BDM
BDM Law LLP is a London-based specialist maritime and shipping law firm serving international shipowners, marine insurers, P&I clubs, offshore energy contractors, commodity traders, and shipyards across disputes, transactions, and 24/7 casualty response.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What BDM does
BDM Law LLP is a London-headquartered limited liability partnership founded in June 2015 by three former Ince & Co partners (Nick Burgess, David McInnes, and Bob Deering) specializing in maritime, shipping, trade, energy, insurance, and construction law. The firm operates from 70 Gracechurch Street in the City of London, directly opposite Lloyd's of London, following a relocation in September 2024. It serves international blue-chip clients including shipowners and operators, marine insurers and P&I clubs (London, Japanese, Norwegian, and International Group), commodity traders, offshore energy contractors, and shipyards, with matter values ranging from approximately US$25,000 to US$1 billion. The firm reports that approximately 95% of claims resolve short of a final hearing through negotiation or mediation.
BDM firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BDM
- Legal name
- BDM Law LLP
- Website
- https://bdmlawllp.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- BDM Law LLP is a London-based specialist maritime and shipping law firm serving international shipowners, marine insurers, P&I clubs, offshore energy contractors, commodity traders, and shipyards across disputes, transactions, and 24/7 casualty response.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BDM industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Maritime and Shipping Legal Services
- NAICS
- Direct Property and Casualty Insurance Carriers (524126)
- SIC
- Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331), Water Transportation (4400), Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Protection & Indemnity (P&I) / Marine Liability Insurance (FSAJAHAH)
Keywords
Where BDM is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
BDM business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Legal Services: BDM generates revenue through legal fee arrangements including hourly rates, fixed fees for specific matters, contingency arrangements for suitable cases, and retainer agreements with regular clients. The firm handles matters ranging from US$25K to US$1 billion in claim value.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
BDM product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BDM Law LLP is a specialist maritime and shipping law firm that advises ship owners, marine insurers, P&I clubs, offshore energy contractors, traders, and shipyards on commercial matters, disputes, casualties, and transactions. The firm's work spans international arbitration and English court litigation across shipping & trade, energy & offshore, marine insurance, 24/7 maritime casualty response, and shipbuilding & construction matters, handling case values ranging from US$25,000 to US$1 billion.
Product overview
BDM Law LLP is a specialist shipping law firm offering a unified portfolio of legal services rather than a platform-plus-modules product architecture. The firm provides five core service lines: Shipping & Trade (handling commercial and dispute matters including arbitrations), Energy & Offshore (offshore projects and LNG), Marine Insurance (all forms of marine and aviation insurance), Maritime Casualties (24/7 emergency response), and Shipbuilding & Construction (complex engineering disputes). All services are delivered by a team of specialized lawyers through traditional legal service delivery, not a software product.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Shipping & Trade Legal services covering all types of shipping issues ranging from commercial matters to disputes, including international arbitration (LCIA, ICC, DIAC, UNCITRAL, LMAA, GAFTA, FOSFA), court cases, mediations, shipbuilding, ship financing, sale and purchase, chartering, and sanctions advice.
- Energy & Offshore Legal representation for offshore contractors, shipowners, service providers, and insurers in offshore projects and disputes, including LNG agreements, offshore wind, drilling services, and EPC contracts.
- Marine Insurance Legal services for marine insurance matters including hull and machinery covers, loss of hire insurance, war risks, charterers' liability, builders' risks, P&I and contractors' offshore risks, as well as aviation insurance claims.
- Maritime Casualties 24/7 emergency response legal services for maritime casualties, including casualty response coordination, expert appointment, international network of contacts, and claims management.
- Shipbuilding & Construction Legal advice for shipyards, buyers, and contractors on complex engineering and construction projects using SAJ, AWES, NEWBUILDCON, and REPAIRCON forms, handling disputes related to variation orders, extensions of time, delays, and termination.
Quantifiable outcome
- 95% of claims resolved short of final hearing through negotiation or mediation
Companies that use BDM
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
BDM technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
BDM partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- London P&I ClubcoreBDM maintains a close relationship with London P&I Club, attending events together such as the Six Nations match. The firm services a large number of Italian market clients in conjunction with London P&I Club.
- International Group of P&I ClubscoreBDM is regularly instructed by international group P&I Clubs, handling various claims and coverage matters. The firm works with clubs on claims trends and developments affecting the insurance market.
- Japanese Hull MarketcoreBDM is regularly instructed by the Japanese hull market and has developed close links with clients across Southern Europe including Italy due to native Italian language skills.
- Norwegian Hull MarketcoreBDM is regularly instructed by the Norwegian hull market for marine insurance matters and casualty response.
- London Hull MarketcoreBDM is regularly instructed by the London hull market and handles various insurance claims and disputes.
- BIMCOminorBDM works with BIMCO on clause development and standardization. The firm was involved in BIMCO's development of clauses addressing sanctions and USTR port taxes.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
BDM competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hill Dickinson: Hill Dickinson is a UK law firm with a substantial shipping, marine trade, and marine insurance practice. It competes with BDM for P&I club mandates, hull and machinery disputes, and casualty response work, and shares exposure to the Liverpool/London marine insurance market.
- Watson Farley & Williams: WFW is a London-headquartered law firm with a leading shipping, maritime, and offshore energy practice. It is a specialist competitor in ship finance, offshore construction, and LNG/renewables — practice areas BDM explicitly targets.
- Campbell Johnston Clark: CJC is a specialist London shipping and international trade law firm of comparable boutique scale to BDM. It is a direct head-to-head competitor for shipping dispute mandates, charter party work, and marine insurance advisory at the specialist end of the market.
- Stephenson Harwood: Stephenson Harwood operates a well-established shipping and commodities practice handling charter party disputes, sale of goods, and marine insurance work. It is a comparable London-based competitor serving shipowners, traders, and insurers in overlapping mandates with BDM.
- Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW): HFW is a major international law firm with one of the world's leading shipping, trade, and offshore practices. It serves the same hull and P&I markets, energy contractors, and commodity traders as BDM, and competes on large cross-border disputes and arbitrations.
- Clyde & Co: Clyde & Co is one of the largest global shipping and marine insurance law firms, with deep relationships across the Lloyd's market, P&I clubs, and international shipowners. It competes directly with BDM for marine insurance disputes and casualty work at the upper end of the market.
- Ince & Co: Ince Gordon Dadds is a long-established London shipping and maritime law firm from which BDM's three founding partners originated. It is the most direct comparator in terms of practice areas (shipping, marine insurance, energy, trade) and target clients (P&I clubs, hull insurers, shipowners).
Broad incumbents
- Norton Rose Fulbright: Norton Rose Fulbright is a global full-service law firm with a sizeable shipping and offshore practice that overlaps with BDM's marine insurance, ship finance, and energy work. It offers broader geographic reach and resources, serving as a benchmark incumbent for cross-border shipping mandates.
- Bracewell: Bracewell is an international law firm with a strong offshore energy and LNG practice that competes with BDM's Energy & Offshore service line, particularly for EPC contractor representation and offshore construction disputes.
Others
- BIMCO: BIMCO is the world's largest shipping association and produces the standard contract forms (including those BDM advises on — SAJ, AWES, NEWBUILDCON, REPAIRCON) used across the industry. BDM works with BIMCO on clause development, making it an ecosystem partner rather than a competitor, and a key distribution touchpoint for thought leadership.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BDM social profiles
Digital presenceBDM compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
BDM financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BDM leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
BDM funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BDM M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about BDM
What does BDM do?
BDM Law LLP is a specialist maritime and shipping law firm that advises ship owners, marine insurers, P&I clubs, offshore energy contractors, traders, and shipyards on commercial matters, disputes, casualties, and transactions. The firm's work spans international arbitration and English court litigation across shipping & trade, energy & offshore, marine insurance, 24/7 maritime casualty response, and shipbuilding & construction matters, handling case values ranging from US$25,000 to US$1 billion.
Is BDM a public or private company?
BDM is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was BDM founded?
BDM was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is BDM based?
BDM is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does BDM make money?
One revenue line is on record: legal Services.
Who are BDM's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hill Dickinson, Watson Farley & Williams, Campbell Johnston Clark, Stephenson Harwood, Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW), Clyde & Co and Ince & Co. Broad incumbents are Norton Rose Fulbright and Bracewell. BIMCO is listed as an others.
Does BDM have an API?
No public API is recorded for BDM.
What industry is BDM in?
BDM's product category is Maritime and Shipping Legal Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAJAHAH, Protection & Indemnity (P&I) / Marine Liability Insurance. Its NAICS code is 524126 and its SIC code is 6331.