Hogan Lovells (South Africa)

Litigation, Arbitration, and Employment (LAE)

Partner

Wessel is the office managing partner for our Johannesburg office. He is the go-to person for clients that face a variety of commercial and operational challenges in the mining sector and has over 20 years' experience in operational mining transactions, restructuring and disposal of distressed mining and smelter operations, health and safety, mining labour law, mining and mineral dispute resolution, and environmental law pertaining to the mining industry

He has led a team of lawyers who have successfully restructured mining and smelting operations with a combined debt exposure of over ZAR10 billion. He has spearheaded commercial transactions in regards to the disposal of several mining, smelter and beneficiation operations. Wessel obtained a landmark judgment concerning the enforcement jurisdiction of environmental laws in respect to mining sites, and continues to advise mining companies regarding such matters.

He has extensive experience in advising Chinese state-owned entities (SoEs) and Chinese companies in connection with their investment into the mining industry. Together with his team, he successfully facilitated negotiations between SoEs and Chinese banks to restructure debt in excess of ZAR5.8 billion, in order to rescue ailing mining operations.

He is a former advocate (barrister) and a past member of the Johannesburg Society of Advocates.

English, Afrikaans

B.Com, University of Johannesburg; LL.B., University of South Africa

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