Mr Peter Bennett > Stephenson Harwood > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Stephenson Harwood
1 FINSBURY CIRCUS
LONDON
EC2M 7SH
England

Work Department

Maritime, trade & offshore

Position

Peter specialises in international litigation and arbitration as well as commercial contracts focusing on the energy, commodity and international trade sectors. He is recognised as a leading individual in his area and is the partner advising the international commodity trading group Mercuria in the Qingdao metals fraud case of Mercuria Energy Trading Pte v. Citibank N.A.

Peter’s clients include trading groups, power utilities, mining and industrial groups, captive insurers, oil and gas companies and banks. He has advised on many different legal issues arising from those clients’ operations in many different jurisdictions.

Peter has represented clients in arbitrations in London and internationally under ICSID, ICC, UNCITRAL, LCIA, SCC, DIAC, SIAC, HKIAC, LME, CIETAC, FOSFA and GAFTA; undertaken litigation at all levels in England as well as international jurisdictions and advised on regulatory issues and OFGEM investigations.

Peter is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

His clients value both his years of litigation experience and his skill and expertise in drafting and negotiating financial and physical trading and supply agreements used in the energy, commodity, and metals industries. These have covered LNG, LPG, gas, coal, oil and petroleum products, biomass, minerals, steel, and precious metals.

Lawyer Rankings

London > Dispute resolution > Commodities disputes

(Leading partners)

Peter BennettStephenson Harwood

At Stephenson Harwood, ‘the team consists of excellent lawyers who are thoroughly versed in and dedicated to the commodities sector‘. Historically, the firm has been a leading player in the energy, metals and minerals sectors, acting for trading houses, oil majors and refiners, and mining companies. Over the last four years, the firm has expanded its presence in disputes concerning soft commodities, having built up a strong client base among traders, producers and food companies. ‘Wily‘ practice head Haris Zografakis oversees a strong bench of talent that handles contentious matters arising from physical commodities trades, commodity financings, and sanctions. Emma Skakle, who is ‘particularly skilled at dealing with commodities tribunals that often have their own idiosyncrasies‘, and the ‘unflappableJonathan Spearing are considered experts in GAFTA arbitrations, though Skakle also handles disputes in many other fora, including High Court litigation. Peter Bennett, who is ‘good at the coalface‘, is another standout practitioner in energy and trading disputes.