Richard Nowinski

Profile

Richard is Head of the International Dispute Resolution Group at Tanfield Chambers.

Richard is a specialist in international business law and litigation, regulatory and financial law including specialist knowledge in derivatives and in energy law including oil and gas issues. He has been recognised as a legal expert in asset and project finance and draws on the very considerable experience of having been a partner in leading London law firms. He is an expert in jurisdictional and conflict of laws matters.

Richard has represented and advised Governments and Governmental institutions, major international corporations and public institutions in international arbitrations in London and overseas, and before both the Courts in London and overseas. He has conducted arbitrations under the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce, American Arbitration Association, International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA).

He has held academic posts in International Law and has lectured extensively both in England and abroad, including Russia and the Far East.

Experience

Business & Commercial

Richard has recently advised on and represented parties in offshore oil and gas disputes, in gas transportation projects and shipbuilding projects including LNG carriers, Floating Production and Storage Offloading Vessels (FPSOs) and deep sea drill ships, power generation disputes, international trade matters, cross border product liability issues, shareholders disputes and in complex derivative transactions.

Most recently he has represented major Korean engineering corporations, oil majors, Asian public utilities, international financial institutions and leading commodity and derivatives brokers.
 
Partner of Mishcon de Reya from 2003 to 2005

Richard was the head of the firm's international trade and arbitration group and led the firm's Public Law Group, which acted for developing and emerging states focusing on infrastructure investment and international trade. He was instructed to act for an Indian Subcontinent state power company in hydroelectric projects and acted for a Gulf state in establishing a strategic oil holding.  He represented a major oil transportation company in a $500 Ml debt security offering and in restructuring their loans.  

Partner of Richards Butler from 1995 to 2003
Richard was a leading member of both the firm's disputes and energy group and their asset finance group, and was appointed to lead the firm's arbitration practice. He conducted major arbitrations under ICC, ICSID, AAA and UNCITRAL rules and advised on and structured water and energy projects in Oman, Abu Dhabi and Central Europe. He was appointed under a number of EU and World Bank projects to draft legislation in Eastern Europe on energy and water regulation.

Senior assistant with Norton Rose from 1989 to 1995

Richard was one of the firm's leading lawyers on financial law and regulatory law. He acted for US oil majors and Korean corporations in international commercial projects and in arbitrations and multi-jurisdictional litigation in offshore, oil exploration and commercial disputes. He worked on major insolvencies of Maxwell and Drexel Burnham.  He acted for an ECA in a multi-jurisdictional enforcement of mortgages over offshore financings, appearing before the courts in England, Singapore and the Cayman Islands.

Senior advisory lawyer with the Department of Trade and Industry from 1985 to 1989

Richard worked closely with Government Ministers and advised on regulatory law in the areas of financial services and the utilities. He was involved in the development of financial services law working on the Financial Services Act. He represented the United Kingdom in EC negotiations of several finance and banking laws.

Richard also worked on the reform of company law and arbitration law. He advised the Bank of England on EC law and was the architect of the introduction of legislation designed to protect the derivatives markets in the event of a major default and so prevent systemic collapse of the financial markets.

Memberships

Commercial Bar Association

International Bar Association

Qualifications

BA (philosophy), University of Newcastle

LLM, Cambridge University (Magdalene College)

Appointments

Visiting Professor in Energy Law in the Faculty of World Economics, State University Higher School of Economics Moscow, 2007 to date

Visiting Scholar in international arbitration at Moscow State Institute of International Relations, 2007

Visiting Professor in International and European Law at the University of Poznan, Poland. 1996 to 2000

Assistant Lecturer in Logic at the University of Poznan, Poland. 1973 to 1975