Brian Devine has been named partner in Fulbright New York’s shipping practice, ahead of the firm’s merger with Norton Rose on June 3.

He joins from Blank Rome, where he worked as a shipping partner. Before this he worked as a partner at Healy & Baillie before it merged with Blank Rome in 2006.

His areas of expertise include US shipping finance, security arrangements, debt and equity offerings, commercial transactions and corporate governance and structure.

He will report to Harry Theochari, currently global head of transport at Norton Rose, and Linda Addison, partner-in-charge at Fulbright’s New York office.

Speaking of Devine’s appointment, Theochari says: “Brian will add strength to Norton Rose’s global transport practice. New York is a key market for the shipping sector and our international clients will benefit from Brian’s ship finance expertise. Traditional sources of finance for the shipping sector remain constrained and New York offers access to real sources of ship finance as the sector increasingly draws on the capital markets and private equity for its funding. Brian brings with him a huge amount of experience and will complement our existing global shipping practice.”