London (UK) – Fasken Martineau, a leading international business law and litigation firm, announced that Kirill Zenin and Nuno Frota have joined the firm’s London office as Partner and Associate, respectively.
Kirill is a member of the firm’s Corporate/Commercial, Energy and Projects and Corporate Social Responsibility groups. He holds law degrees from Harvard Law School and the Moscow State University, and is admitted to practice in New York and Russia. Prior to joining Fasken Martineau, Kirill was with a leading US firm in London and New York for 8 years. Earlier he served as an in-house counsel at Schlumberger Oilfield Services in Houston, Paris and Moscow for more than 5 years.
In the course of his almost 15 years of practice, Kirill has advised clients in a broad range of corporate, commercial and finance-related transactions, with a particular emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and other strategic transactions in the energy, natural resources and oilfield services industries throughout the world.
Most recently, Kirill represented the Republic of South Sudan in connection with oil and gas issues relating to its secession from the Republic of Sudan. Kirill has advised on matters arising in the negotiation of agreements between the two countries and in negotiations between the Republic of South Sudan and those oil companies seeking to explore for, produce, and market crude oil and natural gas in the territory of South Sudan. He has also been involved in the drafting of South Sudan’s recently enacted Petroleum Act.
Nuno Frota is an Associate in Fasken Martineau’s Energy and Projects group. Nuno’s practice encompasses projects, M&A and joint ventures in Portuguese speaking emerging markets, predominantly in the oil and gas sector,for exploration and production and oil services companies. For the past 6 years he has acted for major multinational companies and international financial and banking institutions in connection with their projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to joining Fasken Martineau, Nuno was seconded as in house counsel to Sonangol Sinopec International (SSI) in Luanda, Angola. He is admitted to practice in England, Angola and Portugal and holds degrees from Manchester University’s School of Law, the Faculty of Law of the Clássica University of Lisbon, and the School of Law of the University of Macau S.A.R, of the RPC.
“Kirill and Nuno bring a wealth of experience within the energy and natural resources arena, especially in geographies of great potential and of great interest to us and our clients. That experience and their knowledge of the marketplaces in which they have practised is a significant boost for our practice, and a real asset for our clients,” said Gary Howes, Fasken Martineau’s Managing Partner in London. “Their arrival allows us to continue to expand our capabilities in Russia and Central Asia, Africa and the Lusophone world,” added Mr. Howes.
“I am delighted to be joining Fasken Martineau at a turning point in its history,” said Kirill Zenin. “With the recently announced merger with Bell Dewar in Johannesburg adding 73 lawyers, Fasken Martineau has re-confirmed its long-standing commitment to Africa and the resources and projects sectors. It has certainly cemented its status as one of Africa’s pre-eminent international law firms. Also, the Firm’s recent representation of companies such as UraniumOne has extended the Firm’s global footprint to include Russia and Central Asia. I am excited to be joining a practice that has positioned itself to take full advantage of the opportunities presented by the new trends in the global markets.”
