The Tokyo office of Simmons & Simmons has laterally hired Hogan Lovells projects lawyer Simon Barrett to join the firm as a partner with immediate effect.
Following his 2003 qualification as a solicitor in the UK, Barrett studied Japanese at Keio University and worked for a Japanese manufacturer in Tokyo in a commercial capacity for a number of years. His time in Japan also includes a two-year secondment to the legal department of Mitsubishi Corporation.
His recent work include advising a Japanese telecoms company on the US$15.3bn acquisition of Vodafone KK; advising a Japanese company on all aspects of its participation in the Shuqaiq II independent water and power project (IWPP) in Saudi Arabia; and advising a Japanese trading house as one of the bidders for the construction of the third set of locks at the Panama Canal.
Prior to joining Simmons & Simmons, Barrett was previously a senior associate in the infrastructure and project finance group at Hogan Lovells Tokyo. Based at Hogan Lovells in Tokyo from October 2004 to July 2006, he returned to the firm’s Tokyo office for an additional two years, after a secondment to Mitsubishi Corporation Legal Department’s Machinery and Infrastructure practice from July 2006 to July 2008. Barrett continued to be based out of Tokyo from 2008 and stayed in Japan until 30 Dec 2010.
Before his time with Hogan Lovells, Barrett trained at DLA Piper, London from 2001 to 2003 and was based in DLA Piper's project finance group until September 2004.
Barrett focuses his practice on the the development and financing of major infrastructure projects, particularly those in the transport, power and energy sectors. He has acted for procuring authorities, project sponsors, lenders, sub-contractors and offtakers. In addition to his work in Japan, he has also worked on infrastructure and energy transactions in the UK, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the Americas.
As part of his practice, Simon also advises on a wide variety of corporate matters, including joint ventures, cross border M&A and debt restructurings.
Barrett will relocate permanently to the Simmons & Simmons Tokyo office pending the normalisation of the Japanese economy. The firm is aligned in a joint venture with Japanese firm TMI Associates since 2001 in one of the largest alliances between a Japanese law firm and an international law firm.ALB
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