Tim Knight

I am a transport and shipping solicitor with nearly 40 years’ experience advising clients in relation to the national and international carriage of goods by road, sea, air and rail, as well as storage / warehousekeeping, cargo and transit liability, logistics contracts, insurance issues and terms and conditions for forwarders, hauliers and removal companies.

I advise on both contentious and non-contentious matters, helping clients deal with disputes, contracts and commercial issues in a clear, practical way.

How I help

Clients usually come to me when they need specialist transport law advice from someone who understands the sector.

That might be a dispute involving goods carried by road, sea, air or rail. It might be a warehouse-keeping issue, a logistics contract, an insurance matter, or terms and conditions that need to be reviewed or drafted properly.

My contentious work regularly involves litigation in the English High Court and County Courts, as well as arbitration. I also have considerable experience of resolving disputes through negotiation and mediation, where that is the better commercial route.

The aim is always to help clients understand the position, assess their options and resolve the matter cost-effectively in a way that protects their interests.

Where I add value

I regularly advise cargo and transit liability insurers, recovery agents, hauliers, forwarders, tank operators, parcel carriers and removal companies.

Having worked in transport law for nearly four decades, I understand the practical realities behind the legal issues. These matters are often varied, technical and commercially important, so the advice needs to reflect both the law and the way the sector actually works.

I also regularly deliver seminars to clients and insurance associations on cargo and transit-related issues.

Experience

I qualified as a solicitor with Ingledew Brown in 1988 before moving to Holmes Hardingham when the firm was established in July 1989.

I became a Partner at Holmes Hardingham in July 1993 and remained there until June 2008, when Holmes Hardingham merged with a larger law firm

In 2014, I established TKTL Solicitors.

Although I came into transport law by chance, through a random allocation during my second year of training, I have never wanted to do anything else. The variety of clients, cases and problems in this area continues to make the work interesting.

I have been recognised for several years as a leader in the field of road transport law by Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession and in Legal Business publications.

I am also a member of the United States Transportation Lawyers Association and the United States Conference of Freight Counsel, and work regularly with transport lawyers around the world 

Representative work

My work has included:

• Advising on national and international carriage of goods by road

• Advising on carriage of goods by sea, air and rail

• Advising on warehousekeeping disputes and related contractual issues

• Advising on cargo and transit liability insurance matters

• Drafting and reviewing logistics contracts

• Drafting and reviewing terms and conditions of business for forwarders, hauliers and removal companies

• Acting in English High Court and County Court litigation

• Representing clients in arbitration

• Resolving disputes through negotiation and mediation

• Advising cargo and transit liability insurers, recovery agents, hauliers, forwarders, tank operators, parcel carriers and removal companies

My approach

I take a practical, commercially focused and sector-aware approach.

Transport disputes and logistics issues often need more than a technical legal answer. Clients need advice that reflects the realities of moving goods, managing risk, dealing with insurers and resolving disputes without unnecessary cost or delay.

I help clients understand what matters, decide what to do next and resolve the issue as effectively as possible.

I genuinely enjoy this area of law. Every day brings the chance to work for, with and against interesting people, solving sometimes complex but always intriguing problems