England - London • Projects, energy and natural resources

2

Mining and minerals

Mayer Brown International LLP

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Mayer Brown International LLP‘s dedicated mining sector group is praised as ’very experienced with stand-out expertise in mining sector and project management’ and excels in project development, financing structures, construction and M&A on the non-contentious side, alongside mining sector litigation, arbitration and restructurings. The team sees consistent cross-border work, operating in emerging jurisdictions in Africa, Asia and Latin America, alongside established markets such as Japan and the United States. Ian Coles chairs the group, representing banks and major financial institutions on premium mining transactions, in addition to providing advice on financing and the development of domestic mining industries. Rachel Speight is a go-to name for cross-border structures and project financings in the natural resources and infrastructure sectors. Robert Hamill‘s strong track record in the mining sector encompasses corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Very experienced with stand-out expertise in mining sector and project management. Great depth and breadth across the firm. Outstanding delivery and service.’

  • ‘Robert Hamill, Jonathan Hosie and Ian Coles are exceptional in their field; friendly and commercial. Knowledgeable and very well-connected.’

  • ‘Great mining industry knowledge and contacts, particularly from Ian Coles.’

  • ‘Ian Coles as head of the mining practice, Rob Hamill for ECM and Rachel Speight for debt are also very good’.

  • 'Rachel Speight is a market leader in the projects and mining practice group. She is responsive, bright, hands on and a solid partner to have on your side.'

  • 'The combination of the mining sector knowledge and experience along with project finance and client-oriented knowledge and experience made the Mayer Brown team exceptionally strong and helpful to work with.'

  • 'Rachel Speight brought an exceptional combination of mining sector knowledge and project finance expertise and experience to our transaction. Her hard work and clear, focused, and always helpful advice were always appreciated and on point.'

  • 'Knowledge of project finance structures and precedents, and experience in mining project finance in emerging markets. Willing to search for acceptable solutions and not just rely on precedents. Very helpful in looking into issues that come up during the transaction.'

Key clients

  • Almonty Industries
  • Africa Finance Corporation
  • Centamin
  • Natixis
  • General Motors
  • Afreximbank
  • ING
  • Natixis
  • Societe Generale
  • Meridian Mining
  • Macquarie Bank

Work highlights

  • Represented Almonty Industries, the leading Canada-based global mining company. Our UK-wide mining team advised Almonty Industries in connection with the financing and development of the Sandgong tungsten mine project in South Korea.
  • Advised General Motors Co. (GM) in an investment with Lithium Americas Corp. (Lithium Americas) to develop the Thacker Pass mine in Nevada, which is the largest known source of lithium in the US and the third largest in the world.
  • Advised Centamin plc as borrower in a $150 million senior secured sustainability-linked revolving credit facility (with a $50 million increase option) arranged by Bank of Montreal, Nedbank Limited, HSBC Bank plc, ING Bank, a branch of ING-DiBa AG who are all to be lenders.

Lawyers

Hall of Fame

The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.

Ian Coles

Hall of fameMayer Brown

Ian Coles serves on Mayer Brown's Partnership Board. He concentrates his practice on all aspects of bank and debt finance, ranging from projects and other structured finance to commodities financing and restructuring. He represents banks and other financial institutions, sponsors, and other participants in finance transactions throughout the world. He has particular experience in the mining finance sector. Ian is the head of the firm's finance practice in Europe. Ian is the author of numerous articles in connection with project finance.

Leading individuals

Rachel Speight

Mayer Brown

Rachel Speight represents banks and sponsors in international structured and project financings. She particularly focuses on the mining finance sector and has experience in infrastructure finance in areas including the road, rail and healthcare sectors, including work on PPP projects.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Ian Coles

Other key lawyers

Rachel Speight, Jonathan Hosie, Robert Hamill, Danuta de Vries

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