A seven-strong team, including two partners, has joined Stephenson Harwood’s marine and international trade team in the Middle East, making it one of the largest in the region.
Partners Mohamed El Hawawy and Khurram Ali have joined the firm from Ince & Co Middle East, alongside a team of five legal professionals. They are managing associates Mehtab Kassam and Mahmoud El Sayed; associate Mahmoud El Sayed; paralegal Reem Sharif; and legal analyst Ashraf Mohamed.
El Hawawy will lead the firm’s Middle East shipping and insurance practices from Dubai. He specialises in litigation and dispute resolution, particularly in the shipping, insurance and aviation sectors.
Previously, he was joint managing partner of Ince & Co Middle East’s Dubai office and led the shipping practice across the UAE and wider region.
Khurram, meanwhile, specialises in dispute resolution with a particular focus on the maritime, transportation, oil & gas, international trade and ports/terminal sectors, as well as general commercial litigation.
Prior to his time at Ince, he worked at Clyde & Co across the Middle East—initially from Dubai and later relocating to Riyadh to establish and lead the shipping practice. At Ince, he assisted the firm’s expansion to the Saudi market and spearhead their operations in the country.
“Stephenson Harwood stands apart from other law firms in the maritime space because of our unique market position,” said Eifion Morris, chief executive of Stephenson Harwood. “We have an enviable and rich maritime heritage, and while most other firms have experience weighted towards one area or the other, we have premier ship finance and maritime practices in one firm.
“In the Middle East, the arrival of Mohamed and Khurram strengthens our practice there, which has grown into the largest specialist maritime, trade and insurance team in the region.”
With the addition of the new hires, Stephenson Harwood now counts six partners and 14 associates and advisers in the marine and international trade team.
