uk. Free to IBIA members. £15 +VAT to non-members.

GN

Figments of the imagination

THE sea has always been the source of a rip-roaring yarn or two, especially when European sailors were first striking out across the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. Drinking holes in taverns from Bristol to Barcelona hummed with tales of giant sea demons and fantastic lands beyond the western horizon.

And with so much uncharted ocean out there, who was to say that the stories of a fellow mariner were not true? Many a fable found its way on to the charts and maps of the day. Mysterious islands dotted the vast empty expanse of the Atlantic, while borders were filled in with images of terrifying sea beasts and stricken ships.

In Phantom Islands of the Atlantic, veteran sailor Donald Johnson investigates some of the more intriguing islands that made their way on to mariners’ charts, only to be deleted by tectonic shifts or increasingly accurate navigation. Unsurprisingly, the book tells us that Hy-Brazil was not the Promised Land. Nor was the Isle of Demons actually inhabited by demons who tormented visitors with "confused and inarticulate voices". Gannets, yes. Demons, no. But this is not what the book is really about. It is as much a history of improving navigation and cartography as it is about dispelling rumours of spectral islands.

Johnson’s writing is accessible, though the novice may have trouble following parts of the more scientific discourse. Fortunately, there isn’t too much of it and the book reads as well and as pleasingly as Dana Sobel’s bestselling Longitude.

Well worth a look by anyone with an interest in maritime history.

Phantom Islands of the Atlantic - The Legends of Seven Lands That Never Were, Johnson, DS. Published by Souvenir Press Ltd, 43 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3PA,UK. Tel +44 171 637 5711 or +44 171 580 9302, Fax +44 171 580 5064. Price £14.99

RO

Beach music

CEPHALLONIA has a proud maritime history. It has produced some famous shipping names. It has also provided the inspiration for a memorable piece of story-telling by Louis de Bernieres, whose Captain Corelli’s Mandolin is currently heading towards the top of the UK paperback charts.

Recent estimates suggest that a healthy number of the tourists who have visited Cephallonia this year in their countless thousands have gone as a result of this book. Having just returned from the island, I can tell you that Capt Corelli was to be found under every fifth umbrella on the beach.

The book is an unlikely bestseller. It is set in 1941, with Cephallonia occupied by the Italians. It opens with the local doctor curing the hearing problems of an old man, who has been deaf since childhood, by removing a pea from his ear. From there, it just gets better.

Captain Corelli is funny and sad, savage and gentle. I have no reason to review it here other than the fact that I would really like you to read it. It is a book that should be read by everybody involved with dispensing or debating justice of any sort. If you buy it and don’t love it, I will personally give you your money back.

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin is published in the UK by Minerva, and costs £6.99 (ISBN No 0-7493-9754-3)