Martin McCann > Norton Rose Fulbright > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Norton Rose Fulbright‘s impressive deal flow sees consistent high-end mandates related to complex mining projects and transactions with a focus on battery metals, electric vehicles and the energy transition, with a notable increase in greenfield battery metals projects and battery processing. Private equity and debt financing across projects and transactions is another key specialism of the ‘experienced team’, which is particularly well-known for its experience in Africa. The London-based team also possesses demonstrable know-how on disputes, regulations and investigations in key global mining markets. Practice leader and pre-eminent project finance lawyer Martin McCann lends his expertise to all aspects of debt financing in the mining sector. Corporate partner Raj Karia advises sector-specific clients on M&A, ECM, joint ventures and restructuring transactions. Daniel Metcalfe is a key name for financing complex cross-border transactions in emerging markets.

Norton Rose Fulbright is recommended by clients for its ‘capability to offer creative solutions despite pressure, and work as one team with its clients‘. The firm has an extensive emerging markets practice in London, and is active in Francophone and Anglophone Africa, the Middle East, the CIS region, Latin America and in Southeast Asia. Its work focuses on key sectors such as mining, agriculture, oil and gas, power and infrastructure development, and commodity trading, covering transactional work, finance and disputes. Martin McCann, who has extensive experience in infrastructure, mining, commodities and project finance, is head of the London emerging markets group. He acted for Horizonte Minerals PLC in arranging a $660m financing package for the construction and development of an Araguaia ferronickel mine in Brazil. Head of banking and finance Madhavi Gosavi is a key adviser on structured financings, project financings and restructurings. She recently assisted the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Angola with the $1bn financing of the Bita water production, transmission and distribution system in South Luanda. Corporate partner Raj Karia is a key member of the firm’s mining and minerals practice, and Bayo Odubeko, also in the corporate team, focuses on cross-border energy investments into Africa.

Steered by the highly experienced renewable energy and energy transition specialist Rob Marsh, Norton Rose Fulbright ‘s infrastructure practice has had an impressive year, pulling in a large volume of work acting for both public and private bodies on a series of complex and significant cross-border mandates. With emerging markets seeing more investment than ever before, the group has helmed high-profile deals for a mix of leading players in Africa, including the governments of Angola and Nigeria. Exemplifying the firm’s skillset in this region is Madhavi Gosavi, who has had near-unparalleled exposure to the continent. In the UK, the firm has been deeply involved in the UK’s Project Cavalry, which involves the financing, development and delivery of eight projects relating to police, schools and judicial courts extension and build programmes. Martin McCann‘s eminent reputation continues to generate a considerable amount of work for the practice, while Andrew Buisson leverages construction experience to act on  PFI/PPP projects. Daniel Metcalfe has deep financing knowledge and acts on a number of renewables and digital infrastructure mandates across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Jessica Melville advises lenders, sponsors and governments on a wide array of assets and has been a key supporting presence on the practice’s most consequential instructions.