AFRICAN HUB COUNTRIES FIRM BRIEFINGS
ANGOLA AVM Advogados
2012 Firm Overview Cross-border matters
Cape Verde, Mozambique
Highlight clients International Gold Explorations, Société Générale, Cove Energy
Most active disciplines Litigation, M&A and joint-ventures, asset finance, project finance (energy and natural resources), environmental, land, tax
Key sectors
Mining and metals, oil and gas, ports and shipping, social infrastructure
Key partners Claudia Santos Cruz, António Vicente Marques, Sandra Texeira da Silva
AVM is unique among its direct rivals in Angola for being an inde- pendent Angolan law firm with a number of foreign offices: Lisbon, Porto, Kabinda (DRC) and Rio de Janeiro. The energy and infrastruc- ture practice, led by António Vicente Marques, Claudia Santos Cruz and Sandra Texeira da Silva, handles matters in various Lusophone ju- risdictions and aims to be the top provider in Angola. AVM is part of the World Services Group and focuses primarily on
oil and gas, electricity, water, utilities and alternative energy work on behalf of clients from both the private and public sectors. The firm also advises on project development, compliance, construction, privatiza- tion and regulatory matters.
Matters In 2012, António Vicente Marques was busy leading a team working with the Scandinavian resource company Gold Explorations, which the firm has in the past advised on participations in five diamond min- ing concessions and the sale of some of these interests to a Singapore company in 2012. Marques has also been acting for a number of oil and gas clients in-
cluding Chevron, Conoco Philips and TideWater on day-to-day cor- porate and regulatory matters. Claudia Santos Cruz led teams advising Société Générale on oil and gas matters and Cove Energy on capital gains tax issues relating to a share sale in London.
Eduardo Vera-Cruz Advogados (in associ- ation with FCB&A)
2012 Firm Overview Highlight clients
Unipec, AEA Investors
Most active disciplines Arbitration, company and commercial, M&A and joint-ventures, corporate restructuring, banking, project finance (infrastructure), EPC, employment, IP, land, public and administrative, tax
Key sectors Oil and gas, renewable energy
Key partners Pedro Guimarães, João Robles, Eduardo Vera Cruz
Led by Angolan qualified Eduardo Vera Cruz and in association with Portuguese firm FCB&A (F Castelo Branco & Associados), Eduardo Vera Cruz Advogados is developing a good name for itself in Angola. A number of international law firms and private clients name the team
as their preferred counsel in the country and FCB&A as a whole has been developing its brand across Lusophone Africa under partners João Robles and Pedro Guimarães. Vera Cruz has a doctorate in law from Lisbon University, where he
is professor, and currently also teaches at the University Agostinho Neto in Luanda. The firm has been in Angola for over six years and has re- mained active on the energy front, especially with regards to oil and gas.
Matters João Robles has been busy advising clients on corporate real estate mat- ters, leading on a series of acquisitions, sales and joint-venture agree- ments for three real estate developments. A team also worked with Slaughter and May to assist a global energy company on a potential ac- quisition and bid process for a large oil and gas operator. In early 2013, Pedro Guimarães and Robles were working with Nor-
ton Rose to conduct due diligence for an Asian client on a proposed acquisition of oil blocks and with Vinson & Elkins to advise Unipec on a proposed acquisition of a participating interest in an LNG Inte- grated Project.
GHANA AELEX
2012 Firm Overview Highlight clients
GE Oil & Gas, West African Gas Pipeline Project, Volta River Authority
Most active disciplines Company and commercial, asset finance, environmental, IP, land
Key sectors Oil and gas, airports and aviation
Key partners Lawrence Fubara Anga, Theophilus Emuwa
With an office in Accra, top tier Nigerian firm AELEX is the only for- eign firm with a branded office in Ghana. Its key busiest areas in 2012 were its corporate, finance, environmental law, IP and land law prac- tices, notably for clients in the oil and gas and aviation sectors. The of- fice is led by Theophilus Emuwa with support from Lawrence Fubara Anga and the pair flits between Nigeria and Ghana. Local lawyer Dela Quarshie-Twum is AELEX’s permanent Accra contact.
Matters The firm was advising the River Volta Authority on a gas sales agree- ment between the government of Ghana and an IOC and Mitsui Ocean Development and Engineering Company on compliance issues relating to an FPSO off-shore from Takoradi. The office also won in- structions from Tullow Oil, Petro SA and Hess Corporation, among others.
Bentsi-Enchill Letsa & Ankomah
2012 Firm Overview Key partners
Kojo Bentsi-Enchill
Bentsi-Enchill Letsa & Ankomah is the biggest corporate commercial firm in Ghana with the longest and deepest experience in energy and infrastructure work. Kojo Bentsi-Enchill, the elder statesman of the Ghanaian legal market, manages the practice and runs a team focused
58 ENERGY & INFRASTRUCTURE | SUB SAHARAN AFRICA 2013
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