Prajakt Samant is a partner in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery UK LLP, based in its London office. His practice focuses primarily on representing banks, hedge funds and energy and commodity companies in a variety of transactional, cross-border regulatory, compliance and risk management matters in the energy sector.
Prajakt has considerable experience documenting, structuring, analysing and negotiating both physical and financial UK and European energy commodity agreements in carbon, coal, freight, gas, oil and power and uranium for a range of clients. Prajakt has developed an in-depth knowledge of cross-border regulation relating to the marketing, trading and post-trading consequences of energy commodity derivatives trading in a number of jurisdictions outside the UK. In addition, he has advised clients on the initiation and establishment of their energy trading operations in the UK/EU, conducted EU and international energy exchange analyses, along with advising on UK/EU regulations and legislations relating to the energy and financial services sectors, and has worked on some headline energy M&A transactions.
Prajakt is listed in Chambers UK 2010 (Commodities: Futures), as “Up and Coming” ('Commentators repeatedly commend his "fantastic knowledge of FSA and commodities regulation"') and in Legal 500 2009 (as exhibiting “good knowledge about commodities trading and regulation”).
Prajakt has authored numerous articles, including features in Commodities Now, the Futures Industry Magazine, Butterworth’s Journal of International Banking and Financial Law and Environmental Finance.
Aside from his practice, Prajakt is Training Principal for the London office trainee solicitors, and partner with oversight for trainee solicitor recruitment, mentoring and development.
Representative Experience
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Represented J. Aron & Company/Goldman Sachs in acquiring the international commodity trading business of Constellation Energy Commodities Group, Inc
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Advising on transactions involving the acquisition of physical power assets and energy trading portfolios
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Advising investment banks, hedge funds and energy and commodity companies in developing and drafting their aspirational trading templates, and further structuring and negotiating a wide range of energy commodity documentation and transactions
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Advising hedge funds, energy companies and other clients on the establishment and structuring of their European commodity trading businesses, and their membership (and attendant risk analyses) of the major UK, EU and international energy exchanges and grid/system transmission operators
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Advising on UK aspects of, and coordinating, managing and reviewing cross-border aspects of, a multi-jurisdictional project on local law and regulations relating to all aspects of energy commodity trading in over 90 jurisdictions
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Advising on and documenting hedging, netting and collateral aspects of trading and risk management
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Advising Merrill Lynch in its acquisition of the energy trading business of Entergy-Koch LP
Education
- College of Law, London, LPC, 1997
- McGill University Montréal, M.A., 1998
- College of Law Chester, CPE, 1996
- Exeter College, Oxford University, B.A (First Class, Hons.), 1995
Languages Spoken
- English
- French
- Hindi
- Marathi
