Law firm HFW has bolstered its London-based commodities practice with the hire of disputes specialist Anna Fomina as partner. 

Fomina joins after more than five years at Clyde & Co, where she most recently held the position of legal director, based in the UK. Prior to that role, she spent more than a decade at Inco & Co in Dubai. 

HFW says Fomina specialises in physical commodities disputes, including in the oil and gas, chemical products and metals sectors, and also advises on non-contentious matters such as sale and purchase contracts and charterparties. 

Alistair Feeney, the firm’s global head of commodities, says Fomina’s “years of experience in handling complex, high-value disputes for leading international trading companies” will strengthen its global commodities practice. 

Fomina adds: “The firm’s deep industry knowledge and focus on shipping, commodities, trade and energy, on both the disputes and non-contentious sides, across their entire international network align perfectly with my practice.” 

The move comes amid a period of rapid expansion for HFW, which has added more than 50 partners since the 2023 financial year across offices in Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. It has also established a new entity in Saudi Arabia and opened an office in Shenzhen. 

In January, the firm hired David Savage as a partner in its sanctions practice, a London-based role.