UK shipping giant Watson Farley promotes ex-Trilegal-ILS Dhruv Paul to partner in Dubai

Dhruv Paul gets WFW partnership in Dubai
Dhruv Paul gets WFW partnership in Dubai

London-headquartered international shipping and corporate law firm Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) has promoted former Trilegal lawyer Dhruv Paul to its partnership, in a round of six promotions.

Paul is based in its Dubai office, which was set up in 2014, in the firm’s aviation, assets and structured finance practice.

He is dual qualified in England & Wales, and in India, having obtained his law degree in 2008 from ILS Pune.

Paul had begun his career with Trilegal in Delhi but in 2013 moved to Dubai to join Clyde & Co, which had strong India exposure via its tie-up with Clasis Law.

He briefly returned to Trilegal in Delhi in 2015 for six months as counsel, but in 2016 joined WFW in Dubai.

According to a WFW press release, in aviation he “regularly represents banks, lessors, airlines and operators on a wide range of aircraft finance transactions”, with clients including “leading banks, lessors and airlines, apart from ultra-high net worth individuals”.

In the corporate field he had advised corporates “looking to enter into the Indian or Middle Eastern market, as well as Indian or Middle Eastern companies looking at outward investments or investments”, according to WFW.

Four of WFW’s other five promotions were in London in Paul’s practice group or in maritime, assets and structured finance, taking its total partnership size to 173.

WFW is one of the UK’s larger law firms, with revenues of £131m in 2015-16, making it one of the UK’s largest specialist shipping and maritime law firms.

Dhruv PaulWork history From: May 2020: Partner, Watson Farley & Williams Nov 2016 - Apr 2020: Senior Associate, Watson Farley & Williams (Dubai) From: Jul 2017: Mentor, RecruVia Feb 2016 - Nov 2016: Associate, Clyde & Co (Dubai Emirate) Jul 2015 - Jan 2016: Counsel, Trilegal (New Delhi) Sep 2013 - Jul 2015: Associate, Clyde & Co LLP (Dubai) Apr 2011 - Aug 2013: Senior Associate, Trilegal (New Delhi Area) Jun 2008 - Apr 2011: Associate, Trilegal (New Delhi Area) Aug 2011 - May 2012: Counsel (on secondment from Trilegal), BG Group (Mumbai Area)Education 2003 - 2008: ILS Law College, LLB, Law

Comments

Team Anand Prasad 13 May 2020, 16:15
+5 -0
Congratulations Dhruv. You are now an international star
Cool guy 15 May 2020, 05:17
+1 -1
He has this unnatural ability to remain calm even in the most stressful moments! Best senior ever
Deep A Lock 14 May 2020, 02:26
+1 -2
Heartiest congratulations Dhruv. Very well deserved! A true team player, and an inspiration for the younger generation.
Friend#1 14 May 2020, 04:33
+0 -0
Congratulations Dhruv, well deserved. Excellent lawyer -- will go a long way
Scooter Libby 14 May 2020, 05:12
+0 -0
Congrats Dhruv Paul!
ex-TL 14 May 2020, 05:20
+0 -0
Congrats champ!
Client 14 May 2020, 06:20
+1 -0
Great news.

Have worked with him on structuring of a ME business. He was one of the best in the region; better than many tier 1s I had engaged on various other matters in Dubai.

Godspeed.
GK 1 N block market 14 May 2020, 08:37
+1 -0
DP - Cha gaye tum!! party to banti hai. GK 1 sends its regards :)
Magic Circle Assoc 14 May 2020, 09:08
+2 -1
"WFW is one of the UK’s larger law firms, with revenues of £131m in 2015-16" - seems a bit inaccurate? You might want to report about Joydeep Choudhuri's promotion to the A&O partnership, one of the UK larger law firms, with revenues of around £1.5 billion...
Sachi ka magic circle? 14 May 2020, 14:19
+3 -1
There's a key difference between "largest" and "larger"
Magic Circle Assoc 15 May 2020, 09:53
+1 -0
A&O is not the largest but among the "larger" UK headquartered firms. It's inaccurate on LI's part to classify HFW as one of the "UK's larger law firms", when its revenues & profits are a tiny fraction of those that are actually among the "larger" firms. Whilst HFW is indeed an international law firm and the individual's making the partnership at that firm is laudable, HFW's revenues and profits might be comparable to (perhaps, even lower than) any of lndia's top-10 full service law firms. Feel free to check HFW's financials online. For the sake of full disclosure, I don't work at either A&O or HFW.
HFW 17 May 2020, 12:46
+0 -0
There is a difference between HFW and WFW. Separate firms! That said, replacing HFW with WFW in your comment, i would agree with the remaining.
White shoe 15 May 2020, 10:01
+0 -1
Flawed logic. One of the larger makes no sense.
Guest 15 May 2020, 10:43
+2 -0
It does to those who have not skipped those English grammar lessons in childhood.
Little John 14 May 2020, 10:28
+2 -0
Sherwood Sherwood.. ra ra ra!
acapulco 14 May 2020, 17:32
+3 -0
Dhruv Paul was affectionately called Chotu by his friends at ILS .. he has turned out to be a giant of a lawyer congratulations Dhruv. All of us who used to drink tea with you at Suruchi are proud of you.
Just a Guest 17 May 2020, 07:46
+3 -0
Just curious. How much would be his salary in this UK Law firm in Dubai? Any ideas?

1 crore INR +?
AZJ 19 May 2020, 07:33
+4 -0
Great news Dhruv, richly deserved. I attribute this to the egg drop training at the first Neemrana Sessions!