Issued 06 August 2010
The International Salvage Union (ISU) has announced that Mr Rob Wallis will succeed Mr Archie Bishop as its new Legal Adviser. The appointment is effective from the conclusion of the ISU Annual Meeting 21-23 September 2010.
President of the ISU, Mr Todd Busch said of the appointment: “I should like to pay tribute to Archie for his many years of loyal and professional service to the ISU. His vast experience of salvage law has been of huge value to us over the years and his reputation in the marine market is second to none.
“At the same time I am delighted to welcome Rob Wallis. He also has great experience of salvage law and is a well-known and much-respected lawyer in the shipping markets. We are honoured that he is joining us and that he will bring his 35 years of maritime law experience and expertise to bear on issues of common interest to marine salvors.”
Mr Bishop will continue to represent the ISU at the Comite Maritime International (CMI) and on the issue of environmental salvage awards. It will ensure continuity in discussions to which he has been party to for a number of years.
Mr Wallis is a Law graduate of Leicester University and qualified as a UK solicitor in 1975 and joined the law firm of Elborne Mitchell specialising in Maritime Law, particularly “wet” work – salvage and collision – as well as aspects of marine insurance and re-insurance. In 1988 Mr Wallis joined the London office of Hill Dickinson as a Partner and was Chairman of Hill Taylor Dickinson from 1999 to 2004 prior to the re-merger with Hill Dickinson in 2007.
Commenting on his appointment Mr Wallis said: “It is a privilege to be the ISU’s new Legal Adviser. Archie has been a wonderful servant to the salvage industry and I am really looking forward to taking up the reins and to serving the whole of the industry through the ISU.”
A large part of Mr Wallis’ work has been in practice of Common law salvage, Lloyd’s Open Form (LOF) and other forms of salvage contract. He has lectured on salvage matters and been a representative of the Admiralty Solicitors Group (ASG) for 25 years and its Chairman for the last seven years.
Mr Wallis served on the ASG advisory body set up to assist Lloyd’s with the amendments to LOF and has worked with most of the International Group of P&I Clubs. Mr Wallis has travelled widely and in his leisure time is a keen sportsman, playing tennis and golf and following English rugby.
Notes to editors:
Mr Wallis is a CEDR trained and qualified Mediator; on the panel of the Maritime Solicitors Mediation Service (MSMS); a member of the British Maritime Law Association and of the CMI sub-committee on Article 14; the BMLA sub-committee on Environmental Salvage and a trustee of the Maritime London Officer Cadet Scholarship.
For further information contact:
James Herbert, Communications Adviser, ISU: +44 1423 331096 / +44 7979 855126