Current practice

Rob is a partner in Freehills' Corporate group. He specialises in oil and gas, energy and mining law.

Industry experience

Rob advises on project development and financing, commodity sales and transportation, mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures. Recent experience includes acting for:

• AGL Energy and Arrow Energy on the acquisition of the Enertrade merchant energy and pipeline business from the state of Queensland
• AGL Energy on the acquisition of the Moranbah Coal Seam Gas Project
• AGL Energy on its foundation gas transportation agreement to support the development of the QNS Link Pipeline
• Australian Pipeline Trust on the acquisition of the Goldfields Gas Pipeline, Parmelia Gas Pipeline, Mondarra Gas Storage Facility and Dongarra Gas Processing Facility
• Avoca Resources on the development of the Higginsville Gold Project
• BHP Billiton on the marketing of Olympic Dam uranium
• CalEnergy on the development and project financing of the Yolla Gas Project and the Otway Gas Project and the subsequent sale of interests in both Projects to Origin Energy
• CITIC Pacific Mining on the development of its Sino Iron Project
• ConocoPhillips on the development of the Bayu-Undan Gas Recycle and Darwin LNG Project
• Epic Energy on the privatisation of the Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline in 1998 and Australian Pipeline Trust / Enbridge Inc on their consortium bid for the Pipeline in 2004
• JFE Steel on the Western 4 Iron Ore Joint Venture with BHP Billiton, Mitsui and Itochu, including associated iron ore offtake contracts
• LinQ Resources Fund on mezzanine and subordinated debt facilities for the development of CopperCo’s Lady Annie Project
• Mt Gibson Iron on the sale of the Extension Hill Magnetite Iron Ore Project to Sinom Investments
• Mt Gibson Iron on the development of the Koolan Island and Extension Hill Hematite Iron Ore Projects
• Moly Mines on the development and financing of its Spinifex Ridge Molybdenum Project
• Murchison Metals on its joint venture with Mitsubishi to develop the Jack Hills Iron Ore Project and supporting rail and port infrastructure
• Roc Oil on the development and financing of the Cliff Head Oil Project (offshore Western Australia) and the Chinguetti Oil Project (offshore Mauritania
• Southern Cross Pipelines on the acquisition of the Goldfields Gas Pipeline
• Windimurra Vanadium on the redevelopment and financing of the Windimurra Vanadium Project, including the sale of an interest in the Project to, and the entry into marketing agreements with, Noble Group
  

Professional background

Rob holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Murdoch University.

He has lectured in oil and gas law at Murdoch University and in company law to Chartered Secretaries Australia. 

He is vice-president of the Western Australia branch of the Australian Mining & Petroleum Law Association and is a member of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators.

He is named as a leading lawyer in the current editions of Chambers Global (energy and resources) and in The Best Lawyers in Australia (oil and gas and natural resources).