About Simmons & Simmons

Simmons & Simmons is a leading international law firm with fully integrated teams working through offices in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, bringing experienced professionals to some of the most active growth markets today. Our focus on a small number of sectors means we are able to understand and respond to our clients’ needs. Our industry sectors are: Asset Management & Investment Funds, Financial Institutions, Life Sciences and Telecoms, Media & Technology (TMT). We also focus on the E&I market, in particular through our international projects and construction teams. We have a track record for innovation and delivering value to clients through new ways of working.

Simmons & Simmons is a leading international legal practice, offering you access to over 1,500 staff worldwide, including more than 240 partners and a total legal staff of over 1,000. Our client base includes a significant number of the current FTSE 100 and Fortune Global 500 companies and we advise the top 10 investment banks, many of the world's largest financial conglomerates and more than half of the top 50 European hedge fund managers. We provide services from offices in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Our offering

The unique offering of Simmons & Simmons is its sector driven approach. Our integrated global projects team is made up of genuine industry experts. By focusing on specific sectors (as detailed below) we have developed the specialist expertise required to advise high-profile clients on some of the largest, most complex transactions in the global projects market.

Sector Expertise

Infrastructure: We have particular expertise in Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects. In 2015 we advised the UK Ministry of Defence in relation to its £6 billion Logistic Commodities & Services Transformation Project (the largest and most complex European logistics PPP).

Rail: We advise on high-profile, high value and complex railway infrastructure projects and railway PPPs. We have worked on high speed rail projects in Europe (including HS1 and HS2) and the Middle East (Example: Haramain High Speed Rail Project). We also regularly advise on global metro and tram projects.

Oil and Gas: We advise across a full range of upstream and downstream projects. We are particularly known for our experience in the development and financing of global petrochemical projects (Example: Shell/CNOOC joint venture), LNG projects (Example: Egyptian LNG), international pipeline projects (Example: Bulgarian Gas Holdings) and bulk storage terminals (Example: Sonker). We also have unique experience of advising on high-profile politically sensitive projects (Example: Bulgarian Gas Holdings).

Power: We advise on the acquisition, development and financing of large-scale global power projects. We are particularly known for our experience in the African and Middle Eastern markets (Examples: Facility D, ABSA). We also have specialist experience in advising on power projects with a water element, including on IWPPs (Examples: Black & Veatch IWPP – Algeria, Facility) and hydro power projects (Example: Inga 3, DRC).

Renewables: We advise on the acquisition, development and financing of global renewables projects. We also advise on complex joint venture matters, including structuring/re-structuring issues and investments/divestments of leading international renewable project platforms. We are particularly known for our experience in Africa, South America and Asia (Examples: Mainstream, British Solar Renewables, Macquarie).

Mining: We advise on complex investments and divestments in relation to mining projects and have advised investment funds involving various forms of finance (such as equity or convertibles combined with offtake, pre-pay, streaming and royalty finance) (Examples: RCF, SNC Lavalin).

Our unique sector offering is complemented by the following:

A. Cross-Office Capability
Our specialist projects lawyers operate as one integrated global projects team. For example, the team advising Mitsubishi Corporation on the Facility D project included lawyers from Dubai, Doha, London, Paris, Singapore and Tokyo. Owing to our strong collaboration, our clients are able to benefit from seamless and cost effective cross border legal services that are imperative to international projects transactions.

B. Growth Market Groups
Our projects practice is focused on our four Growth Market Groups (GMGs) in Africa, China, the Middle East and South East Asia. The GMGs are formed of partners and lawyers actively working with clients in these markets. The GMGs encourage involvement from lawyers across the firm’s office network, enabling those with clients operating in the GMG markets, or with skill sets relevant to client needs to expand their support for the firm’s clients. Examples of recent work which has been completed across our GMGs include an IPP Renewable Energy Programme for ABSA (Africa) and the Facility D independent water and power project for Mitsubishi (Qatar - Middle East).

Our experience

• transaction counsel to SNC-Lavalin, in respect of the exercise of its put option and the divestiture of its ownership interest and the balance of its loans in the Ambatovy Nickel Joint Venture Project, a laterite nickel mine operation and a hydrometallurgical processing plant in Madagascar

• transaction counsel to the Mitsubishi corporation as lead international developer in connection with the 2,400 mw / 130 migd facility D independent water and power project in Qatar

• lenders counsel in connection with the project financing of a bulk liquids terminal for the import and storage of gasoil, LPG and LNG at Sokhna Port in Egypt

• transaction counsel to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), advising in relation to the Logistic Commodities & Services Transformation (LCS(T)) project, involving the procurement of all non-explosive commodity items (such as food, medical and general stores, clothing), the inventory management and the storage and distribution of such items together with all other non-explosive stock across the MoD

• project counsel to Mainstream on its $1.9 billion US dollar joint venture in Africa with pan-emerging markets investor Actis

• transaction counsel to the Ministry of Defence, in respect of the sale of its privately owned trading fund, the Defence Support Group (DSG)

• transaction counsel to the inBalans consortium providing advice on project documentation, financing and shareholder structures in order to reach financial close on the Breda Courthouse PPP in the Netherlands

• transaction counsel to Transport for London, advising on their “Pan TfL” Facilities Management solution, under which TfL are to procure up to 7 different facilities management contracts, covering (i) mechanical and electrical and premises, (ii) fire detection, protection and suppression, (iii) security, reception and static guarding and (iv) cleaning and associated services

• transaction counsel to US-based Orion Mine Finance Group on its partnership with Swiss-based Fusion Capital AG to establish Lynx Resources Ltd, and on the acquisition by Lynx Resources Ltd (via its wholly owned subsidiary Lynx Europe SPLLC Skopje) of the entire issued share capital of Rudnik Sasa Doo Makedonska Kamenica (“SASA”) from Solway Investment Group (the Russian based private equity investor)

• transaction counsel to Next on the acquisition and development of multiple ground-mounted solar photovoltaic assets in the United Kingdom