Allens
Media/Telecommunications
Client: Celestial Pictures Limited
Work: Advising on its channel set-up agreements, which involved the drafting of agreements for establishing a movie-based satellite TV channel operating Asia-wide out of Hong Kong
Corporate/M&A
Client: Dun & Bradstreet International Ltd
Work: Continuing to advise in relation to a cross-border management buy-out
Other clients: Macquarie Bank (advising on its JV with Schroders, involving the establishment of a US$40m fund in Hong Kong and restructure of existing Macquarie investments in the PRC)
Clayton Utz
Financing
Client: Ramada Hotels, Hong Kong
Work: Acting on its financing
Transport
Client: Hong Kong government
Work: Advised on construction-related aspects of the A$21bn Port and Airport Development Scheme (PADS)
Mallesons
Banking and Finance
Client: Cheung Kong Infrastructure Hong Kong Electric
Work: Advised on the $1.55bn acquisition of the electricity retail and network businesses of CitiPower in Victoria and the retail business sale to Origin Energy
Other clients: Telstra Corporation Limited
Capital markets
Client: China Construction Holdings Limited
Work: Advised on the restructuring of tranches of US$60m floating rate notes and US$70m notes
Other clients: Bayerische Hypound Vereinsbank (HVB) Singapore branch, Gordon Knot Limited
Construction
Client: Leighton Contractors
Work: Advised on contracts for renovating the Manila North Tollways Corporation (MNTC), and Leighton Asia on its US$19.5m acquisition of a 16.5% interest in MNTC
Other clients: Mirant Asia Pacific Derivatives
Client: Bayerische Hypound Vereinsbank (HVB) Singapore branch
Work: Acted as arranger of a hybrid cash/synthetic arbitrage CDO (Artemus Strateic Asian Credit Fund), and also advised BNP Paribas as the credit default swap counterparty, and the Bank of New York as trustee of the CDO synthetic Securitisation
Other clients: Arrow Plus Limited
Dispute Resolution
Client: Hong Kong Airport Authority
Work: Acted in resolving (by mediation) claims in excess of HK$5bn brought by the contractor against HKAA in relation to the construction of the Ground Transportation Centre of Hong Kong's international airport
Other clients: Siemens Dematic AG, Leighton Contractors (Asia) Limited, Mirant Asia Pacific Limited, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
Infrastructure & Project Finance
Client: Contractors
Work: Acting on the first stage of the Disneyland site infrastructure and for consultants in relation to design and construction of the theme parks
Other clients: Mirant Asia Pacific, Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings
Securitisation
Client: Sunway City
Work: Acted as international counsel in relation to a commercial mortgage-backed securitisation of properties in Malaysia, arranged by Deutsche Bank. The transaction was the first of its kind in Malaysia
Other clients: Artemus Strategic Asian Credit Fund, ABN Amro(Singapore)
Allens
Corporate/M&A
Client: BHP Steel China
Work: Advising on the restructuring of their PRC businesses' finances (dealing in particular with retained earnings of the businesses in China totalling A$25m) in preparation for the floating of BHP Steel in Australia later this year
Other clients: Villa World (on a direct acquisition of a majority interest in a land development company in Shanghai)
Clayton Utz
Power & Utilities, Energy & Resources
Client: Ertan Hydro-Electric Development Company Limited
Work: Advised on the re-configuration of certain power purchase arrangements for Ertan's hydro-electric facility in Sichuan Province. The firm's role, in conjunction with SMEC International as part of a World Bank consultancy, including redrafting an existing PPA on a 3300MW capacity plant and future projects of a similar nature in the region
Other clients: Austa Energy, China (in a JV with NCHK Power relating to the acquisition of a steam and electric power generator in Shengzhou, China)
Transport
Client: China Eastern, China Southern Aircrafts
Work: Drafted and negotiated aircraft leases
Hunt & Hunt
Technology/E-commerce
Client: BilltoBill
Work: Setting up an ISP/financial payments company in the B2B area with associate licenses, and negotiating partner agreements with numerous Chinese telcos and other internet groups
Foreign Direct Investment
Client: FIEs
Work: Establishing new structures for a wide range of FIEs either entering China markets or increasing their presence
Corporate
Client: CXC Consultants Exchange
Work: Establishing China operations for this labour contracting company, servicing foreign organisations
Other clients: Haier Chinese MNC (establishing JV and other operations in Australia/NZ)
Mallesons
Dispute Resolution
Client: Anhui Hefei United Power Generation Company
Work: Advised in relation to a US$55m ongoing dispute with the EPC Contractor in relation to construction of the 2 x 350 MW Hefei No. 2 Power Station in Anhui Province, China
Energy & Natural Resources
Client: Bechtel-led consortium
Work: Assisted in forming the consortium and preparing the successful tender for the engineering, procurement, construction and maintenance role on the US$4.5bn petrochemical facility in Nanhai, Guangdong Province
Allens
Projects (ERI)
Client: Santos and Inpex (Bayu-Undan Natural Gas Development)
Work: The firm is advising Santos and Inpex on all aspects of the Bayu-Undan natural gas development, a US$3bn pipeline and LNG project in the Timor Sea, including: pipeline documentation, LNG documentation, operating and management agreements, and international law advice in connection with the East Timor/Australia joint petroleum development area
Capital markets
Client: Ascendas - Macquarie Goodman IPO
Work: Acted as international counsel to the Ascendas -Macquarie Goodman joint venture on the establishment and float of the S$600m Ascendas Real Estate Investment Trust; also assisted with providing legal project management in conjunction with local counsel Allen & Gledhill
Freehills
Power & Utilities
Client: Public Utilities Board
Work: Lead legal adviser on the proposed restructure of Singapore's electricity industry, including the development of an electricity wholesale market
Other clients: US utility developer InterGen (in relation to the development, construction and financing of Singapore's first independent, foreign-owned 800MW power station)
Clayton Utz
Communications
Client: Local Exchange Operator
Work: Advised on its financing
Allens
Power & Utilities
Client: Directorate General of Electricity and Energy Utilisation
Work: Advising in relation to the establishment of an independent regulatory agency to oversee the electricity sector, including drafting legislation and developing a licensing regime
Other clients: AXA (in relation to its acquisition of an interest in PT Mandiri Assuransi Jiwa, the life insurance arm of PT Bank Mandiri)
Freehills
Power & Utilities
Clients: Consortium
Work: In association with its correspondent firm in Jakarta, acted for a consortium bidding for the construction and operation of a 1220 MW coal-fired power station in Java, Indonesia; also acting as local counsel for a consortium which proposes to build the Tanjung Jati-B power project, and another in relation to the 100 MW Pontianak power project
Allens
Banking and finance
Client: Export-Import Bank of Thailand
Work: Drafted and negotiated documentation for a US$15m guaranteed and secured export finance facility for the developer of a resort project in the Maldives
Insolvency and restructuring
Client: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Work: Partner Lampros Vassiliou was appointed lead consultant on insolvency, organising the second Forum for Asian Insolvency Reform (FAIR) in December 2002. The OECD works in partnership with the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and AusAID in relation to this FAIR. AAR coordinated all aspects of the FAIR and prepared the comparative review of policy issues regionally in the insolvency arena
Clayton Utz
Transport
Client: State Railways of Thailand
Work: Advising the contractor in relation to this A$150m track replacement project in Southern Thailand
Freehills
Power & Utilities
Client: Korean Government and KEPCO
Work: Appointed lead legal adviser to the Korean Government and its state-controlled electricity utility KEPCO on the government's electricity industry reform program
Other clients: Mirant Asia-Pacific Ltd, NRG (in its bid for the generation assets of Samsung General Chemicals), Daesung and Osaka Gas
Mallesons
Energy & Natural Resources
Client: Mirant Asia Pacific
Work: Acted in relation to the development of the Yulchon Power Station project in South Korea
Clayton Utz
Infrastructure & Major Projects
Work: Acted in conjunction with Worley International (Meritec) on a World Bank sponsored consultancy in Vietnam, involving the formulation and delivery of workshops on the structuring of BOO infrastructure projects for Vietnamese Government officials
Freehills
Project financing
Client: IFC
Work: Acted in respect of the financing of major projects in Vietnam, including the Morning Star Cement project
Phillips Fox
Construction
Client: Vietross Oil Refinery (a JV between Petrovietnam and the State oil company Zaruvbessefneft, of Russia)
Work: In relation to the EPC contract for the main packages of works, valued at over US$80m, for the country's oil refinery, involving several months of negotiation with Technip and its consortium partners
Infrastructure and Project Finance
Client: British Petroleum/Phu My 2 Financing
Work: Representing BP, the largest foreign investor in Vietnam, in relation to its major Vietnam projects for years. Most recently, acted in conjunction with US firm Milbank Tweed (Singapore) in advising BP and its consortium partners on the financing of the US$412m Phy My 3 Power project by a syndicate of banks led by Fortis Bank
Financing, Construction
Client: Holcim
Work: The firm has represented Holcim, a leading cement supplier, for the past nine years, most recently in relation to domestic part refinancing of IFC-led foreign loans; negotiations, licensing, tendering, construction and domestic financing of expansion projects; arbitration in London of a US$20m construction dispute (settled) and litigation of a US$4m dispute
Property
Client: Keppel Land
Work: Advising this Singapore government linked company, one of the largest property developers in Vietnam, in relation to new and existing projects
Telecoms
Client: Mobile Phone Network License (Telecoms)
Work: Acting for the owners of a proposed third mobile phone network license in relation to negotiations, licensing and financing
Allens
Joint venture
Client: Government of Cambodia
Work: Advising on all aspects of the resolution of its overlapping maritime claims with Thailand, including negotiation and implementation of a joint development treaty regime for the development of disputed offshore petroleum resources, and delimitation of Cambodia's maritime boundaries with Thailand. Other work for the government includes the implementation of ChevronTexaco major exploration work program offshore
Clayton Utz
General
Client: Department of Immigration in PNG and Cambodia
Work: Advising in relation to border protection issues
Clayton Utz
Power & Utilities
Client: Government of Laos
Work: Advised in connection with engaging a contractor to build, own and operate a power station, including conducting a review of the proposed Concession Agreement for the project on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme
Mallesons
Power & Utilities
Client: Government of Laos
Work: Represented the Government as developer of a 1070MW hydropower project in Lao. The US$5bn concession agreement was signed on 3 October 2002
Clayton Utz
Communications
Client: Cable & Wireless
Work: Advised on its $US600m takeover of IDC, Japan
Clayton Utz
International Commercial Arbitration
Client: Barclay Mowlem Construction Limited
Work: Acted in relation to an international arbitration under ICC rules against the Independent State of PNG arising out of the Southern Highlands Gulf Highway Project
Transport
Client: AusAID
Work: Advised on the provision of contract, project delivery and dispute resolution, and the drafting of tender and contract documentation