US law firm Sullivan & Worcester has hired HFW trade finance partner Matthew Cox to strengthen the firm’s London office.
Cox is a trade and export finance specialist, including in the digitalisation of trade and trade finance, and leaves HFW after four and a half years. He advises banks, funds, traders and producers on structured trade and commodity finance, with expertise in pre-export and advance payment structures, borrowing bases, receivables, warehouse financing, commodity repos and ECA-backed financings.
He also has extensive experience representing fintechs, platform providers and non-bank capital providers, assisting clients in navigating the digitalisation of trade finance across jurisdictions where he has previously worked.
Geoffrey Wynne, head of Sullivan’s trade and export finance group and managing partner of the London office, said that Cox was “highly respected in the trade and commodity finance sector, bringing significant expertise that complements our existing strengths”.
Before joining HFW, Cox was a partner at Simmons & Simmons, where he spent five years, alternating between London and Singapore. He joined that firm from Dentons, where he trained and qualified – and his professional home for the bulk of his career – with secondments to Singapore, Tokyo, Dubai and London.
Cox said: “This is an exciting time to be joining Sullivan. The market continues to evolve rapidly, with new sources of capital, an increasing role of non-bank lenders and the digitalisation of trade instruments all reshaping how transactions are structured.”
Sullivan & Worcester is recognised for having the largest team of specialist trade finance partners in London, leading Wynne to add: “His arrival enhances our ability to support clients across the full range of traditional and digital trade finance solutions, particularly as the market continues to evolve with new technologies and funding models.”
His arrival at Sullivan & Worcester follows the promotion of Daniela Barrdear to partner in June, reflecting the firm’s continued investment in its leading trade finance team, although the firm lost trade and commodity finance partner Ellis Lawson to Dentons in the same month.
Cox’s exit from HFW comes after the firm posted an 8% increase in turnover during the 2024/25 financial year. Revenue hit £270.8m, accompanied by a 2% increase in total profit to £77.2m. Profit per equity partner dipped by 3% to £828,000 following a series of lateral hires, while revenue per lawyer grew 12% to £465,000.
This month, HFW has added Melbourne arbitration partner Elizabeth Sloane from Stephenson Harwood and Jones Day construction disputes partner Simon Bellas, who is relocating from Australia to HFW's Singapore office.
An HFW spokesperson: “We wish Matthew all the best for the future.”
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