Graham Watson | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

“Graham Watson is a highly regarded leading lawyer for oil & gas”

ILFR1000 2020
Graham Watson, Partner
Corporate and M&A

London

100 Bishopsgate
London EC2P 2SR
T +44 20 7936 4000
F +44 20 7832 7001

graham.watson@freshfields.com

Graham is head of our global oil and gas group.

His practice covers public and private mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and general corporate and commercial advice.

Based in London, he has worked on a wide variety of natural resources matters across the globe, particularly in Latin America and Africa.

A fluent Spanish speaker, Graham spent almost three years based in our Madrid office. He is one of our country partners for Brazil, Mexico and South Africa.

Advising Tullow Oil on the sale of its Ugandan interests to Total and on its convertible bond offering.
Advising Occidental Petroleum on the international aspects of its US$57bn acquisition of Anadarko, including on the contingent US$8.8bn sale of Anadarko's African assets to Total.
Advising Total on its:
- US$7.45bn acquisition of Maersk Oil; and
- acquisition of Chevron Denmark.
Advising Neptune Energy on its US$3.9bn acquisition of ENGIE E&P International and on its proposed acquisition of Edison’s UK and Norwegian North Sea assets from Energean.
Advising BG Group on its:
- US$70bn recommended takeover by Shell;
- US$5bn Queensland Curtis liquefied natural gas pipeline sale to APA, Australia's largest gas infrastructure business; and
- US$1.7bn disposal to Cosan of its 60.1 per cent holding in Comgás, Brazil’s largest gas distribution company.
Advising Hess on its sale of Ghana upstream interests to Aker Energy.
Advising on Wintershall Dea’s €4.0bn inaugural bond issue.
Advising Pilgrim’s Pride on its US$952m acquisition of Kerry’s Meats and Meals business in the UK and Ireland.
Advising TelecityGroup on its proposed US$4.5bn all-share merger with InterXion.
Advising on the settlement between the Karachaganak consortium (BG, Eni, Chevron and LUKoil) and the Republic of Kazakhstan, including the US$3bn transfer of 10 per cent of the consortium’s interests to national oil company KazMunayGas.
Advising Sinochem on its acquisition of Emerald Energy, the first London main market takeover by a Chinese state-owned enterprise.
Advising on various transactions for Xstrata, including its unsolicited and contested C$20bn acquisition of Falconbridge, its Cerrejón and Prodeco Colombian coal acquisitions and its rights issues.

Education

Trinity College, University of Oxford, UK (MA in jurisprudence)

London

100 Bishopsgate
London EC2P 2SR
T +44 20 7936 4000
F +44 20 7832 7001

graham.watson@freshfields.com

Deal of the year for advising Total on its US$7.45bn acquisition of Maersk Oil.

Oil & Gas Council World Oil & Gas Awards 2017

Deal of the year for advising BG Group on its US$70bn recommended takeover by Shell.

Financial News Awards 2016 and Oil & Gas Council World Oil & Gas Awards 2015

Shortlisted M&A deal of the year for advising BG Group on the US$1.8bn disposal of its interests in Comgás to Cosan.

Latin Lawyer Awards 2013

About us

About us

The road to COP26

Our thinking

Our thinking

Freshfields TQ - Insights at the intersection of technology and the law

What we do

What we do

Malaysia Airlines restructuring – using English law to help an Asian client

Careers

Careers

100 years moving forward

Our regional experience

Europe

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Middle East

Africa

International language sites

London

London

Worldwide

Our regional experience

Europe

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Middle East

Africa

International language sites

Europe

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Middle East

Africa

Profile details

London

London

Profile quotations

Worldwide

Our regional experience

Europe

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Middle East

Africa

International language sites