Bargate Murray

Founder and CEO: Quentin Bargate
Number of directors: 4
Number of lawyers: 7 — 5 qualified, 2 trainees
Languages: English, French (conversational), German (conversational), Russian

Firm Overview:
Bargate Murray is one of the world’s leading specialist luxury asset law firms with specific expertise in legal matters relating to superyachts, private jets and residential property.

The firm’s yachting expertise covers all aspects of construction, ownership, sale and purchase, financing, operation, crewing, insurance and taxation of superyachts and demand for the firm’s niche skill set continues to grow.

Bargate Murray also boast a thriving aviation practice where they handle a diverse range of matters including the sale and purchase and financing of private jets.

The firm also has an outstanding dispute resolution department, led by Quentin Bargate, undertaking international litigation, arbitration and mediation in relation to issues as diverse as the ownership of oil concessions in Yemen through to partnership disputes, London maritime arbitrations and general business to business disputes.

The firm also handles a wide range of non-contentious commercial work for business large and small and have some niche expertise acting for companies in the electronic ticketing industry.

Practice Areas: 
Aviation
Banking & Finance
Commercial
Corporate
Dispute Resolution (including Litigation & Arbitration)
Property
Tax/VAT
Shipping
Superyachts

Because of the premium placed by its clients on confidentiality Bargate Murray does not generally comment on specific deals or disputes.
However, the firm has significant experience in the following areas of practice:

Yacht Construction:
Advising UHNW individuals and their representatives on the construction of some of the largest and most innovative superyachts in the fleet. The firm is currently advising on several new builds over 90m in length with values in excess of €300m each and is heavily involved . The firm’s work covers the fields of project management, banking/finance, dispute resolution, insurance and tax.

The Yacht team at Bargate Murray also has extensive experience with smaller yachts between 24m-90m, in particular with respect to refit and conversion.

Yacht Sale & Purchase:
The Yacht team at Bargate Murray are also experienced in sale and purchase, most recently in the sale of a large yacht worth over €100m. The firm handles deals of all shapes and sizes from smaller sport yachts, tenders and support vessels through to yachts exceeding well over 100 metres in length.

Yacht Regulation:
The Yacht team at Bargate Murray are regularly asked to adviseon matters concerning Maritime Labour Convention and Red Ensign Group Yacht Code. Bargate Murray has always been at the forefront of regulatory matters including having acted for the owner of the first Cayman Islands flagged yacht to pass its MLC audit and receive an MLC ‘letter of compliance’ from this prestigious registry. The firm is adept at handling a whole range of regulatory issues and keeps abreast of regulatory updates which affect our clients so as to ensure preparedness and compliance as and when major changes take place.

Yacht Finance:
The yacht finance practice has seen Bargate Murray advise on several new financings, including collateralised loan agreements involving large yachts and a private jets. The combined value of the last two deals handled by the firm was approximately €130m.

Tax:
With regard to tax, Bargate Murray (working where necessary with colleagues in the UK and abroad) have significant advice in the field of EU customs and VAT regulation. The firm regularly advises on the importation and use of yachts (and other luxury assets) within the EU and other areas of the world and has the expertise and experience to handle investigations of tax authorities when they arise.

Aviation:
Bargate Murray provides a comprehensive range of services within its aviation practice including advising companies and UHNW individuals on various legal matters. The firm’s extensive experience in private and business aviation covers aviation agreements, including sale and purchase and aircraft financing, regulatory and operational matters, as well as dispute resolution by way of arbitration and litigation. In relation to litigation, the team has particular expertise involving aircraft and engine maintenance contracts.

Dispute Resolution:
The firm’s dispute resolution practice is led by Quentin and deals with large and complex cases and arbitration.

The firm has particular expertise in yacht building disputes. The firm has an extensive network of highly regarded and trusted lawyers around the world, providing a truly international dispute resolution service. As the firm’s founder and CEO, Quentin Bargate is our highly regarded arbitration expert, who is regularly appointed as an Arbitrator in maritime disputes under LMAA terms.

Key Clients:
The firm’s key clients include UHNW individuals, family offices, yacht mangers, corporate service providers, trust and fiduciary companies and other law firms who turn to Bargate Murray where specialist assistance is needed. Bargate Murray’s clients value the high level of discretion with which its lawyers handle their matters and does not publicise specific clients or matters. However, the firm is proud to note that as of the first half of 2021 its lawyers were involved 20 per cent of the 20 largest yachts currently under construction worldwide, which is remarkable given the size of the firm.

Contacts:  

Contact: Quentin Bargate
Email: [email protected], [email protected]