Law firm White & Case has hired John Tivey, the head of Freehills’ mining practice, to lead its global mining and metals industry group. He will split his time between the firm’s Hong Kong and Singapore offices.
Tivey, who was previously based in Melbourne, brings considerable experience of the mining industry, having worked as in-house counsel for both junior and major mining houses, in addition to advising participants in the industry as a partner at Freehills in Australia for 14 years.
“We are committed to bringing the best capabilities to our clients,” said Barrye Wall, the head of White & Case’s Asia practice. “John will enable us to consolidate our leading position in mining and metals both in Asia and globally.”
Tivey’s recent experience includes advising Minmetals Resources on the C$1.3 billion acquisition of Anvil Mining, a company dual listed on the Toronto and Australian Stock Exchanges with copper mining assets in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He has also advised on deals throughout Asia.
The move is timely. As the $90 billion merger of Glencore and Xstrata demonstrated, global miners are getting bigger — all the better to exploit capital-intensive projects in remote corners of the planet.
This dash for size is good news for law firms, not just through advisory fees on M&A deals and capital raisings, but also from a wave of reorganisation as potential targets defend themselves by trying to strengthen their performance.
Tivey’s addition complements White & Case’s strength in project finance. “We are very pleased to be able to align John’s mining industry experience with our existing international footprint,” said Art Scavone, White & Case’s global head of project finance. “John Tivey is a terrific addition to our global team and we are delighted to have him on board.”
