Baker McKenzie's expertise covers every stage of the investment life cycle, from project structuring and development, and operating agreements to financing, joint ventures, acquisitions, disposals and disputes. The team is also well placed to advise on oil and gas transactions linked to energy transition. Richard Blunt represents a spread of national and international clients in M&A, joint ventures and project developments, while Andy Moody leads on multi-jurisdictional litigation. Philip Thomson is recommended for his work in the midstream and downstream oil and gas arena, where he regularly assists clients with project development and financing.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Exceptionally smart individuals.’

  • ‘Richard Blunt is very pragmatic and offers commercial advice which goes beyond lawyers' scope.’

  • ‘The team has a deep understanding of our company and our business. They keep themselves informed of the global market trends and commercial demands in our sector.'

  • 'The team demonstrates dynamic capabilities, forming cross-border and cross-expertise project teams and interacting with our in-house legal, finance and tax experts. The team follows up closely on the multitude of questions raised and responds quickly.’

  • ‘Baker McKenzie solves problems. They have the resources, expertise, practice areas and jurisdictional bench strength to answer whatever it is you need to get your matter done (and done well). It's a one-call firm: this is tremendously helpful.'

  • ‘David Duncan is exceptionally good at quickly marshalling a team to deliver high-quality advice for any global matter. I also trust his commercial judgement and experience, particularly in the M&A space. I consider David my first choice for international M&A and commercial work.'

  • 'Maria O'Brien is a trusted litigation partner with great expertise in Australian law generally, whom we are delighted to work with for tricky and careful matters.'
  • 'John Coleman is an excellent and skilled corporate and securities lawyer, who is resourceful, quick and deeply knowledgeable for Australian M&A and corporate work. I would be delighted to continue to work with him.’

Key clients

  • Shell
  • Galp
  • Tailwind Energy Holdings LLP
  • Petronas

Work highlights

  • Assisted Shell with the structuring and implementation of the carve-out and sale of PANOLIN's ECL business across multiple jurisdictions, which included a pre-completion reorganisation, followed by a combination of share and asset sales, in order to deliver this global business in a manner which would facilitate its integration into Shell's global lubricants business,
  • Advised Galp on the sale of its upstream assets in Angola by way of competitive auction process to ETU Energias (formerly known as SOMOIL), with transaction proceeds expected to reach c.USD 830 million.
  • Advised Tailwind Energy on the sale of Tailwind Energy Investments Ltd to AIM-quoted company Serica Energy plc for a combination of consideration shares and cash, equivalent to GBP 367 million.

Lawyers

Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Richard Blunt, Andy Moody

Other key lawyers

Philip Thomson, David Duncan, Maria O'Brien, John Coleman, Susie Davies