HFW has continued the growth of its construction practice with the hire of a disputes specialist in Perth from Clifford Chance. 

Sean Marriott will join the 700-lawyer firm as a partner next month after eight years at Clifford Chance. He specialises in construction disputes and international arbitration in the oil and gas, mining, power, renewables and public infrastructure sectors, and in investor-state dispute settlement. An engineer before he was a lawyer, he is admitted in Australia and England and Wales and has practised in London and Perth. 

“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,” said Gavin Vallely, managing partner for HFW Australia. 

“His 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.”

Marriott has acted as managing counsel and advocate under various arbitral rules including ICSID, ICC, LCIA, UNCITRAL and LMAA, HFW said. He also has significant litigation experience, including in the Technology and Construction Court and Commercial Court and Court of Appeal in London and has experience of shipping and maritime disputes. He was most recently a counsel at Clifford Chance. 

Including Marriott, HFW has added seven construction partners globally in the last 18 months, including Steven Yip and Malcolm Chin, who joined in Hong Kong in May at the helm of a seven-strong construction team from Australian firm MinterEllison. The firm has also added partners to the practice in London, Dubai, Singapore and Melbourne. Including Marriott, the firm now has eight construction partners across Australia. 

Michael Sergeant, head of construction at HFW, said the firm’s global construction group had more than doubled in size over the past two years in line with client demand. 

“We’re committed to continuing that growth across our global business as we welcome Sean to the firm,” Sergeant added. “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.”

Other law firms have been expanding their Australian construction benches recently, including MinterEllison, which hired construction litigation partner Peter Pether in Sydney last month from King & Wood Mallesons. 

For its part, HFW has been identified as the fastest-growing law firm in Australia over the last 12 months by the Australian Financial Review. It has now added 13 new partners across the country since the beginning of FY24, including a corporate, projects and regulatory team last November, also from MinterEllison and an aerospace, shipping, energy and litigation funding team from Clyde & Co.

The firm said it now has 34 partners and more than 110 lawyers across its offices in Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, and grew Australia revenue by a third in FY24.