Commodities and Law:
Global Trends and Insights

PATRICK GHATA

Associate Director - Financial Services,
DMCC

Patrick Ghata is the Associate Director - Financial Services at DMCC, overseeing the development of DMCC’s financial products and online trade solutions. A trade finance specialist, he drives strategic campaigns to promote Dubai as a leading international Islamic finance hub. 

In addition to managing conventional financial products, much of his work is focused on enhancing DMCC’s Islamic finance solutions, including Commodity Murabaha and Salam.

Previously, Patrick led DMCC Tradeflow, where he played a pivotal role in expanding its financial capabilities and strengthening its position in commodity trade finance. He was part of the team that launched the successful DMCC Warehouse Inspection and Ratings Programme in 2013, an assessment procedure that certifies the authenticity and safety of storage operators registered in the DMCC Tradeflow network.

With more than 16 years of experience in international finance and trade, Patrick has held a range of senior positions at DMCC since joining the organisation in 2013. He also oversees the energy sector at DMCC and has been instrumental in the growth of the Energy Club.

Patrick holds a BFA degree from the American University in Dubai.

Richard Strub

Partner,
HFW

Richard joined HFW as a trainee in 2002 and has risen all the way through the ranks of HFW to Partnership. He is now a Partner in the shipping department in Dubai and also leads the HFW Middle East commodities practice. Richard advises clients in all aspects of shipping and the carriage of goods by sea, with particular emphasis on disputes arising out of charterparties and bills of lading, as well as collisions, groundings and maritime casualties. He also regularly advises clients in relation to ship sale and ship building disputes.

Richard also advises commodity traders and producers on all aspects of their business, including in particular physical sale/purchase and transportation. He assists and represents clients in dispute resolution in commodities and freight related matters. He specialises in particular in energy and bulk commodities.

Richard’s clients include ship owners and operators, charterers, P&I Clubs and underwriters as well as cargo owners and traders. He also regularly lectures on shipping and trade issues and was the co-author of HFW’s quarterly case law update. Richard represents clients in Court and arbitration proceedings in London and the Middle East.

Damian Honey

Partner,
HFW

Damian is a Partner in the Commodities team, specialising in two areas: Energy and Natural Resources and Dispute Resolution.

Damian has extensive experience in energy and bulk commodities and metals, and regularly advises on trade finance, MSPAs, GTCs, SPAs, offtake and tolling contracts, storage, derivatives, and operational issues that arise in energy and natural resources businesses. He has drafted market leading trading terms, and acted in high-profile matters arising from market events such as LME warehousing queues, MF Global, Qingdao, and Covid-19-related market volatility.

His dispute resolution practice focuses on international arbitration, banking litigation, and fraud claims. He has represented clients under LCIA, ICC, DIAC, SIAC and UNCITRAL rules, and in banking disputes involving syndicated loans, bilateral facilities, guarantees, and letters of credit. Damian has successfully represented clients in complex fraud matters involving parties from the Middle East, including the Al Gosaibi and NMC frauds.

Damian is qualified in England and Wales.

Ian Chung

Partner,
HFW

Ian is a Partner in HFW’s leading shipping practice in the Middle East, and acts on a wide range of matters including, mergers and acquisitions, financing and projects for regional and international clients.

Ian has acted for a large number of regional and international offshore marine operators on a wide range of issues including establishing subsidiaries for activities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE as well as in East and West Africa. He has also advised on a wide range of compliance and regulatory issues, particularly relating to cabotage and local requirements in the contracts with NOCs. He has also advised banks, financiers and operators on ship financing, fleet acquisitions and fleet deployment.

He has acted for shipyards on newbuilds, repair issues, EPC contracts and conversions, primarily in the offshore energy sector and port operators in relation to port concessions and operations.

Anna Fomina

Partner,
HFW

Anna is an experienced commodities and shipping lawyer advising on a wide range of commodities and international trade-related disputes in the UK, Europe and the Middle East, having spent almost a decade based in Dubai until 2019. Anna’s practice encompasses issues relating to various energy and natural resources commodities. She advises national oil companies, international energy companies, commodity traders, producers, and logistics clients on a wide range of commercial disputes as well as providing day to day advisory support in relation to issues arising under trading and commercial contracts, charterparties and bills of lading.

She also advises on non-contentious matters such as drafting of trading contracts, warehousing, supply and services agreements, general terms and conditions and charterparties.

Anna has extensive experience representing clients in the Commercial Court in London, the DIFC Court, and before a range of arbitral bodies including LMAA, LCIA, ICC and in ad hoc arbitrations in London and in Dubai.

Anna speaks fluent Russian.

Dan Perera

Partner,
HFW

Dan is a Partner in the Commodities team, based in Singapore. Dan is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and he acts as counsel and sits as arbitrator for major arbitral institutions globally.

Dan specialises in handling disputes and risk management cases relating to general commercial contract law, energy, mining and metals, climate change, and carbon; and all aspects of AI and blockchain technology. He regularly acts for major corporates globally, including multinational companies and banks, exchanges, and Web3 project participants, in relation to a range of complex disputes and commercial advisory matters. Dan is commonly referenced as an energy-focused legal expert in key trade publications.

Having been based in Singapore since 2010, Dan has conducted high-value arbitrations under, amongst others, SIAC, ICC, LCIA and AAA-ICDR Arbitration Rules, and ad hoc arbitrations seated in several jurisdictions. Dan is also an experienced mediation practitioner, having mediated numerous complex disputes.

Dan also advises on and negotiates high-value commercial contracts, which assists his understanding of the markets within which he operates. He regularly leads the drafting and negotiation of multi-billion dollar LNG SPAs and offtake arrangements for metals and new energy products. Dan also advises carbon markets participants and technology clients on a variety of Web3 projects, including the structuring of token launches. He has managed a range of high value carbon – and crypto-related disputes, including in respect of emissions reduction projects, the forward sale of carbon credits, and in relation to the operations of DAOs.

John Barlow

Partner,
HFW

John is a Partner in HFW’s Dubai office where he heads the Middle East Financial Institutions (including Trade Finance/Credit) and Regulatory Insurance Practice.

John advises the broad swathe of financial institutions, insurers and brokers with regard to insurance policies covering bank risk and on all regulatory issues. He advises on the selling of financial products and admission of insurers and brokers on to the DIFC and ADGM platforms and John also advises on captive set ups.

John is a leading specialist when it comes to trade finance and credit insurance policies and advises banks, insurers, reinsurers and ECAs on complaint policies enabling banks to obtain regulatory capital relief as well as promoting investment into the GCC Region.

A dispute resolution specialist, John advises clients with their fidelity, computer crime, D&O, PI/Civil Liability and cyber liability programmes, and on claims that arise under these products. He has handled and settled many of the most significant global claims to find their way into the London insurance and reinsurance market over the last two decades.

Luke Fittis

Senior Associate,
HFW

Luke is a Senior Associate at HFW who specialises in commercial dispute resolution with a focus on international trade. He acts mainly for vessel owners, charterers, commodities traders, insurers and banks.

Luke regularly advises and represents clients in international arbitration as well as litigation, including before the English High Court and UAE Courts. Luke also assists clients in non-contentious matters, mainly advising upon and/or drafting charterparties and commercial contracts.

Claire Stephens

Associate,
HFW

Claire is an Associate in the Shipping Team in HFW’s Dubai office.

During her two-year training period with HFW, spent with both HFW’s London and Dubai offices, Claire gained experience working on both disputes and transactional matters.

Claire’s experience includes advising upon contractual liabilities arising from a logistics and supply chain related dispute following an incident at port. She has represented both owners and charterers on various charterparty disputes and been involved in salvage and oil spill responses.

Claire is fluent in English and Arabic.