Angela Harford

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Angela is a corporate, commercial and infrastructure specialist, with domestic and international experience.

Angela is an experienced corporate and commercial lawyer, with a strong focus on infrastructure and projects. Her practice mainly consists of acting for public sector and private sector clients on a broad range of corporate and commercial matters, primarily in the infrastructure, defence, electricity, oil and gas and government sectors.

Angela advises a range of public sector entities on public private partnership (PPP) procurement, together with other general procurement and commercial contracting matters. She has particular experience in relation to social and economic infrastructure, including advising on the former Social Housing Reform Programme and more recently, on public and transitional housing.

Angela also regularly acts for domestic and international corporate clients on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate restructurings, complex commercial contracts and general corporate advisory matters.

Her international experience includes working in the corporate team of leading London law firm, Slaughter and May, from 2013 - 2017. While at Slaughter and May, she acted for several FTSE 100 companies on complex multi-jurisdictional transactions across a wide range of sectors, including advising Royal Dutch Shell on its £47 billion recommended cash and share offer for BG Group, one of the biggest takeovers by size in history.

Chambers Asia Pacific 2023 ranks Angela as a leading lawyer in public law. In a previous edition, Chambers Asia Pacific 2022 ranked Angela as a leading lawyer in public law. "When you need accurate, useful, practical advice quickly, no one could ask for better," one client noted about Angela, who went onto say: "She also works across a wide range of commercial activity, so she is also an excellent person to talk to about the state of the market, current trends, and how the market would respond to any new idea or initiative we are considering."

The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2024 recommends Angela in corporate and M&A, she is also recommended in the projects and resource management (including environment) practice area. The IFLR1000 2023 also ranks Angela as a 'Rising star partner' for project development and infrastructure work.

In 2020, Angela was named in NZ Lawyer's inaugural 'Rising Stars’ list which included up-and-coming stars in the legal profession who are committed to making a difference.

Angela was recognised as Young Private Practice Lawyer of the Year (35 and under) at the 2020 New Zealand Law Awards.

Angela was named as a 'young influencer' in NZ Lawyer's inaugural Most Influential Lawyers report.

Work highlights

Next Generation Critical Communications and Crown Infrastructure Partners
Advised Next Generation Critical Communications (NGCC) (a division of New Zealand Police) and Crown Infrastructure Partners Limited (CIP) on the $1.4 billion digital infrastructure procurement of The Public Safety Network - Te Kupenga Marutau. This included a suite of major contracts for the procurement of a critical public safety communications network for New Zealand's emergency services agencies.

Western Porirua public housing partnership
Advised the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development on the successful western Porirua public housing partnership signed with Ngāti Toa.

Public private partnerships (PPP) procurement
Advised a range of public sector entities on PPP procurement, including the Department of Corrections and the New Zealand Transport Agency.

Ministry of Housing and Urban Development
Advisor to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development on public housing matters.

Contact Energy's NZ$200 million Ahuroa Gas Storage Facility divestment
Advised Contact Energy on the sale of its Ahuroa Gas Storage Facility to Gas Services New Zealand, an associate of First Gas, for $NZ200 million, together with associated long term gas storage services agreements.

Crown Infrastructure Partners
Advised Crown Infrastructure Partners on the development of its commercial and legal model for the provision of bulk infrastructure to support housing development.

Royal Dutch Shell and BG Group - £47 billion recommended combination
Advised Royal Dutch Shell, the largest FTSE 100 company, on its £47 billion recommended cash and share offer for BG Group. This is one of the biggest takeovers by size in history.

Strategic acquisition of BP's North Sea Forties Pipeline System by INEOS
Advised INEOS, one of the world's largest chemical groups, on its acquisition of the Forties Pipeline System and associated pipelines and facilities from BP for up to US$250 million. This consolidated INEOS’ position as a top ten company in the North Sea and the largest privately owned E&P business operating in the energy basin. The Forties Pipeline System is a strategic UK asset that delivers almost 40 per cent of the UK's North Sea oil and gas.

Premier Oil restructuring
Advised Premier Oil, one of the UK’s largest independent oil and gas E&P companies, on the equity aspects of the successful restructuring of its US$3.8 billion capital structure. The overall amount of debt, and the wide range of different stakeholders, means that this transaction is one of the largest and most complex financial restructurings of a North Sea oil and gas company in recent years.

Electricity distribution
Advisor to Wellington Electricity on projects and contracts in the electricity distribution sector.

Det norske's US$2.7 billion acquisition of Marathon Oil
Advised Det norske oljeselkeskap (now Aker BP), a listed Norwegian E&P company, on its transformative US$2.7 billion acquisition of Marathon Oil Norway from Marathon Oil. This resulted in Det norske becoming one of the largest independent companies operating in the Norwegian part of the North Sea.

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Work highlights

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