Current practice

Rommel has worked extensively in project, structured and corporate financings, infrastructure projects and acquisitions and disposals across a number of industries and areas. 

He has spent over eight years as a solicitor, including two years in the Corporate Finance group of Slaughter & May, a leading London-based firm. He has acted for financial institutions, investment banks, equity investors, sponsors and government bodies.

Industry experience

Project finance / infrastructure

• Acting for the sponsors, the borrower and the other security providers in respect of the refinancing of the senior debt in relation to the Loy Yang A power station.
• Acting for the joint venture consortium consisting of United Group Rail Services Ltd and Mitsubishi Electric Australia Pty Ltd in respect of its bid in relation to the replacement of RailCorp’s existing suburban rolling stock.
• Acting for Barclays, Citibank and Westpac as Joint Lead Arrangers in respect of financing the acquisition of Epic Energy’s assets.
• Acting for ANZ and BNP Paribas in respect of financing and due diligence in relation to Resource Pacific’s Hunter Valley coal project.
• Acting for ANZ and Rothschild in respect of the financing of the coal mine of Donaldson Coal.
• Acting for the purchasers in respect of the acquisition (including due diligence) of InterGen NV’s Australian assets.
• Acting for Ticor Limited in respect of its joint venture with Iscor Limited in relation to a mineral sands mining and smelting project in Richards Bay, South Africa.
• Acting for the Law Debenture Trust Corporation plc in relation to its various roles in the Egyptian LNG Project (West Delta Deep Marine Concession area).
• Acting for the Department of Trade and Industry (UK) in respect of the provision of finance to, and the restructuring of, British Energy plc.
• Acting for National Australia Bank in respect of the Fox Studios project.
• Acting for Rothschild in respect of the Harapan Palm Oil project in Indonesia.
• Adviser to Toronto Dominion and the syndicate of lenders in the Smithfield Cogeneration Power Station project financing including infrastructure borrowings.
• Adviser to Toronto Dominion and the syndicate of lenders in the Collinsville Power Station project financing, including infrastructure borrowings and negotiating a tripartite arrangement with QTC.

Structured finance

• Acting for John Fairfax in respect of its 2005 issue of redeemable preference shares to institutional and retail investors in New Zealand.
• Adviser to John Fairfax Group in various financings including the debt finance in relation to its acquisition of Trade Me Limited.
• Acting for Wessex Water in respect of its £100,000,000 finance lease facilities with Bayerische Landesbank and National Australia Bank Limited.
• Acting for EMAP plc in respect of structured finance transactions with Lloyds TSB Bank plc and The Royal Bank of Scotland involving the assignment of floating rate swap payments and the issue and sale of fixed rate redeemable preference shares.
• Acting for Rabobank in relation to structured finance transactions with Lloyds TSB Bank plc.
• Acting for ING and Investec in respect of the design of new banking products and compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Acting for Lend Lease Project Finance in respect of arranging the disposal of Mitsubishi’s real property portfolio.
• Adviser to New South Wales Treasury Corporation / Prospect Electricity in relation to the cross border financing of electricity assets and their proposed restructuring.
• Acting for BNP Paribas in respect of a number of cross border leases.

Capital markets and derivatives

• Acting for John Fairfax Group in respect of its A$750,000,000 CP/MTN program.
• Acting for Kaupthing Bunadarbanki hf in respect of the establishment of a euro 500,000,000 ECP program.
• Acting for Wessex Water in respect of the issue of £350,000,000 5.75 per cent listed bonds due 2033.
• Acting for CGNU plc and EMAP plc in respect of various derivatives transactions.
• Acting for Eletropaulo Metropolitana-Electricidade De Sao Paolo, a Brazilian subsidiary of AES Corp, in respect of restructuring its US$300,000,000 ECP program through an exchange offer.
• Acting for NSW Treasury Corporation in respect of its US$5,000,000,000 Multi-Currency ECP program and updates of the program.
• Acting for Dai-Ichi Kangyo Australia in respect of its US$2,000,000,000 Euro MTN program and US$500,000,000 ECP program and updates of both programs.
• Acting for MLC in respect of derivatives documentation in relation to its statutory funds.

Professional background

Rommel has a Bachelor of Arts and Law (First Class Honours) from the University of Sydney.

He is admitted to practice in Australia and England and Wales. Rommel has been admitted to the Freehills partnership in July 2006.