Law firm Thomas Cooper has announced a string of internal promotions, enhancing its ability to serve clients in key areas of the trade finance market.

As of November 1, the firm’s partnership will include Lisa Hillary, Ceri Done, Celso de Azevedo and Simon Murfitt.

Hillary has a 14-year career at the firm and is a specialist in shipping and container trade disputes, recently working on high-profile jurisdictional trade and commodity disputes.

Done, another shipping specialist, advises on collisions, ship sale and purchase and charterparty disputes. He has been with the firm since 2007.

As an insurance and re-insurance specialist, de Azevedo focuses on cross-border disputes and conflict of laws issues, particularly in Latin American and European jurisdictions. His practice covers a range of sectors including energy and business interruption losses. He qualified as a solicitor and barrister in 1997 and joined Thomas Cooper in 2009.

Simon Murfitt specialises in both UK and international maritime and offshore projects and finance. He has over 15 years’ experience representing financial institutions, having spent long periods working in both Asia and London, including time working in-house with a major UK lender.

“As we continue to develop our strategy of expansion in our core sectors, Lisa, Ceri, Celso and Simon’s promotions compliment the recent opportunities we have taken through external recruitments and new office openings,” says senior partner Tim Kelleher.

“We are delighted to welcome these individuals to the partnership, all of whom will strengthen our foundation and business model.”

The announcement continues Thomas Cooper’s plan to expand both in the UK and internationally. Earlier this year, the firm hired Alex Monk as trade and commodity finance specialist in London, whilst the arrival of Bernardo Ruiz Lima and his team at the firm’s Madrid office in September doubled its Spanish law shipping, transport and insurance litigation capacity.