Justin is the Managing Partner and Co-founder of the firm’s Singapore office, Mercatis Law Asia LLP.
He has over 30 years’ legal and regulatory experience and expertise principally in the commodities sector.
His transactional and advisory practice includes trading, origination, financing, capital raising, derivatives, project development, structured products, joint ventures and all corporate matters. He has held senior legal and regulatory risk positions at international banks, trading houses and upstream companies, and has been a partner of an international law firm.
He is also currently the Vice-Chairman of the Riding for the Disabled Singapore, a registered charity which provides equine assisted therapy to children and adults with physical and mental disabilities.
Transactional & Advisory
Justin’s practice covers transactional, advisory and regulatory matters.
He has extensive experience across the entire spectrum of the commodities sector, from upstream, midstream, downstream, origination to supply, trading, derivatives, project development and investment. He has wide experience of the markets in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
He advises clients on existing and new activities, products and business development (including related all regulatory requirements). He covers a wide range of commodity-related transactions and structures in the sector, whether physical, financial, bespoke or longer term. He has wide experience of commodity financing structures, capital raising, energy development projects, joint ventures, corporate governance and regulatory matters.
Career Background
- Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore
- Lehman Brothers, London
- Holman Fenwick Willan, London
- Hartree Partners, London
- Enron Capital & Trade Resources, London & Houston
- Petrofina, London
Notable Matters
- Advised a private E&P company on the re-negotiation of oil & gas production sharing rights in SEA.
- Advised a private corporate on the purchase of mining assets in Brazil.
- Advised a listed European corporate on international oil & gas exploration, appraisal, development and production projects.
- Advised an energy development company on various international energy development projects.
- Advised a trading company on the re-negotiation and re-financing of offshore natural gas transportation and processing agreements.
- Advised a trading house on long-term sales of offshore gas production to power plants.
- Advised a trading house on various commodity financing structures.
- Advised a trading house regarding its commodity trading, origination and financing businesses in the UK, Scandinavia, Europe and Asia covering oil/products, gas, LNG, power, weather, metals, coal, freight, iron ore, emissions and agricultural products.
- Advised a trading house on the establishment and operation of an internet-based facility with daily trading volumes of US$6 billion.
- Advised a State-owned oil & gas enterprise in MEPA on the establishment of its global oil/products hedging and risk management program.
- Advised a trading house on structured oil/gas/metals transactions with producers, refiners and off takers.
- Advised a bank on its global commodities’ legal and regulatory due diligence program across 60 jurisdictions.
- Advised a bank on its equity and debt participation in a 1,000 MW power project development project.
- Advised a bank on structured cross-asset derivatives transactions (for risk management, trading or investment purposes) with banking and corporate clients.
- Advised a bank on its dispute resolution strategy relating to various billion-dollar derivatives & structured product portfolio claims in Asia.
- Established and led a bank’s risk group to monitor, vet and approve structured transactions by its wholesale banking division involving credit, tax, accounting, legal and regulatory risks.
- Advised a bank’s audit and senior management committees on the strategic impact of U.S. and European financial regulatory reform developments affecting all its wholesale businesses.
- Advised a corporate finance house on a structured finance offering for vessel owners.
- Advised a commercial enterprise on its global industrial participation business.
- Advised a commercial enterprise on the establishment of a new commercial ship building business.
- Advised a shipping company on raising finance in the capital markets in Asia.
- Advised a commercial enterprise in establishing a new alternative finance business in SEA.
- Advised an energy supply company on regulatory matters concerning carbon credits and renewable energy certificates.
- Advised a trading house on a private capital raise.
- Advised a private conglomerate on procurement offset credits matters.
- Advised a trading house on corporate governance.
- Advised a private conglomerate on corporate governance.
Recent Publications
Precious Metals Loans, Leases and Repos – What are they and what are the risks?
Smart Contracts – Some Degree of Predictability under English Law
Credentials
Professional Admissions and Qualifications
- England & Wales – Solicitor 1989
- Singapore – Registered Foreign Lawyer 2018