King & Spalding > Tokyo, Japan > Firm Profile
King & Spalding Offices
SHIN MARUNOUCHI BUILDING 12TH FLOOR
5-1 MARUNOUCHI, 1 CHOME
CHIYODA-KU, TOKYO 100-6521
Japan
King & Spalding > The Legal 500 Rankings
Japan > Projects and energy: International firms and joint ventures Tier 1
King & Spalding fields an experienced projects and energy team made up of industry experts. Practice head John McClenahan is at the forefront of projects and energy developments, leading the group’s involvement in growing areas within the industry, such as green hydrogen projects. The team covers a broad range of sectors on a multi-jurisdictional level; Mark Davies works on off-shore and on-shore wind and solar projects in Japan and Asia more widely; and senior counsel Michael Arruda has been advising international oil and gas companies for over 40 years. The team is involved in innovative transactions within the natural gas space, including blue ammonia projects, and Aaron Lee has played a key role in the consolidation of the group’s mining practice. Daisuke Shimodaira acts as lead associate on a number of the team’s transactions, drawing on his experience in international project finance within the energy sector. Senior associate Jonathan Wang also plays an active role in the group, representing both sponsors and lenders in the offshore oil and gas and power generation industries. Lachlan Clancy left the firm in September 2023.Practice head(s):
John McClenahan
Other key lawyers:
Mark Davies; Michael Arruda; Aaron Lee; Daisuke Shimodaira; Jonathan Wang; Michael Meade
Testimonials
‘The team is highly cooperative and very supportive. The entire team is bilingual to help negotiate and draft the contracts in English and Japanese. Their expertise in projects and energy in Japan is highly valued as it helps us to find innovative solutions swiftly. Complete transparency in billing and flexibility in timing.’
‘Mark Davies and Daisuke Shimodaira understand the business values of each business line and hence they provided customized and innovative solutions for various different scenarios at different stages of negotiation.’
‘Very commercially savvy, can see the bigger picture.’
‘John McClenehan is an excellent negotiator, understands key deal drivers and can adapt. Mark Davies is extremely knowledgeable, commercially savvy, has a can-do approach and is also innovative.’
‘The K&S team worked seamlessly across the workstreams, providing high-quality advice. Clear that they are sector experts – they drew on their experience to come up with practical solutions and could anticipate issues before they materialized – this helped make the overall process smoother and more efficient.’
‘Strong technical ability and sector knowledge, coupled with practical and easy to understand advice (written and verbal) that can be actioned. Always contactable with a fast turn-around. Aaron Lee and Jonathan Wang stand out.’
‘K&S has offered excellent service based on the latest practice in each sector. K&S’s experience and knowledge of renewable power sector is highly rich, which helps clients to consider them as one of the most appropriate advisers to handle complex projects.’
‘Mark Davis is a great lawyer with amazing skills and experience. He is very keen on our needs and how we approach for projects.’
Key clients
Mitsui & Co. Ltd
MODEC Inc.
Korea Electric Power Company
Posco International Corporation
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC)
Marubeni
Shell
Work highlights
Japan > Banking and finance: International firms and joint ventures Tier 3
King & Spalding‘s department is jointly headed by John McClenahan and Mark Davies, who both specialise in the financing of large-scale infrastructure and energy projects. The wider department, which also includes Aaron Lee and Jonathan Wang, is able to offer clients assistance with structured finance, acquisition finance and asset finance transactions, with many clients in other jurisdictions and requiring cross-border support. Recent work includes advising on project financings and hedging arrangements.Practice head(s):
John McClenahan; Mark Davies
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
MODEC
Mitsui
Marubeni
Japan International Cooperation Agency
Japan Bank for International Cooperation
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.
MUFG Bank
Mizuho
SMBC
Japan > Real estate and construction: International firms and joint ventures Tier 3
Singapore > Projects: foreign firms
With a solid track record in handling upstream and downstream projects, King & Spalding LLP’s corporate, finance and investments team is well known for representing export credit agencies and financial institutions in oil and gas, LNG and petrochemical mandates. High-value financings, project-specific acquisitions, joint ventures and divestments are key areas of instruction for the group, which is also adept at assisting with renewable energy, water and transport sector matters. Simon Cowled focuses on cross-border energy and infrastructure, M&A, and project finance transactions, and is a key practitioner in the Singapore office; he co-heads the practice with Tokyo-based lawyers Mark Davies and John McClenahan. Kelly Malone is now based in the firm's London office. In May 2023 Richard Nelson left the firm.Practice head(s):
Simon Cowled; Mark Davies; John McClenahan
Other key lawyers:
Aaron Lee
Testimonials
‘The K&S team worked seamlessly across the workstreams, providing high quality advice. They are sector experts – they drew on their experience to come up with practical solutions and could anticipate issues before they materialized; this helped make the overall process smoother and more efficient.’
‘Strong technical ability and sector knowledge, coupled with practical and easy to understand advice that can be actioned. Always contactable with a fast turn-around.
‘Aaron Lee is very good at problem-solving, anticipating issues, and providing strategic advice.’
Key clients
Mitsui & Co. Ltd
MODEC Inc.
Korea Electric Power Company
Posco International Corporation
King & Spalding > Firm Profile
The firm: Celebrating more than 130 years of service, King & Spalding is an international law firm that represents a broad array of clients, including half of the Fortune Global 100, with 1,200 lawyers in 23 offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The firm also represents hundreds of clients with new ventures and mid–sized companies in emerging industries.
The firm has handled matters in over 160 countries on six continents and is consistently recognised for the results it obtains, its uncompromising commitment to quality and its dedication to understanding the business and culture of its clients.
Opened in 2015 and located in the heart of Japan’s premier business district, King & Spalding’s Tokyo office was the firm’s 18th overall. Its lawyers in Tokyo advise Japanese and Korean companies and financial institutions across a broad range of complex infrastructure, energy and natural resources matters around the world. The office is active on matters and projects throughout Asia, North and South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
Areas of practice: King & Spalding’s Tokyo office consists of a core team of partners who are well-known in the Japanese and Asia Pacific market. They have more than two decades’ experience representing major Japanese and Korean participants in the energy and resources sector, including export credit agencies and financial institutions, as well as some of the region’s largest trading houses, power and gas utility companies, and other blue-chip project sponsors and participants. They also have extensive experience advising and supporting clients in the resolution of disputes, with particular expertise in energy and resources, infrastructure, transport and trade, and IP disputes.
Energy and resources: LNG (liquefaction and regasification terminals and shipping), FLNG, FSRU, FPSO and gas pipelines, petrochemicals, upstream oil and gas, power generation facilities, and mining.
Infrastructure development: rail, road, air, and seaport terminals.
Dispute resolution: investor-state and complex commercial arbitration, strategic management of foreign national court litigation, governmental investigations, the design of corporate compliance programmes, sanctions advice, and other contentious regulatory matters.
Finance: project finance, asset finance, ECA finance, and ship finance.
Corporate: M&A, private investment funds, and joint ventures.
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy and resources | |||
| Infrastructure development | |||
| Dispute resolution | |||
| Finance | |||
| Corporate |
Other
Contacts : John McClenahan (jmcclenahan@kslaw.com)Legal Briefings
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