Energy & Natural Resources (International Firms) - China
What the team is known for
Herbert Smith Freehills houses an accomplished team with exceptional credentials in the oil and gas, power and mining sectors. It is well placed to advise on cross-border M&A, off-take and sale and purchase agreements. The multilingual team with key lawyers in Hong Kong and Beijing is frequently engaged by state-owned entities and major corporates investing abroad, and also acts for foreign clients on inbound investments. It benefits from broad geographic expertise across the Asia-Pacific region. The team has an expanding presence handling international greenfield project financing and developments. Its key clients include CNOOC, Sinochem Energy and Sinopec.
Strengths
"Herbert Smith Freehills continue to impress with their quality of knowledge, strategic thinking and overall legal advice."
"They are a very productive and professional team. They have much experience in the oil and gas industry and supported us in resolving many complicated legal and commercial issues."
Work highlights
Herbert Smith Freehills represented Sinopec in negotiating a joint venture with Saudi Aramco and Saudi Basic Industries Corporation to develop a new petrochemical complex in Yanbu, in Saudi Arabia.
Notable practitioners
Hilary Lau is a market-leading oil and gas specialist who heads the Asia practice. He boasts an enviable clientele consisting of state-owned enterprises and private multinational companies. He chiefly advises corporate clients on outbound upstream project financing and investment, but is also adept at handling downstream energy deals.
Monica Sun is a top-level energy projects specialist with a market-leading practice in Mainland China. She counts among her clients a number of leading state-owned energy companies and is particularly noted for her expertise in LNG projects. Of late, she has also handled mandates from the mining sector. "She is a good energy lawyer." "She is a good and active energy specialist."
Xu Yida is a senior associate with a burgeoning reputation for his expertise in the energy industry. He is active on mandates involving the oil and gas industry, LNG and renewable energy.