Lawyers / Professionals

 
Walter H. White Jr.       
Partner
Imperial House
15-19 Kingsway
London WC2B 6UN, United Kingdom 
T: +44 (0)20 7632 1630
F: +44 (0)20 7632 1638
wwhite@mcguirewoods.com

Washington Square
1050 Connecticut Avenue N.W., Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20036-5317
T: 202.857.1707
F: 202.828.2969
 

Mr. White is head of the firm's emerging markets transactions practice. His work consists of multinational securities transactions, international business and finance law issues, and complex litigation and related arbitration. He has represented clients in multibillion-dollar business transactions in the United States, Canada, Europe, throughout the Commonwealth of Independent States (C.I.S.), Asia and Africa. He has acted as an advisor to Central Banks, and financial regulatory agencies in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia on economic development and regulatory issues.

He has published books and articles on multinational business activity and lectured in North America, Europe, Central Asia and Africa, and is a regular commentator for the BBC on U.S. and international human rights and constitutional affairs.


Representative Matters
  • Acquisition of an oil production company and holding company structure in Azerbaijan with value of $116 million.
  • Sale of Russian gasoline distribution company with value of $570 million.
  • Sale of interests in Russian oil company with value of $5 billion.
  • Acquisition of 51% interest in Oil JV in Azerbaijan with value of $245 million.
  • Development of investment consortium and acquisition of $2 billion interest in chemical plant and other privatized assets (Turkey) and related $400 million secured loan facility.
  • Advise on the admission of Timan Oil & Gas to AIM, value at issue £123 million.
  • Advise vendor in transaction where major Russian oil company purchased 100% of participant in oil deposits of the southwest Central Asia for US $580 million.
  • Advise vendor in sale of chain of Russian gas stations for $42 million.
  • Advise in initiated negotiations of purchase of material part of European energy conglomerate with estimated transaction value in excess of €6 bn.
  • Advise on acquisition of energy sector service company for $41 million.
  • Advise on $170 million acquisition of multinational satellite navigation systems company headquartered in France. Our client was a San Francisco private equity fund.
  • Construction dispute litigation in Sweden, Russia and the UK regarding construction of Moscow oil refinery.
  • Hambledon Mining PLC list on AIM.
  • Major aluminum conglomerate v. a global aluminum conglomerate $200 million+ litigation in Ireland and Switzerland.
  • Austrian pharmaceutical company in strategic investment regarding development of medical equipment manufacturer.
  • $975 million industrial merger and restructuring major aluminum group.
  • Ukranian aluminium company in a $120 million Swiss arbitration proceeding.
  • Ukranian aluminium company in a $24 million share purchase.
  • Mobil Oil with regard to $14 Bn Caspian Pipeline Consortium.
  • Illingworth Morris re: BoIschevichka privatization.
  • Russian real estate developer settle $40 million real estate development dispute with international bank.
  • JSC Kazakhstan electricity grid $10 million term loan agreement.
  • American Express obtain veto from President Yeltsin to legislation that would outlaw foreign ownership of travel agencies in Russia.
  • Obtained dismissal in both U.S. (Northern District of California) Federal Court as well as arbitration in London of $10 million claim against Nizhnyvartovskneftigaz.
  • $30 million investment by Conoco in AGD a Lukoil subsidiary Archangelsk Base Trawling Fleet against Schiffcommerz.
  • Telefonica Espana $1.71 billion bid for Svyazinvest.
  • Telefonica Espana Capitalisation $400 million bid vehicle for Consortium Telefam.
  • RAO UES $400 million mezzanine borrowing from Deutsche Morgan Grenfell.
  • Intersputnik $1 Bn JV with Lockheed Martin.
  • EAFC $5 Bn J.V. with Pratt & Whitney.
  • France Telecom Alcatel investment.
  • France Telecom Svyazinvest investment.

Practices & Industries
Previous Experience
  • Partner, Grundberg Mocatta Rakison LLP, London, UK, 2006-2009
  • Partner, White & Jones LLP, London, UK, 2002-2006
  • Partner, Bryan Cave LLP, London, UK, 1999-2002
  • Partner, Steptoe & Johnson LLP, Washington, D.C., and Moscow, 1994-1999
  • Partner, Quarles & Brady LLP, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1991-1994
  • Commissioner of Securities State of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 1988-1991
  • Associate, Michael Best and Friedrich LLP, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1980-1988

Publications
  • "ABA Protecting and Advancing the International Rule of Law," ABA Human Rights Magazine, Vol. 34, Winter 2007

Articles
  • "Recent Legislative Developments in the Soviet Union," Co-authored with Rebecca Speckhard, 25 The International Lawyer 549

Books
  • Multinational Debt and Equity Offerings: Memorandum on the Laws of the United States, Co-authored with Donald Layden, AIJA Press, London, Brussels
  • Report on Election Observations of the October 28, 1990 Soviet Georgian Election, Editor, ABA Press, Chicago, Illinois, July 1991
  • Moscow Conference on Law and Bilateral Economic Relations, Co-editor, Co-translator, Contributor, ABA Press, The Kremlin, Moscow and Washington, D.C., June 1991

Speaking Engagements
  • "The Russian Economy and Investment Climate," Finnish British Chamber of Commerce, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, London, UK, September 2008
  • "Enforceability of Netting Provisions under Russian Derivatives Master Agreements," Financial Markets Law Committee Symposium, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, June 2008
  • "Corporate Human Rights Responsibility," Symposium, Northwestern University School of Law Chicago, Ill., October 2007
  • "Offshore Structures for Investments in Russian Oil and Gas Assets," Judicial Seminar for Financial Markets Law Committee, Bank of England, London, UK, November 2006
  • "The Legal Foundations of Anti-trafficking Prosecutions," ABA-Africa Nairobi, Kenya, May 2006
  • "Diversity in the Profession: Realizing the Goals," Standing Conference on Legal Education, Department for Constitutional Affairs, London, UK, November 2004
  • "Multijurisdictional Ethics Issues and New UK Money Laundering Regulations," White and Jones LLP, London, UK, September 2004
  • "Charles Hamilton Houston: An Amherst Legacy," Amherst College Black Alumni Weekend, Amherst, Massachusetts, April 2004
  • "Sarbanes-Oxley: Its Impact on International Business," White and Jones LLP, London, UK, September 2003
  • "Why Capitalism Works in the West and Fails in Emerging Markets," Amherst College Symposium, Amherst, Massachusetts, June 2001
  • "Current SEC and Cross-border M&A Developments: SEC Regulation FD and New 10b-5 Rules," Practicing Law Institute, London, UK, November 2000
  • "The Ends of the Legal Profession: How Does a Profession Based on Precedent Deal with Unprecedented Change?" ABA Annual Meeting, Toronto, Canada, August 1998

Directorships and Appointments
  • Church Mutual Insurance Company
  • Board of Trustees, Hampshire College
  • Advisory Board, Martindale-Hubbell LexisNexis
  • Center for Civil & Human Rights Advisory Council, University of Notre Dame Law School

Professional Affiliations
  • American Bar Association
    • Past Member, Board of Governors
    • Council Member, Rule of Law Initiative
    • Council Member, Center for Human Rights
    • Past Chair, Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities
    • Past Chair, Young Lawyers Division
    • Past Chair, Africa Rule of Law Initiative
  • Wisconsin Bar Association
  • Bar Association of the District of Columbia
  • National Bar Association

Former Affiliations
  • Central Asian American Enterprise Fund (appointed by President Clinton), Chair, 2000-2001; Director, 1994- 2001

Languages
  • English
  • Russian
 

EDUCATION

Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, J.D., 1980

  • Judicial Extern, the Hon. Robert F. Peckham, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
  • Editor, Black Law Journal

Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts, B.A., 1977

  • John Woodruff Simpson Fellow of Amherst College

Leningrad Pedagogical Institute, Leningrad, U.S.S.R.

 
 

ADMITTED

Registered as a Foreign Lawyer, England and Wales

District of Columbia 1995

Wisconsin 1980