Adam Topping is an associate in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery UK LLP, based in its London office. He advises financial institutions, hedge funds, energy companies, utility groups, other corporates and high-net-worth individuals on a variety of matters, including structured transactions in the energy and renewables sectors, cross-border finance and security arrangements, project finance, regulatory and compliance matters.
Before joining McDermott, Adam spent 18 months in-house at a large international oil and gas company, working on a variety of cross-border oil, gas and LNG projects, as well as assisting with the negotiation of energy documentation. Whilst at McDermott, he has also spent 6 months on secondment at a major international investment bank, where he advised on a range of structured commodity derivative transactions, assisted with the negotiation of energy trading documentation, as well as advising on a number of cross-border regulatory issues in the EU and international energy markets.
Adam has authored a number of articles focusing on a range of legal and regulatory issues affecting the energy and derivatives markets in the UK and EU. He has also written extensively on issues concerning the Kyoto Protocol.
Representative Experience
- Advising a UK investment bank in relation to the multi-billion dollar restructuring and close-out of secured derivative transactions used to hedge forward gold price risk
- Advising on the banking, finance and security issues applicable to the multi-billion dollar restructuring of a UK-based hedge fund
- Advising energy market participants in relation to the licensing, regulatory and financial services law applicable to their proposed energy sector activities
- Advising a US investment bank in relation to the acquisition of the international energy business of a rival market participant (with a portfolio including power, gas, coal, carbon and uranium)
- Advising investment banks, hedge funds and energy and commodity companies in developing their aspirational templates and further negotiating a wide range of energy commodity trading documentation (including ISDAs, EFETs, NBPs, ZBTs, GTMAs, IETAs and master netting agreements)
- Assisting a range of clients in relation to the formulation of compliance handbooks and training materials
- Advising a US-based global retailer in relation to its entry into the UK wholesale power market as a trader and supplier
- Coordinating, reviewing and managing a multi-sector due diligence process across 80 jurisdictions for a leading US investment bank
- Advising a UK investment bank in relation to the expansion of its physical power trading operations into Eastern and Southern Europe
Education
- College of Law, London, 2003
- University of Manchester, 2000
