Our focus is on assisting our clients to finance, develop and grow their businesses, to guard against risks, to help them to seek access to new markets, to deal with fast-changing international regulations and to assist them to resolve disputes.

• Oil & Gas: operating across the whole spectrum of the oil and gas commodities business, covering upstream, crude oil, petroleum products, natural gas, LNG, LPG, fertilizer and biofuels/ethanol.

• Soft Commodities: specialising in all aspects of soft commodities, including production, refining, physical and derivatives trading, finance, marketing, storage, transportation, insurance, and end use. Particular expertise in grain and feed,  vegetable oils, seeds and soy beans, rice, sugar, cotton and cocoa and coffee.

• Mining, Minerals and Bulk Construction Products: acting for producers, traders, financiers and insurers across the whole range of commodities in the mining and minerals market, including coal and metals, as well as those involved in cement and bulk construction products.

• Freight & FFAs: advising those trading both physical and financial freight, including transportation arrangements and on resolving disputes arising out of the transportation of commodities and more recently in relation to the collapse of the dry bulk market. Our team has also been instrumental in creating the legal documentation underpinning the OTC/FFA market

• Derivatives: acting on both over the counter and exchange-traded commodity derivatives, with particular experience of freight derivatives, ISDA documentation and exchange-traded transactions.

• Trade Finance: combining our in-depth knowledge of key sectors and commodities with banking expertise to advise and support producers, financiers, traders, transporters and end users.

• Regulatory: guiding our clients through the myriad of international regulations affecting the trading of commodities, including environmental issues and customs regimes across the globe.

What we do Experience

• Representing the senior lenders on the proposed US$125 million financing for the THAPPLINE multi-products white-oil pipeline from Sri Racha to Sari Buri in Thailand. Review, drafting and negotiation of Offtake Agreement, common agreement, commercial bank credit agreement, ADB credit agreement, shareholders’ support agreement and other financing agreements; working with Thai counsel on complex Thai security issues and security documents.

• Representing Barclays Bank and other senior lenders on the proposed US$500 million financing for the 576 MW Bina coal-fired project in Madhya Pradesh.  Review of coal supply agreement, rail transportation agreement and power purchase agreement; drafting and negotiation of senior credit agreements.

• Advised on a series of disputes with a major grain trading company in LCIA arbitration.  The matter related to the sale of assets in relation to a grain terminal  in the FSU.  The claims exceeded US$200 million.

• Advised in 4 of the 8 well known defaults by the Iraqi Grain Board in refusing to take delivery of bulk rice cargoes which it had paid for.  Led to a series of claims under the sale, bill of lading and charterparty contracts. The claims exceeded US$8 million.

• Advising a major trade finance bank on the foreclosure of a trade finance loan, including seeking injunctive relief in Switzerland, and the enforcement of a personal guarantee.

What we do Experience

Our focus is on assisting our clients to finance, develop and grow their businesses, to guard against risks, to help them to seek access to new markets, to deal with fast-changing international regulations and to assist them to resolve disputes.

• Oil & Gas: operating across the whole spectrum of the oil and gas commodities business, covering upstream, crude oil, petroleum products, natural gas, LNG, LPG, fertilizer and biofuels/ethanol.

• Soft Commodities: specialising in all aspects of soft commodities, including production, refining, physical and derivatives trading, finance, marketing, storage, transportation, insurance, and end use. Particular expertise in grain and feed,  vegetable oils, seeds and soy beans, rice, sugar, cotton and cocoa and coffee.

• Mining, Minerals and Bulk Construction Products: acting for producers, traders, financiers and insurers across the whole range of commodities in the mining and minerals market, including coal and metals, as well as those involved in cement and bulk construction products.

• Freight & FFAs: advising those trading both physical and financial freight, including transportation arrangements and on resolving disputes arising out of the transportation of commodities and more recently in relation to the collapse of the dry bulk market. Our team has also been instrumental in creating the legal documentation underpinning the OTC/FFA market

• Derivatives: acting on both over the counter and exchange-traded commodity derivatives, with particular experience of freight derivatives, ISDA documentation and exchange-traded transactions.

• Trade Finance: combining our in-depth knowledge of key sectors and commodities with banking expertise to advise and support producers, financiers, traders, transporters and end users.

• Regulatory: guiding our clients through the myriad of international regulations affecting the trading of commodities, including environmental issues and customs regimes across the globe.