Matt Hannaford
Partner – CDG
T: +44 (020) 8734 2800
W: www.cdg.co.uk
What sort of clients do you advise?
Buyers, yards and financiers.
What makes a good superyacht lawyer?
Technical expertise, industry knowledge and client focus.
How did you end up in superyacht law?
In my early years as a lawyer I did a lot of work in the cruise ships sector and my introduction to superyachts was a natural extension at a time when the increasing size and sophistication of large yachts meant that clients often benefited by having the support (legal and technical) from those with commercial shipping expertise.
What do you like most about your job?
The people. I cannot imagine there is any other industry (except perhaps the film industry!!) which produces such colourful and passionate characters.
What one piece of advice would you give to potential yacht buyers?
Getting it right is a mixture of inspiration and perspiration. Who the buyer chooses to support him/her will determine the proportions.
Official biography
Matt specialises in a wide range of transactional shipping law areas including ship finance, newbuilding projects, acquisitions and joint ventures. He is recognised as one of the leading lawyers in ship sale and purchase being the co-author of Goldrein’s ‘Ship Sale and Purchase‘ and ‘Ship Building, Sale and Finance‘ published by Informa. Matt is a serving member of the BIMCO committee responsible for the drafting of Saleform 2012.
Matt’s clients include major ship owners, shipbuilders, financiers and private equity firms and he lectures extensively around the world on a wide range of ship finance and commercial shipping subjects.
Matt is a recommended lawyer in the Finance (Asset Finance and Leasing) section of the 2014 UK edition of The Legal 500.
