Commodities

Specialist commodities lawyers

Our top ranked commodities team advises on high profile cases across the spectrum of the international sale of goods, including soft commodities, oil and gas, biofuels, iron and steel, non-ferrous and precious metals, and coal. We also advise and represent clients in their freight related businesses.

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

HFW provides innovative legal solutions, synchronised with real-world frameworks.

Chambers UK 2024 – Commodities: Physicals

Supporting clients internationally

We act for a global client base of multinational energy and chemical companies, soft commodity trading houses, trade finance banks, digital trading platforms, commodity exchanges, coal and metal traders, governments and their agencies, brokers, insurers and trade associations.

Our experience in Commodities

Our experience extends across hard and soft commodities within dispute resolution, advisory, transactional, trade finance and regulatory matters.

Drafting various sale and purchase contracts for a global commodities trader in respect of refined products, steel and copper.

Advising on a USD $1 billion group metals repo facility for a large trader with a major investment bank.

Working with client ICE Digital Trade to issue an innovative “reliable system” legal opinion for the ICE Digital e- bill of lading platform.

Working with verification bodies in relation to carbon and sustainability issues in respect of biomass products.

Drafting and advising on a master biomass sale and purchase agreement for delivery of biomass from the USA to power stations in the EU.

Acting for a Singaporean trading company in a USD $30 billion dispute arising from Russian sanctions in respect of a long-term LNG supply agreement.

Advising a US company on long-term offtake and tolling agreements for LNG to be exported from floating liquefaction facilities on the Gulf of Mexico.

Advising a US investment bank on the set up of its precious metals trading operation.

Advising a large sugary refinery on an arbitration before the Refined Sugar Association (RSA).

Advising a multinational oil and gas company in relation to an oil storage terminal in Rotterdam.

Advising a multinational commodity trading company on a financing and commercial agreement involving green lithium.

Advising an international trading company in relation to a multi-million dispute from a purchase of crude oil.

Key Contacts

Find your local experts

Alistair Feeney

Partner

London

+44 (0)20 7264 8424

+44 (0)7989 437397

Contact by email

Stephen Thompson

Partner

Sydney

+61 (0)2 9320 4646

+61 (0)404 494 030

Contact by email

Related services

We advise clients on the full breadth of commodities matters, working collaboratively with wider specialist teams across our international network to provide an integrated service.