Stephenson Harwood
Encyclopedia
Stephenson Harwood is an international
law firm with seven offices across Europe and Asia comprising some 115 partners and 700 staff
Revenue for 2008/09 was £85 million. Profit per equity partner
– a key measure of profitability used by law firms - was £610,000. An 8 per cent increase against 2008's figures.
Two years later the firm was one of the first UK outfits to enter the Asian market, and has now been in Hong Kong for thirty years. 2002 saw the merger with City shipping specialist Sinclair Roche & Temperley, gifting it a Shanghai presence.
Stephenson Harwood played an instrumental role in securing the release of American Hostages during the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. The firm acted for Bank Markazi, a leading Iranian financial institution, and became a de facto mediator between Iran and the US Authorities. At that time all overseas Iranian assets, including those of Bank Markazi were "frozen" as a result of US policy. A key factor delaying the release of the US hostages was the unfreezing of Iranian assets. Stephenson Harwood devised the actual means by which this could be done and were praised as a result by the then US Secretary of State, Cyrus Vance.
On 1 Feb 2010, the Hong Kong
office changed its name from Stephenson Harwood & Lo to Stephenson Harwood.
International
----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
law firm with seven offices across Europe and Asia comprising some 115 partners and 700 staff
Revenue for 2008/09 was £85 million. Profit per equity partner
Equity partner
An equity partner is a partner in a partnership who is a part owner of the business, and is entitled to a proportion of the distributable profits of the partnership...
– a key measure of profitability used by law firms - was £610,000. An 8 per cent increase against 2008's figures.
History
When lawyer William Harwood returned to London after practising in China, he and Henry Stephenson created the firm of Harwood & Stephenson in 1875. The firm's history can actually be traced back some sixty years earlier to 1828 with City law firm Tatham & Lousada. Tathams merged with Stephenson Harwood - as the firm was by then known - in 1920 to form Stephenson Harwood & Tatham, shortening its name back to Stephenson Harwood in 1977.Two years later the firm was one of the first UK outfits to enter the Asian market, and has now been in Hong Kong for thirty years. 2002 saw the merger with City shipping specialist Sinclair Roche & Temperley, gifting it a Shanghai presence.
Stephenson Harwood played an instrumental role in securing the release of American Hostages during the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. The firm acted for Bank Markazi, a leading Iranian financial institution, and became a de facto mediator between Iran and the US Authorities. At that time all overseas Iranian assets, including those of Bank Markazi were "frozen" as a result of US policy. A key factor delaying the release of the US hostages was the unfreezing of Iranian assets. Stephenson Harwood devised the actual means by which this could be done and were praised as a result by the then US Secretary of State, Cyrus Vance.
On 1 Feb 2010, the Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
office changed its name from Stephenson Harwood & Lo to Stephenson Harwood.
Key practice areas
- Competition
- Corporate and commercial
- Employment and pensions
- Environment
- Finance
- Funds
- Insolvency and restructuring
- Insurance and reinsurance
- Information technology
- Intellectual property
- Litigation and arbitration
- Outsourcing
- Projects, including PFI/PPP
- Real estate
- Regulation
- Tax
External links
- Stephenson Harwood - Official Site
- Stephenson Harwood Hong Kong - Official Site