Herbert Smith Freehills Strengthens its Project Practice and Appoints Martin Kavanagh as the Regional Head of Practice.

Based in London, Martin will continue to be the global co-head of the firm’s Africa Group. He has been a partner in the firm since 2010 and has a long track record advising clients globally on the development of complex and large cross-border projects.

Lauded as an ‘excellent lawyer, with high commercial acumen’, Martin regularly advises international clients including commercial banks, corporate sponsors, development finance institutions and multilaterals such as the International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group. Martin is regularly appointed to advise on first-in-country deals where structuring and risk allocation are crucial to project success.

In his new role, Martin will focus on regional client and market opportunities in the Projects and Energy and Infrastructure sectors. He will work closely with Toby Anderson, Managing Partner of the firm’s Projects practice and Anthony Ellis who co-heads the firm’s Middle East group.

Martin’s appointment follows the hires of Dubai-based partners Christopher Cross and Sarosh Mewawalla, which further strengthened the firm’s regional Projects and Project Finance offering.

Toby comments:

“Martin has a deep understanding of, and a wealth of experience in, the projects space and has achieved much success working with clients across borders. He is well-positioned to lead our Projects teams across the UK, US and EMEA and to ensure we continue to be fully aligned in delivering for clients.”

Commenting on his appointment, Martin says:

“I am proud to take on this new role and am excited to work even more closely with my colleagues to drive forward our growth plans for Projects in the UK, US and EMEA. In particular, I look forward to working with our growing team in the Middle East where we have already built a strong reputation as a leading law firm in projects and project financing. I look forward to leading a team that together, will continue to provide clients the support they need particularly when facing new and difficult legal challenges in times of uncertainty.”