Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Holman Fenwick Willan


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep. (non-admin closure) power~enwiki ( π, ν ) 21:33, 14 August 2018 (UTC)

Holman Fenwick Willan

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No evidence of significant coverage in independent sources. Hirolovesswords (talk) 02:10, 22 July 2018 (UTC)
 *  Delete  Plenty of routine coverage, but lacking the significant coverage in reliable, independent sources that would be needed to meet corporate notability. PohranicniStraze (talk) 02:15, 22 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Striking vote for deletion per sources identified below. Looks like searching for more configurations of the corporate name would have helped. PohranicniStraze (talk) 18:36, 30 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Delete. routine listing of non-notable firm. NOTDIRECTORY is the applicable policy  DGG ( talk ) 05:55, 22 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Companies-related deletion discussions.  MT Train Talk 11:53, 22 July 2018 (UTC)

Keep per the significant coverage in multiple independent reliable sources.  The article notes: "Among the most prominent is London maritime firm Holman Fenwick Willan. Partner Toby Stephens says lawyers at the firm have been awakened 'at all hours' by ship owners calling the firm's 24-hour hot line. 'They're often quite panicked, and understandably so,' he says. Over the past three months, the rise in piracy has kept about a half-dozen lawyers at Holman Fenwick working nearly full-time for clients with potentially dozens of lives and tens of millions of dollars at stake in hijackings. To some degree, the work has helped Holman Fenwick offset other maritime practices hurt by the global economic slowdown. ... Business in Holman Fenwick's casualty practice, usually dealing with shipping collisions, and its ship-financing practice have slipped as the world economy has slowed.  ...  Piracy expertise at Holman Fenwick, which was founded in 1883, grew out of the firm's history representing clients following shipwrecks and collisions. The firm represented the salvage companies that cleaned up after the oil tanker Prestige broke up off the coast of Spain in 2002. The firm also represents the owners and insurers of the MSC Napoli, a container ship severely damaged in an English Channel storm last year. In addition to about 290 lawyers, the firm employs about 30 nonlawyer experts, such as former ship captains, marine engineers and naval architects. Holman Fenwick also assists clients in retaining private security consultants -- many of whom are former special-forces personnel -- to negotiate with the hijackers."  The publication notes: "In the first of an occasional series looking at different working environments, John Oakes spent some time with Holman, Fenwick and Willan Shipping law — an inside view." The article notes: "The two are inextricably linked. For Holman Fenwick, salvage and admiralty work generally are just part of a whole range of snipping services. Established in 1883, when Frank Holman first set up practice in London, the firm assumed its present name in 1915. And right from the early days, fuelled by strong connections with the West of England P&I Club, which the Holman family set up around 1875 and was in the same building until quite recently, shipping played the predominant role in the firm's business. In the early stages expansion was fairly gradual—by 1939, there were still only 28 partners and staff—but from 1950 onwards, Holman Fenwick grew quite rapidly. Today it employs some 250 people in five offices around the world. Its work is divided into five main departments—admiralty, commercial, company and ship finance, personal injury and property and tax planning. The West of England is still a major client. Admirality work, or the 'wet' side, as it is known at Holman's, is probably still the most glamorous side of the firm's business, though in terms of numbers employed, it takes second place to the commercial side. And one factor that sets… ...  After 100 years in the business, Holman's has established itself as one of the top three firms in London. Recent figures from Charter Party International showed that of charterparty litigation generally, Holman's accounted for 35% of the 60- odd cases handled in 1984 (Seatrade, December). Senior partner Christopher Cohen acknowledges that the competition is hotting up but argues that Holman's is doing its best to meet it. 'We are trying to broaden our base and will continue to do so,' he told Seatrade. That means taking on and expanding new areas of work, such as reinsurance and other fields of international trade, and making sure that the firm is well represented internationally, with its four overseas offices in Paris, Jersey, Hong Kong and now Japan."  The article notes: "AFTER officially opening its Perth office, global firm Holman Fenwick Willan has made it clear its new practice is primarily part of the global market. ... HFW, founded in London in 1883, is a unitary partnership with 130 partners and more than 280 lawyers. It has offices in China, Singapore, Britain, France, Belgium, the UAE, Switzerland and Greece as well as a co-operative arrangement with two firms in Saudi Arabia."  The article notes: "As more of the world's trade gravitates toward Asia, globally competitive Asian companies trust leading international law firm Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) to meet their specific business requirements. ... More than half of HFW's revenue stems from its 12 offices outside Britain, with much of this business coming from operations in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore. Having substantial representation in key industries, the firm stands out with its capabilities in aerospace, commodities, shipping, insurance, mining, logistics, power and construction. HFW assists Asian companies across these industries with their international trade through services spanning advisory, contract formation, finance, contentious practice and dispute resolution. ... It was one of the first international law firms to open an office in Hong Kong in 1978. In addition to its Hong Kong office, which was its second and remains its largest international office outside of London, HFW established its presence in Singapore in 1991."  The article notes: "Here's where companies such as Holman Fenwick Willan, which has been representing clients in shipwrecks and collisions since it was founded in 1883, come in. One of the most prominent legal firms, its staff operate around the clock in response to calls to an emergency hotline. 'It's a 24-hour business, because, as you can imagine, there are underwriters here in London but then we have negotiators out in the Middle East and we have to correspond with them,' says lawyer and partner Toby Stephens. The firm has had approximately 30 cases involving piracy since July last year; currently, it is handling more than four involving vessels still being held."  The Google Books snippets view notes: "WILLAN. Holman, Fenwick & Willan was founded in London in 1883 getting its present name in 1915 and is now one of the world's foremost litigation firms, well known for its expertise in shipping, international trade, insurance, reinsurance and international commerce."</li> <li> The article notes: "After 13 years at Norton Rose Fulbright he is becoming the director of business development and marketing at HFW. So what’s that, then? Sadly, Holman Fenwick Willan has been seduced by the idea that three letters can substitute for a distinguished history and distinctive identity. What worked for the BBC and IBM won’t necessarily work for firms who junk their past and go for anonymous acronyms. Names, not initials, carry character."</li> <li> The article notes: "Simmons & Simmons and Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) are among a number of international law firms named in the Panama Papers document leak. ... Meanwhile HFW has been named as an adviser to UAE president, Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, one of the world’s wealthiest men. The firm is understood to have advised the political figure on his dealings in the UK."</li> </ol>There is sufficient coverage in reliable sources to allow Holman Fenwick Willan to pass Notability, which requires "significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject". Cunard (talk) 08:42, 29 July 2018 (UTC) </li></ul>
 * Keep per sourcing identified by Cunard. I started putting some of it in. <b style="color:#7F007F">TimTempleton</b> <sup style="color:#800080">(talk)  <sup style="color:#7F007F">(cont)  18:08, 30 July 2018 (UTC)

<div class="xfd_relist" style="border-top: 1px solid #AAA; border-bottom: 1px solid #AAA; padding: 0px 25px;"> Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion and clearer consensus. Relisting comment: Relist to allow evaluation of newly posted sources. Courtesy ping existing commenter.

Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks, Ben · Salvidrim!   &#9993;  19:31, 30 July 2018 (UTC) <div class="xfd_relist" style="border-top: 1px solid #AAA; border-bottom: 1px solid #AAA; padding: 0px 25px;"> Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion and clearer consensus.
 * Keep Enough sourcing discovered by Cunard to pass GNG. ~ EDDY  ( talk / contribs )~ 18:00, 5 August 2018 (UTC)

Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks,  Sandstein   10:32, 7 August 2018 (UTC)


 * Delete per nom + poorly written article with little info. <b style="color:#3399FF">Redditaddict69</b> <sup style="color:#339900">(click here if I screwed up stuff again) <sup style="color:3300FF">(edits)   05:31, 14 August 2018 (UTC)
 * Keep - significant coverage shown demonstrated by Cunard, and sources demonstrate the entity is considered one of the foremost experts on maritime law, perhaps the preeminent one. That the article currently does not reflect this does not prove the subject is non-notable.   78.26  (spin me / revolutions) 20:37, 14 August 2018 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. <b style="color:red">Please do not modify it.</b> Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.