LAWYER PROFILE
Mike Phillips

Mike Phillips

UK 2026

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Ranked in 1 practice area

About

Provided by Watson Farley & Williams

Practice Areas

Mike specialises in shipping, contentious ship finance and ship and offshore vessel construction. Mike’s clients include shipowners, traders, insurers, banks, funds and shipyards.

With over 20 years’ of practice in the marine and international trade sector, Mike has a wealth of knowledge and experience which he brings to bear to help clients resolve their most complex and difficult problems. Representing some of the largest and most well-known companies in the marine and international trade sector, Mike is known as both an exceptional lawyer and a clever strategist. Equally at home in London arbitration or multi-jurisdictional Court proceedings, Mike has a strong record of success for clients in a wide range of matters from shipping and cargo claims, groundings and vessel fires through to complex multi-vessel finance enforcement. On the construction side, Mike represents shipyards and buyers on a range of construction projects from super-yachts through to complex offshore vessels and rigs.

Mike regularly delivers training to industry professionals, on a bespoke basis for clients, and through the leading industry association, BIMCO.

The Legal 500 2019 has called Mike “outstanding” and Chambers 2019 says that he is “confident, practical and good at reading his opponents’ minds”.

Mike was shortlisted as Legal 500 Transport Lawyer of the Year in 2019. He was recognised as one of the Top 10 Maritime Lawyers of 2017 in Lloyd’s List Top 100 most influential people in the Shipping Industry and won the UK Client Choice Awards for Shipping & Transport in 2015.

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession

Shipping - UK-wide

Band 4
Band 4

Individual Editorial
Mike Phillips advises ship owners and operators on a broad range of disputes. His expertise includes cargo claims and unpaid hire disputes, among other matters.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • Mike showed extensive knowledge and great experience.

    ShippingChambers Guide to the Legal Profession
  • Mike is an all-round shipping lawyer with lots of experience in these matters.

    ShippingChambers Guide to the Legal Profession
  • Mike is very commercially focused and a good litigator.

    ShippingChambers Guide to the Legal Profession

Ranked Individuals at Watson Farley & Williams (22)

London (Firms)

UK-wide

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