Angus Macdonald has a broad practice encompassing finance, corporate and restructuring matters. His clients include miners, traders, asset managers, financiers, borrowers and family offices. He regularly advises on acquisitions, joint ventures, financings, and special situations including distressed lending, structured finance, funds and private equity.

Angus specialises in project development and emerging market transactions, with a particular focus on metals and mining transactions including mine development, M&A, joint ventures, structured offtakes, disputes and restructurings.

Prior to joining Mercatis Law, he was General Counsel of Scipion Capital, an asset manager focussed on commodity trade finance across Africa, and, before that, Group General Counsel of global trade merchant Gerald Metals and the private mining group Zamin. Angus also spent several years as a partner of Australian law firm, Chambers & Company, operating out of Melbourne, Perth and Beijing where he negotiated and documented many of the recent major mining and resources projects in Australia.  He also worked as a finance lawyer with law firms Mayer Brown and Clifford Chance in London, Hong Kong and Amsterdam.

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Transactional and Advisory Matters

Over a 25 year career as an international lawyer, Angus has led projects in over 20 different countries and has advised on a broad range of transactions including financings, mine and infrastructure projects, joint ventures, offtakes, capital raises, mergers and acquisitions.

Angus has also advised corporates and directors on international insolvencies and supported litigation experts on multi-million dollar UNCITRAL and LCIA arbitrations and London High Court claims and recoveries.

Career Background

  • General Counsel, Scipion Capital
  • General Counsel, Gerald Group
  • General Counsel, Zamin Group
  • Partner, Chambers & Company (Melbourne, Perth and Beijing)
  • Solicitor, Mayer Brown (London and Hong Kong)
  • Solicitor, Clifford Chance (London and Amsterdam)
  • Solicitor, Deacons, Graham and James (now Norton Rose) (Melbourne)

Notable Matters

  • Advised a diversified international trading group, as de facto General Counsel, on an international insolvency with debts exceeding USD1bn.
  • Established an Irish investment vehicle for impact investing in Africa, seeded by a major German bank.
  • Managed a successful London High Court legal claim against a collateral manager for the loss of 1900mt of copper product in Morocco. Angus was a key witness in his capacity as General Counsel.
  • Led on a multi-million dollar arbitration/litigation in respect of a West African mine investment which resulted in a successful LCIA arbitration award, a London High Court freezing order for the full amount of the claim and the subsequent take-over of the mine.
  • Assisted on a UNCITRAL bilateral investment treaty arbitration worth over US$2billion including negotiation of extensive documentation for litigation funding arrangements.
  • Closed acquisition of a high-profile Brazil iron ore mine, rail and port system from a major international mining group in November 2013, involving completion of numerous back-to-back financings.
  • Led on a high-profile London High Court litigation pursuing several hundred million in unpaid moneys from the sale of a Brazilian iron ore mine. Secured a freezing order in The Netherlands for the full amount claimed, ultimately resulting in a commercial settlement.
  • While a Partner at Chambers & Company in Australia, Angus worked with pre-eminent Australia-China relations expert and lawyer, Robin H. Chambers AO, advising a variety of Chinese SOE clients investing billions of dollars in Australian resources projects. Major projects included Sinosteel’s Channar Iron Ore Joint Venture with Rio Tinto, the Wheelarra JV between four major Chinese steel mills and BHP Biliton, Midwest, Gindalbie, FMG, Hope Downs, International Minerals, PepiNini, Centrex and YTC Resources.
  • Documented numerous international mine financings including the Wassa Gold Mine in Ghana and Peter Hambro Mining (Petropavlovsk) in Russia.
  • Led on the refinancing of the Dorchester Hotels Group in 2004 and the purchase of the Hotel Principe Di Savoia Milan.

Credentials

Education

Bachelor of Arts & Bachelor of Laws, Monash University, Melbourne (1990-1995)

BPP Law School, London (2000)

Professional Admissions and Qualifications

Victoria, Australia (August, 1996)

England (October, 2000)