LONDON – Over forty lawyers in the London office of global law firm Reed Smith have been recognised in the latest The Best Lawyers in the United Kingdom™ guide.

Reed Smith shipping law consultant Stephen Kirkpatrick was included as a Lawyer of the Year, an exclusive honour that goes to just one lawyer per practice area in each region and is based on receiving the highest overall feedback from peers.

Kirkpatrick works principally for shipowners, charterers, including major and independent oil companies, and their mutual and non-mutual insurers. As well as handling charterparty, bill of lading, Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and shipbuilding issues, he has considerable experience in drafting carriage, charter and other contracts for use as standard forms or in specialised projects in the liner, tanker and offshore oil and gas sectors.

The forty Reed Smith lawyers included this year is an increase on the thirty-seven lawyers featured in last year’s guide.

Lawyers included in the listing for the first time this year include Elizabeth Farrell, Richard Hakes, Brett Hillis, Prajakt Samant, Jimmy Theodorou and James Wilkinson.