Watson Farley & Williams LLP (“WFW”) is delighted to announce that assets and structured finance expert Jonathan Silver has joined the firm as a Partner in Hong Kong. Jonathan joins WFW from Maples Group and was previously a Partner at Norton Rose Fulbright Hong Kong.
Jonathan has over 18 years’ experience advising banks, sponsors, borrowers, lessors and private equity on general banking and finance matters, working capital loans, syndicated and bilateral lending, secured lending, structured trade and commodity finance, debt capital markets and alternative finance. Ship finance is his area of special expertise, which includes the debt financing of ships, ship sale-and-leaseback lease finance, sale and purchase of ships and other commercial shipping contracts including ship building contracts, refund guarantees, performance guarantees, management agreements, pooling agreements and JVs between shipowners and funds. He is qualified in England and Wales, Hong Kong, the Republic of Ireland (not practising), the Republic of the Marshall Islands (“RMI”) and the British Virgin Islands (“BVI”). Jonathan is also appointed as a notary public in Hong Kong.
WFW Asia Assets and Structured Finance Group Head Madeline Leong commented: “Jonathan is a strong strategic addition to the firm. His long-standing experience in ship finance and his expertise, and ability to advise on matters relating to the RMI will be a considerable asset to the team and will strengthen WFW’s maritime finance practice across North Asia”.
Christoforos Bisbikos, WFW Hong Kong Office Head, added: “Jonathan is highly regarded in Hong Kong and North Asia maritime legal circles for his first-class industry knowledge and experience and I’m delighted to welcome him to WFW. Jonathan’s addition to the maritime team is a testament to the firm’s continuous growth in the sector and in this region”.
Jonathan commented: “I am very excited to be joining such a dynamic and robust maritime practice and look forward to helping further enhance WFW’s impressive existing platform across North Asia in both in the maritime space and the assets and structured finance sector more generally”.
