International trade

Regularly acting across a range of commodities, our team advises on disputes arising in relation to energy products, including petroleum products, coal, LPG and LNG; metals and minerals, encompassing base, ferrous, precious, and minor metals; and agricultural commodities, such as grains, coffee, sugar, cocoa and animal feed products. We assist at any stage of the trading process, from mining or harvesting, to transportation and post-delivery, resolving matters which, in many cases, involve onward or parallel contracts and commercially significant third-party relationships.

Experienced in managing complex and large-scale disputes, our team’s caseload covers breaches of contract, including claims under standard form trade agreements and the Sale of Goods Act, substantial civil fraud, regulatory issues, and compliance with standardised international rules such as UCP 600.

Our experts are skilled in multi-party proceedings, including High Court litigation and arbitration under international rules such as those of the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). As appointed advisors to a number of trade associations and arbitral bodies, we also handle trade arbitration under the rules of the Grain and Feed Trade Association (GAFTA), the Federation of Oils, Seeds and Fats Associations (FOSFA), the Refined Sugar Association (RSA), the Sugar Association of London (SAL), the Federation of Cocoa Commerce (FCC), and the Minor Metals Trade Association (MMTA).

Additionally, our trade finance team advises UK-based and international banks, financial institutions, and entities involved in global trade on financing across the commodities markets. We support parties on all sides of financing arrangements on letters of credit, guarantees and a broad range of financing facilities, such as prepayment and revolving credit. Most transactions handled by the team involve multiple jurisdictions and complex features for example multiple upstream and downstream users, or goods or security located in several different countries.

Instructed by banks and international traders with varying commercial priorities, our team structures transactions in order to mitigate potential issues and meet our clients’ objectives in their market environments, all while managing risk appropriately.