ESTABLISHED IN 2019

Total number of professionals: 18 (7 partners)
Principal office: Singapore
Other offices: Hong Kong

Key practice areas

Shipping; corporate, banking & finance; commodities; commercial disputes; employment

Our services

Helmsman is a leading multidisciplinary law firm servicing clients and partners in Asia, Greater China and further afield. Helmsman started as a dedicated shipping and commodities specialist practice and has grown to include practices such as commercial disputes, employment, corporate, banking and finance.

The firm routinely acts for clients in varied and high-value commercial transactions and disputes across the world from its offices in Singapore and Hong Kong. The breadth of experience and deep expertise of their lawyers makes them the counsel of choice for the biggest corporations and industry stakeholders across the world.

Shipping: Helmsman is dedicated to all things maritime that inspired their name and is a mainstay of the firm, from the construction of vessels, financing, sale and purchase, trading and employment, repair, conversion, and recycling. Helmsman’s work spans the whole gamut of contentious and non-contentious work from ship finance and mortgage enforcement, charter parties and bills of lading disputes, marine casualties, salvage and towage to insurance.

Trade and commodities: Helmsman acts across the spectrum of international trade, with a special focus on hard and soft commodities including agricultural products, metals, coal, oil, gas, and LNG. The firm’s expertise spans both physical trading and commodity derivatives. The team of specialists are frequently instructed on both contentious and non-contentious matters.

Commercial disputes: Helmsman’s commercial disputes practice group deals with a variety of commercial matters, including complex and multi-jurisdictional commercial disputes. The team is experienced in international and domestic arbitration and litigation, as well as other alternative dispute resolution mechanisms such as mediation and neutral evaluation. The team’s expertise expands across various industry areas, including fraud and asset recovery, professional negligence, real estate, information technology and corporate disputes.

Employment: The firm’s specialist team is able to assist clients with the basics of reviewing and drafting employment contracts and disciplinary policies, to the more complicated issues such as enforceability of restrictive covenants. When matters turn contentious, the firm is able to help employers and employees protect and enforce rights, particularly when issues of wrongful dismissal or breach of contract arise.

Corporate, banking & finance: Helmsman understands how complex the business of finance and banking can be. The firm’s legal experts are sought by the government, banks, institutions and businesses to advise on financial instruments and contracts, lease agreements, capital raising, building and procurement, fee negotiation and insurance, vessel mortgage enforcement and risk management for a wide range of maritime, offshore and port infrastructure assets and trade. Helmsman’s strength lies in the market insights that the firm has gained from working with a variety of clients in many industry-specific areas. This helps the firm to guide clients better, understand the issues faced and provide viable solutions within an efficient timeframe.