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Ince has hired Hill Dickinson's head of global shipping Julian Clark as its new senior partner. 

In a rare external senior partner hire, the appointment comes after the share price of Ince Group, the firm's listed parent company, dropped nearly 10% from 136p on Monday to 123p today (September 20).

Clark's hire is among Ince's first since its rebranding last month. After legacy Ince & Co senior partner Jan Heuvels stepped down last year, the firm has been without a senior partner.  

With more than 30 years' experience, Clark's appointment is an attempt to underscore Ince's ambition to reinstate itself as a global shipping powerhouse, just nine months after legacy Ince & Co was bought out by listed firm Gordon Dadds as part of a prepackaged administration. 

Clark has been global shipping head at Hill Dickinson for two years, prior to which he was a partner at HFW, and an associate at Clifford Chance. In a statement, Ince said the appointment will cement Ince's position as a "global leader in shipping law". As senior partner, Clark will help develop the firm's services and will also look to build the Ince Group brand, the firm's overall that was previously known as the Gordon Dadds Group. 

Clark's practice focuses on litigation, arbitration and mediation in the marine sector, but he also maintains a specialism in trade and energy dispute resolution, as well as in piracy, e-commerce and cybercrime, security and terrorism.

In a statement, Ince Group CEO Adrian Biles said of the appointment: "At Ince we are determined to assemble the best global shipping team in the market, with Julian being a significant addition to what is already an industry-leading team.

"Julian is a seasoned and respected lawyer, whose influence and standing in the shipping and legal industry is second to none. He brings with him a wealth of experience and deep industry knowledge that will be invaluable as we look to continue building on our enviable heritage and position in the shipping market. We very much look forward to welcoming him."

Since the prepack takeover on New Year's Eve last year, the firm has suffered a slew of partner departures, including from its Greece and Singapore offices, as well as its Cologne office that earlier this year was left lawyerless. The firm's former Monaco branch last month decided not to join the merged firm, opting to join HFW instead.