The 36 Group

36 Stone

Qualified in England as both a barrister and a solicitor, Doran has over 40 years of legal experience in London and Moscow, including complex cross-border transactions as well as disputes. In April 2019, he returned to London to practice as an arbitrator at 36 Stone.   He has worked extensively in the energy sector and in M&A, banking and finance, commodities and shipping.

His diversity of background enables him to accept a wide range of arbitral appointments.  For example, he has recently held one in a dispute between oil traders concerning two transactions between them and another in a dispute between a lender and a customer over enforcement of a loan in default.

Called 1973 (Lincoln’s Inn). Requalified as a solicitor in 1987.

He has dealt with oil and gas-related legal work in the UK and internationally since 1975. He was in-house at Burmah/BNOC/Britoil from 1975 to 1986, and in private practice at Allen & Overy and Dentons (including legacy firms Denton Hall, Denton Wilde Sapte and SNR Denton) from 1986 to March 2019. His clients included IOCs, NOCs, independent explorers and producers, traders, supply and service companies.

He worked in and with Russia and other countries of the CIS since the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991. His experience includes being senior partner of the combined Dentons Moscow office (2013-2017); managing partner in the Moscow offices of legacy firms Denton Wilde Sapte and SNR Denton (2001-2012); and head of office and head of corporate at Allen & Overy in Moscow (1995-1998).

At Denton Wilde Sapte during the 2000s, he managed one of the leading banking and finance legal practices in Russia, including trade and structured commodities finance, ECA financings, project financing and aviation finance.

Combining his experience in-house (oil trading contracts, lifting and terminal procedures) and in private practice (financial services regulation – including commodities trading and derivatives), he can deal with a wide range of commodities and shipping disputes.

He has extensive experience of M&A in the oil and gas sector, among others, in the UK and Russia, including some of the largest M&A deals in Russia in 2004 (tobacco) and in 2015 and 2016 (oil).

He has long experience of dealing with business-related legal problems in transition economies, including those with civil law as well as common law based legal systems.

English

Lincoln’s Inn; Chartered Institute of Arbitrators; London Court of International Arbitration; International Chamber of Commerce; Arbitration Institute of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce; Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre; London Maritime Arbitration Association; Russian Arbitration Centre at the Russian Institute of Modern Arbitration; Society for Advanced Legal Studies

Diploma in international arbitration from the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators; LLB from the University of London; BA and an MA (philosophy, politics and economics) from the University of Oxford; and AB (major in history; magna cum laude) from Dartmouth College (New Hampshire)