Building on our commitment to serve our clients in the Arabian Gulf region, Bennett Jones has established a legal practice in the Qatar Financial Centre in Doha, Qatar, one of the world’s leading international financial centres. Bennett Jones is the only Canadian law firm licensed by the Qatar Financial Centre Authority. The firm’s expertise in corporate law and energy, oil and gas, aircraft and project financings both conventional and Islamic, commercial transactions, infrastructure and project development, foreign investment and finance, allows us to better serve our clients in Qatar and the Gulf region. The firm also has offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

Hogan Lovells announced today that an international team of its lawyers advised on a US$1.5 billion oil-backed prepayment financing between its client Petroleos de Venezuela and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited (ICBC). The financing closed on 27 February following two months of collaboration among a team of Hogan Lovells lawyers in Beijing, Caracas, London, and Washington, D.C.

Sidley Austin LLP is pleased to announce that Stephen Blackshaw is joining the firm’s London office as a partner. Mr. Blackshaw focuses on mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings and other general corporate work, including restructuring and insolvencies.

Sidley Austin LLP is pleased to announce that Timothy J. Moran will join the firm as a partner in the project finance practice in Washington, D.C. Mr. Moran’s practice focuses on infrastructure project development and finance, where he represents lenders, project sponsors and developers in the development, financing, acquisition and sale of infrastructure projects located in North America, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Mr. Moran’s projects include alternative energy (wind, solar and biomass), coal and natural gas-fired facilities, natural gas storage facilities, LNG projects and natural gas pipelines.