Law firm HFW announced the continued expansion of its Australian business and international construction practice by hiring disputes partner Sean Marriott in Perth. Marriott specializes in construction disputes and international arbitration in the oil and gas, mining, power, renewables, and public infrastructure sectors and in investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS). He is admitted in Australia and England & Wales and has practiced in London and Perth. Before becoming a lawyer, Marriott had a career as an engineer. He will join HFW from Clifford Chance on 4 November 2024.
In the last 18 months, HFW has added seven construction partners globally, including the appointments in May 2024 of Steven Yip and Malcolm Chin in Hong Kong and Tom Hutchison in London and three other partner hires in Singapore, Melbourne, and Dubai. With Sean’s arrival, HFW now has eight construction partners across Australia.
HFW has been consistently growing in Australia since entering the market in 2006 and has been reported as the fastest-growing law firm in Australia over the last 12 months by the Australian Financial Review. Since the beginning of FY24, the firm has added thirteen new partners across its offices in Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney, including a major corporate, projects, and regulatory team in Perth and a corporate restructuring, insolvency, and commercial litigation team in Melbourne. HFW’s Australia revenue grew by a third in FY24.
Marriott’s expertise in international arbitration of construction, energy, and resources and investor-state disputes is reflected in his recent appointment by the Attorney-General of Australia as one of Australia’s four appointees to the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators and Conciliators. He was also recently re-appointed as an Australian delegate to the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) and of the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (ACICA).
Marriott has acted as managing counsel and advocate under various arbitral rules, including ICSID, ICC, LCIA, UNCITRAL, and LMAA, in some of the biggest construction disputes in Australia. He also has significant litigation experience, including experience in the Technology and Construction Court, Commercial Court, and Court of Appeal in London, as well as experience in shipping and maritime disputes.
Marriott lectures and teaches on Construction Law and International Arbitration and is a member of the Thought Leadership Committee of the Society of Construction Law Australia (SoCLA). In 2023, he was awarded International Alternative Dispute Resolution Practitioner of the Year at the Australian ADR Awards. He is also ranked in legal directories as one of Australia’s Leading Arbitration Lawyers and a Construction Law Rising Star.
His arrival continues a period of sustained expansion for HFW worldwide. Since the beginning of FY23, HFW has added more than 50 new partners, including team and partner hires in Hong Kong, Kuwait City, London, Melbourne, Paris, Perth, Piraeus, Riyadh, Singapore, and Sydney.
HFW now has 34 partners and more than 110 lawyers across its offices in Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney, working as part of an Asia Pacific team comprising more than 60 partners and over 210 lawyers and a global team of 184 Partners and more than 550 lawyers. The firm’s global construction practice features 19 partners and over 90 lawyers. The team works internationally on some of the largest and most technically complex projects, advising on procurement, risk management, and disputes throughout the project lifecycle.
KEY QUOTES:
“Our global construction group has more than doubled in size over the past two years in line with client demand, and we are committed to continuing that growth across our global business as we welcome Sean to the firm. Sean has significant experience advising contractors on complex construction disputes in Australia, Asia and London, and a distinguished track record in investor-state dispute settlement in construction projects. He will work closely with the construction partners in Australia and across our global network of offices and will be a great asset to the firm and our clients.”
- Michael Sergeant, Head of Construction, HFW
“I am delighted to welcome Sean to HFW. Sean, like other members of the construction group, has an engineering background and will make an excellent addition to the firm’s service offering in Australia. His extensive experience in both construction and maritime disputes, combined with his engineering expertise, will be invaluable for our clients, particularly those engaged in offshore oil and gas, decommissioning, shipbuilding and offshore wind projects.”
- Gavin Vallely, Managing Partner, HFW Australia
“HFW’s reputation as a leading construction practice in Australia and internationally continues to grow, and I am excited to be joining a firm that is committed to investing in the construction sector. In addition, HFW’s specialisation in related industry sectors including maritime, energy, mining and insurance, together with its ISDS and international arbitration practice, provides a unique service offering to construction clients in Australia, especially those undertaking onshore and offshore energy and resources and infrastructure projects. I am looking forward to working with HFW colleagues and clients in Australia and around the world.”
- Sean Marriott, HFW Partner
