Chadbourne & Parke LLP announced today that the firm has opened an office in Johannesburg, South Africa. The firm has also hired Lido Fontana as an International Partner in its Project Finance practice and as the Managing Partner of the Johannesburg office. Mr. Fontana will join the firm on 2 February from Bowman Gilfillan, one of South Africa’s leading corporate law firms.

Other members of the firm’s Project Finance practice will spend significant time in the new office including the head of Chadbourne’s Africa Practice and London Partner, Agnieszka Klich, as well as London International Partners Kevin Atkins and Julien Bocobza, Dubai Partners Sohail Barkatali and Richard Keenan, and Dubai International Partner Yasser Yaqub.

“Johannesburg has become a key business and financial center in Sub-Saharan Africa for international banks, multilateral agencies, development and financing institutions, and investors,” said Andy Giaccia, Chadbourne’s Managing Partner. “Our new Johannesburg office will enhance our already vibrant practices in Africa and help us continue to expand our reach throughout the region. This expansion of our physical presence in this market is in keeping with our long-standing emerging markets pedigree and our extensive Africa experience.”

Chadbourne’s Africa practice focuses on energy and infrastructure transactions and has advised clients on matters in 42 of the 54 African countries, from North African Francophone transactions to South African renewables deals, from East African LNG to West African oil and gas. The Africa practice draws upon the combined experience of lawyers across multiple disciplines and geographies, many of whom come from multilateral and bilateral agencies and offer a wealth of experience in financing projects throughout Africa. Chambers Global 2014 ranks Chadbourne as a leading law firm for Projects and Energy in Africa, and states that the firm is involved in many of the largest and most significant projects in Africa, with particularly impressive activity in the power sector. The team is sought out for its experience on sizeable matters in African jurisdictions from Morocco to South Africa. Project Finance magazine honored the firm with “African Power Deal of the Year” in 2012 and 2013.

The firm’s experience in South Africa dates to the early 1980s when it organized and advised The University of Cape Town Fund in the US. The Johannesburg office provides a platform to support private equity, sponsors and institutional investors in equity raises, capital markets and M&A transactions for the fast growing telecoms, banking and consumer products sectors across the continent.

Mr. Fontana has significant experience in international oil and gas, mining, power (including renewable energy), and large infrastructure development transactions as well as with public private partnerships (P3) and the UK Private Finance Initiative (PFI). Mr. Fontana has handled a number of high-profile transactions, including his representation of Eskom on the Aggreko/Shanduka cross-border emergency power project which was named Africa’s “Best Fast Track Power Project” in 2012 at the Africa Energy Awards. He also advised the sponsors on one of the largest solar photovoltaic projects to reach financial close under the IPP Programme in South Africa. Before joining Bowman Gilfillan, Mr. Fontana spent several years working as a solicitor at the London headquarters of a global law firm.

“We are extremely pleased to add a leading, South African lawyer like Lido who is focused on energy and infrastructure and who will help meet our clients’ growing interest and demand in this fast-growing region,” said Ms. Klich. “The new Johannesburg office will bring Chadbourne even closer to our clients, to the transactions, and to new opportunities in the region.”

“The Sub-Saharan region is experiencing a boom in energy and infrastructure projects, and I look forward to contributing to the firm’s strong track record of success in the region,” said Mr. Fontana. “The new office demonstrates Chadbourne’s commitment to the region and will serve as a springboard to projects across the continent.”

Mr. Fontana is qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales as well as an attorney in South Africa. He received an LLB from the University of Natal and speaks English, Afrikaans, and Italian.