Excellence Secures Hannaford Turner Prize

Hannaford Turner LLP is a London-based law firm specialising in ship and aircraft finance, shipbuilding, and physical commodities. The firm enjoys a close relationship with the Institute of International Shipping and Trade Law (IISTL) at Swansea University, and in 2019 introduced a prize for the best-performing student in Swansea’s LLM module on Private Air Law and Aircraft Finance. The prize is highly coveted; in addition to its monetary value, it includes an internship at the firm.

This year’s winner was Excellence Charles. Originally from Nigeria, Excellence holds a law degree from Baze University (Abuja) and is currently completing her LLM in International Commercial and Maritime Law at Swansea. She also holds a Certificate in Ship Finance and Vessel Ownership and has previously completed several internships at law firms.

The prize was presented in London by Matt Hannaford, one of the founding partners of Hannaford Turner LLP. Ece Birinci, an Associate Solicitor at the firm who graduated with distinction from Swansea’s LLM programme, also attended the event as a great example of how the degree can help students reach their full potential. Vishesh Tyagi, a paralegal at the firm and another Swansea LLM graduate, also attended and shared his experience. He is currently completing his SQE qualification.