Christopher Owen
Chris specialises in mid-market corporate finance transactions including take-overs, mergers and acquisitions, reconstructions, public issues on AIM and securities regulations generally. He works extensively with overseas clients on inward UK investment work and has considerable experience of acting on cross-border transactions.
He is also a member of the firm’s international private wealth group, which provides wealth advisory services to individuals, family offices and private banks. His particular focus is in working on wealth protection, governance and succession issues for owner managers and family businesses.
Chris has an MBA in legal practice from Nottingham Law School and is a fluent French speaker. He regularly presents at various international conferences and is senior vice chair of the European Regional Forum of the International Bar Association. He has an advanced STEP certificate in Advising Family Enterprises.
James Bremen
James is Chair of Quinn Emanuel’s Construction and Engineering Practice and has over 20 years of experience in the world’s largest and most complex construction projects and most difficult disputes. Clients describe him as “first-class, he’s our preferred lawyer on arbitrations” – Chambers Global 2020 and as an "exceptional litigation lawyer" – whose “reputation spreads widely throughout the Middle East” and who is “formidable wherever he goes.” – Chambers Global, 2017. He has a “stellar disputes practice” – Chambers Global 2017, and has worked in over 25 countries on both project documentation and claim resolution (including as Counsel in some of the world’s largest construction arbitrations) in the oil and gas, power and major infrastructure sectors. James “commands considerable respect from peers and clients alike” and “has a wealth of experience from working with multinational oil and gas companies, which gives him excellent insight into the industry” – Chambers Global, 2017. “Market observers affirm James Bremen’s prodigious construction disputes practice and praise his skills in litigation. One source describes him as the most experienced and skilled construction litigator in Qatar, if not the region” – Chambers Global, 2016. Who’s Who Legal, 2016 notes his “vast experience on the international scene” and “breadth of expertise”. Who’s Who Legal has ranked him in the area of Construction for a decade and as a Global Thought Leader in Construction in 2020. He has over a decade's experience in representing the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in construction disputes, and “understands Arab clients' needs extremely well” – Chambers Global, 2015, as well as regularly representing clients in emerging markets, in particular Malaysia and the CIS countries. He is “one of the main players in the market for Qatar-related disputes” – Chambers Global, 2018. James won the prestigious UK Client Choice Award for Construction for 2020, with clients commenting “his availability and commitment is fantastic”.
Momoh Kadiri, LL.M., FCIArb
Momoh is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK), and is a commercial dispute resolution lawyer focusing on International Arbitration and Commercial Litigation in diverse industry sectors: energy, oil & gas, power generation & distribution, construction projects, shipping, international trade, corporate & commercial, and international law. Momoh has vast experience of complex issues that often arise in disputes involving investors and sovereign states, as well as state-controlled entities; typically, state immunity, enforcement and jurisdictional challenges.
Representative experience:
- Currently representing Respondents in ongoing ICC arbitration seated in London - concerning disputes arising from construction projects in Nigeria.
- Successful enforcement of an ICC arbitration award seated in London against a sovereign West African state.
- Obtaining court-related final charging order and third party debt orders against defendant’s assets within the English jurisdiction, in aid of arbitration enforcement.
- Securing multiple and concurrent arbitration enforcement orders against respondent state, its embassy, state-controlled entities, and third party banks.
- Successfully resisting and defeating costs related application/argument brought by a leading international law firm and its client bank - following a contested High Court hearing in London.
- Successful registration of ICC arbitration award as judgment of the English court, paving way for successful enforcement and recovery.
- Ongoing representation of an international logistics company in High Court litigation proceedings in London against a leading international logistics entity in relation to claims for payment of hire and ancillary charges, based on English law contact of carriage for movement of cargo along the Ural Caspian Canal (from China to Kazakhstan, en route Russia).
- Successfully obtained summary judgment as well as order for specific performance in London High Court litigation in favour of claimant company arising from a substantial real estate development project dispute in London, which arose as a result of disagreement between the parties as to the legal effect and/or validity of the underlying joint venture agreement and other interrelated agreements.
- Successfully resisted defendant’s application to HM Land Registry; preventing attempted sale/refinancing of the development loan between defendant and its lenders.
- Representing claimants in litigation proceedings in London arising from a dispute as to the proper interpretation of a trust deed.
Barri Mendelsohn
Barri is a Corporate and Securities Partner and is based in the London office of King & Wood Mallesons. He is an expert in domestic and cross-border M&A, joint ventures and private equity transactions. Barri also regularly advises on international fund structures and general corporate governance and advisory experience.
Barri works with a broad range of clients including corporates, banks and financial institutions, high net worth individuals, private equity and other investment houses, real estate groups and funds on both buy-side and sell-side transactions and joint ventures. He also advises Chinese clients on their investments in the UK, Europe and Africa.
Barri works on high value cross-border transactions and has an excellent understanding of key issues arising in certain jurisdictions, particularly across Africa where he has advised on transactions in over 30 jurisdictions.
Experience
UK and Europe
- Luye Pharma Group, the Hong Kong listed Chinese pharmaceutical group, on its US$546 million asset purchase and licensing agreement with AstraZeneca.
- EDPR on the disposal of its 51% interest in an €1.6 billion EV operating onshore wind portfolio with 997 MW of installed capacity for €800 million.
- Capital Dynamics, the leading European private equity firm, on the structuring of a UK investment vehicle and co-investments into various companies in Europe.
- Japan Airlines on a proposed investment in a UK company and joint venture with a technology airline passenger booking platform business.
- KKR on the US$400 million acquisition of a 20% minority stake in healthcare provider GenesisCare operating in UK and Spain.
- China Travel Services (CTS) in relation to its portfolio of over 50 Kew Green hotels in the UK.
- The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (Comac) on its joint venture in China with Boeing Corporation.
- Weifu High Technology on its US$30 million Series E investment into electric car technology firm Protean Holdings.
- The British Land Company PLC on its £472 million corporate disposal of Ropemaker Place, London to a Chinese sovereign wealth fund.
Africa
- African Capital Alliance, the leading Nigerian private equity firm on its sale of Wakanow, the leading online travel firm, to Carlyle private equity.
- A consortium comprising NetEase, GIC, China-Africa Development Fund and others on its Series B financing of global telecommunications group Shenzhen Transsion Holdings giving the group a valuation of over US$3 billion.
- Coronation Capital on its fund establishment and acquisition of seed assets comprising private and listed interests in Nigerian companies.
- African Development Corporation on its acquisition of a significant minority and co-investment alongside a major private equity firm into Union Bank of Nigeria, involving in aggregate USD 500 million of Tier I equity and up to USD 250 million of Tier II securities representing the largest private equity transaction of the year in Africa.
- Abraaj Capital on its acquisition of Themis Energy and on the establishment of a power project development joint venture focussing on global growth and developing markets.
- Helios Investment Partners on its successful ZAR1.1 billion (Euro 140 million) auction bid and acquisition of INM Outdoors Limited, the billboard and advertising business of the Independent News and Media group operating in 13 jurisdictions in Africa.
Professional Memberships
- Law Society of England & Wales.