Nick joins BDM after 21 years with an international law firm latterly as head of that firm’s Japan team and as co-head of their Russia and East European team. He is often in Asia, particularly Japan, and his clients include many of the largest Japanese ship owners, operators and trading houses and those who insure them. Nick also lived in Hong Kong for a while and is dual qualified as an English and Hong Kong lawyer. He has an extensive network of contacts across Asia and also represents clients in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and Singapore.

Nick’s focus is shipping and trade and he is known for his ability to handle both wet and dry aspects of casualties with particular emphasis on collisions, container fires, stow collapses, total losses, groundings, salvage, wreck removal and pollution. He is recommended by a number of the legal directories including Legal 500 and Who’s Who Legal and high profile cases include the loss of the “MOL Comfort”. His expertise extends to charter party, cargo defence, shipbuilding and sale and purchase contracts. Over the years he has handled a number of high value arbitration and Commercial Court cases. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the London Maritime Arbitrators Association and he is familiar with almost all forms of arbitration procedure including LMAA, LCIA, ICC, HKIAC, SIAC and CIETAC. He also deals with commodity disputes and has handled cases under GAFTA, FOSFA, LME and RSA rules. Recent cases include several major bulk cargo losses and collisions in Argentina and the UAE.

As well as dealing with disputes, Nick also helps his clients on the non-contentious side. Over the years he has negotiated and drafted charters, consortia/pooling contracts, shipbuilding contracts, sale and purchase agreements and trading contracts.

Nick is regularly instructed by international group P&I Clubs, the London, Russian and Japanese hull markets and a number of large shipowners and trading houses.

Although a seasoned litigator, Nick is renowned for providing quick and concise advice with a view to achieving a resolution of the issue short of legal proceedings. More recently he has taken on appointments as mediator and arbitrator.