At Herbert Smith Freehills LLP, the ‘very hands-on’ energy and projects team is highly regarded for advising on complex, integrated infrastructure and power transactions and projects. Renewable energy mandates form the backbone of the practice, which is led by the ‘solution-driven’ Brigette Baillie, who stands out for her ‘exceptionally deep legal and commercial knowledge in energy and project finance’. The ‘extremely efficient’ Carey-Anne Jennings focuses on public-private partnerships and limited recourse project finance transactions. Biddy Faber has an excellent track record in handling project finance mandates. Busisiwe Sibeko, Ross Lomax and Sarah Burman also stand out for their contributions. Patrick Hirsch was a new arrival in August 2024. Since publication, Nathan Mallinson left the firm.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Brigette Baillie has excellent negotiation skills and an uncanny ability in guiding the client.’
‘Brigette Baillie is an outstanding project finance lawyer, with an exceptional market understanding, deep legal and contractual experience, amazing negotiation skills and - cherry on the cake - is fun to work with !’
‘The team is adaptable to clients' needs. This is an important skill when working on dynamic, challenging infrastructure projects.’
'A dedicated team.'
‘The team has experience on most major energy projects in the country and are very familiar with current market practices.’
‘Brigette Baillie has exceptional market knowledge.'
‘Brigette and Biddy remain the “go to” for innovation and complex deals.'
'Brigette Bailie and Carey-Anne Jennings make an exceptional team and their strengths complement each other.'
Key clients
- Air Liquide S.A.
- EDF Renewables Pty Ltd
- G7 Renewable Energies Pty Ltd
- Rand Merchant Bank
- Scatec ASA
- Egis, IC İÇTAŞ İnşaat Sanayi ve Ticaret, African Infrastructure Investment Fund and STOA
- Engie Afrique
- Facility for Investments in Renewable Small Transactions (RF) (Pty) Ltd
- Illovo Sugar Africa (Pty) Ltd
- Mulilo Renewable Project Developments (Pty) Ltd
- Sedibelo Platinum Mines Ltd
- Seriti Green (Pty) Ltd
- International Finance Corporation
Work highlights
- Advised IFC and RMB on the financing of Scatec’s 50MW solar PV project at Selebi Phikwe in Botswana.
- Advised Africa Rainbow Energy & Power, as equity funder and shareholder, on the financing of the equity investments in the SOLA sponsored PPA with ARM.
- Advising Seriti Green on its renewable energy project and PPA for Seriti Power.
Lawyers
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Brigette Baillie