Overview
Patricia is an experienced projects lawyer advising clients on the full life cycle of energy and infrastructure projects. Patricia is the managing partner of the firm’s Dubai office and has over 16 years of experience advising participants in the energy industry, adding value to her client’s projects, and helping them achieve the desired results. She advises on energy projects involving both conventional and renewable energy sources, including development of regulatory regimes for the exploration, production, distribution, and sale of energy resources.
Patricia has advised on several “first-of-a-kind projects” in the energy-rich countries of the Middle East and Africa, and has a wealth of experience advising government authorities, sponsors, developers, and international contractors on innovative and complex energy projects.
In recent years, Patricia’s practice has focused on the transition to net zero and helping clients make strategic decisions when structuring energy development and production projects. She has worked on various initiatives designed to assist the conventional energy industry transition to a carbon-neutral production environment, including advice on new regulatory regimes, carbon capture and storage, and the continued role of natural gas as a transition fuel.
Patricia is English law qualified.
Experience
Energy Transition
- Development of new regulations for production, import/export, and transportation of hydrogen
- Advising on standards for use of green power by industrial consumers, including commitments to green hydrogen
- Advising on a carbon capture project and carbon offsets scheme
- Advising on establishing a new green energy trading hub in South-East Asia
LNG Project Development
- Development of LNG export and import projects (onshore and offshore) on six continents
- Advising on all aspects of the LNG value chain, including LNG SPAs and MSAs, LNG tolling agreements, and charter party agreements for floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs)
- Advising governments (including Mozambique), project sponsors (including Gastrade, Texas LNG, Qatar Energy* and IPIC*), IOCs (including CNPC) and contractors (including Excelerate Energy and Mitsubishi Corporation (Basra)*) on their game-changing gas and LNG projects
Energy Regulatory
- Advising on amendments to oil and gas legislation to conform to international best practices
- Implementing a new regulatory framework for exploration and production of greenfield and brownfield natural gas
- Advising on procurement guidelines for conventional exploration and production
Oil & Gas – Upstream and Midstream
- Negotiating concessions and production sharing agreements for high-profile NOCs, IOCs, and independent exploration and production companies, including in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe
- Drafting model form host government agreements (concessions and production sharing agreements) and management of open and closed tenders for several energy ministries / energy regulators
- Negotiating joint operating agreements for operators and minority stakeholders in all the world’s energy hubs
- Negotiating pipeline transportation agreements for natural gas and crude oil
- Advising sell-side and buy-side of long-term gas and LNG sale and purchase agreements
Corporate Advisory/Acquisitions/Joint Ventures
- Advising on corporate restructuring and joint ventures in United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Oman
- Advising company boards and directors on compliance and fiduciary duties
- Advising on strategic buyouts and acquisitions throughout the Middle East
- Evaluating and managing risks associated with privacy and data protection requirements in the United Arab Emirates
*Experience at prior firm
Accolades
Honors & Recognitions
-
Recognized as a Leader in Projects & Energy, Middle East-wide, Chambers Global, 2024
- Recipient of the Professional Achievement Awards and shortlisted for Law Firm Leader of the Year, LexisNexis Women in Law Awards, 2023
- Shortlisted for the Prominent Women in International Law Award, World Law Alliance, 2023
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Recommended for United Arab Emirates: Commercial, Corporate and M&A (2021-2024) and United Arab Emirates: Infrastructure and Projects (Including Project Finance) (2024) in Legal 500 EMEA
- Recognized as one of 10 Women of the Energy Transition in Gas & LNG, Transition Economist, 2021
- Recognized by the Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department for participation in the Voluntary Legal Services Smart Portal, December 2019
Affiliations
Professional
- Association of International Energy Negotiators (AIEN), 2006-present
- Co-Chair of the AIEN LNG Sale and Purchase Agreement Model Contract Committee
Insights
Legal Updates
Events & Speaking Engagements
Publications
Blog Posts
News
Education
LLB, University of Western Australia, Honours, 2005
Admissions
Dubai (Legal Consultant)
England and Wales (Solicitor)
Western Australia (Solicitor)
New South Wales (Solicitor)
