FIRM BRIEFINGS INTERNATIONAL FIRMS Baker Botts
2012 Firm Overview Active jurisdictions
Angola, Chad, Congo (Republic of), Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa
Highlight clients
Brass LNG, GDF Suez, Initiative for Global Development, Elvaton Nigeria
Key offices Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Dubai, London, Houston, Moscow, New York
Most active disciplines Company and commercial, M&A and joint-ventures, project finance, renewables finance, EPC, regulatory and compliance
Key sectors
Mining and metals, oil and gas, power, renewables and clean technology, industry and manufacturing
Law capability English, US
Key partners Jason Bennett, David Powers, Stuart Schaffer, Stuart Solsky
Stuart Schaffer leads Baker Botts’ Global Projects Group out of Hous- ton. The firm has been advising on Africa deals since the 1970s and one of its highlight continuing mandates since 2005 has been for Brass LNG on its liquefaction terminal in Nigeria. Indeed, the firm maintains an edge in LNG related work, boasting
more worldwide LNG projects than any other, and recently handled LNG matters in Equatorial Guinea and Angola. It also has a dedicated energy team and an exceptionally heavy footprint in West Africa’s oil and gas sector. “They really know what they are doing”, says a client. The Lex Mundi association connects Baker Botts with some of the leading firms in Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Mauritius and South Africa.
Matters A team led by Michael Goldberg with Michael Lennon was successful in litigation on behalf of a European infrastructure client securing re- imbursement relating to facilities in West Africa. David Powers, Maura Goldstein and Stuart Solsky assisted Buchanan Renewables on financ- ing for a $290 million biomass fuel business and independent power project in Liberia, with financing from OPIC. The project will be sig- nificant for Liberia and the carbon footprint of its utility system. The firm was also advising the Initiative for Global Development
on forms of power purchase agreement and host government agree- ments for power project in Africa, incentivising and standardising new approaches to power. A highlight deal had the firm advising Brass LNG on shipping, LNG sales, EPC contracts and gas supply issues of its high profile LNG project in Nigeria. John White, Jason Bennett, Hamish McArdle and Solsky were leading the project.
Bowman Gilfillan
2012 Firm Overview Active jurisdictions
Angola, Botswana, DRC, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda
Highlight clients
Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA), South African government,
Key offices Johannesburg
Most active disciplines Disputes, project finance, EPC, environmental, land, public and administrative
Key sectors
Oil and gas, mining and metals, power, renewables, airports, industry and manufacturing, ports, water, sewage and utilities
Law capability South African. With network: Tanzanian, Kenyan, Ugandan
Key partners Anton Barnes-Webb, Rob Legh
Bowman Gilfillan currently has arguably the best pan-Africa practice of the South African firms, while its domestic energy and infrastructure practice also gets great feedback. On the pan-African side South African firms have tough competi-
tion, especially where much of the big ticket work emanates from Eu- rope, Asian or US hubs and is structured under English or French law, but the BGAG (Bowman Gilfillan Africa Group) is very strong in southern Africa especially and a leading provider of local law support. Rob Legh leads the firm’s pan-Africa practice. Clients praise Ezra
Davids’ team for commercial work, where Charles Young has recently been heading deals. Derek Lotter comes highly praised for competition, Claire Tucker is highly recommended on natural resources, mining and metals, renewables and regulatory matters and Anton Barnes-Webb is one of the country’s top finance lawyers.
Matters The firm has been providing continuing advice to Metorex in relation to its mining operations in the DRC, with Charles Douglas, Legh, David Anderson and Julie Oppenheim handling much of the work. A corporate finance deal saw Patrick Hirsch, Neil Rissik and Natasha
Rech act for African Rainbow Minerals on joint-venture arrangements and shareholder funding to develop the Konkola North Copper Mine, involving the formation of a Swiss SPV to on-lend to the Zambian joint-venture.
ENERGY & INFRASTRUCTURE | SUB SAHARAN AFRICA 2013 11
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