Austen-Peters & Co is a smaller firm but has a very strong reputation in the capital markets for complex or innovative deals, especially with Timi Austen-Peters. One client describes him as "the preeminent lawyer for this, a very, very sound adviser"....
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Austen-Peters & Co is a smaller firm but has a very strong reputation in the capital markets for complex or innovative deals, especially with Timi Austen-Peters. One client describes him as "the preeminent lawyer for this, a very, very sound adviser".
In one example, Austen-Peters has been engaged by the government of Nigeria to advise on the establishment of a sovereign wealth fund, a first for the government. In mid-2011, Austen-Peters also won mandates from BNP Paribas, to advise on a $200 million short term amortising agreement to Glo Mobile and a further advance on a $400 million crude oil export facility, and Mercuria Energy Trading, on a $350 million repayment financing facility to Chartered Crown Energy.
Elsewhere in the capital markets, Nehizena Ibhawoh helped Afrinvest on a private placement of a $13 million redeemable cumulative convertible preference scheme.
The firm also won mandates in other areas last year, and most notably project finance. Nwachi Otuogbodor acted for Standard Chartered on contract matters related to the insolvency of a pension fund, while in project finance Jide Ogundana was in 2011 advising Akton Energy on a $360 million 200MW wind farm project through a joint-venture with Kogi State. The deal marks the first ever wind project embarked upon by a state government.
Ogundana was also working in a consortium of law firms to advise the Niger Delta Power Holding Company on gas supply and transport agreements for eleven power plants, which involved negotiations with some global oil companies including Shell and ExxonMobil.
Timi Austen-Peters (Leading lawyer bio)
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