Details
John has been with the HD Commodities team since March 2019, after training at another City firm and practicing in Singapore for two years. His years of experience in commodities and shipping, in private practice and on secondments in-house, mean he understands the need for clear, commercial advice, including in urgent circumstances.
John handles arbitrations under the rules of the LCIA, SIAC, RSA, SAL, GAFTA, FOSFA, ICA, LMAA, and SCMA, as well as court proceedings. He also regularly assists with ‘firefighting’ in relation to the performance of commodity related contracts.
John spent seven months on secondment to an energy trading house, where he advised on gas and power trading, and seven months on secondment to a P&I Club, where he advised their charterer and trader members.
John studied English Literature at the University of Durham before obtaining a graduate diploma in law from BPP Law School.
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Experience
- Advising an energy trader on the performance of a 60-cargo LNG supply contract with a state-owned entity and acting in the defence of a US$500m arbitration claim arising from the same
- Acting on the restructure of a long-term offtake and marketing agreement for crude oil, including the conclusion of a new contract of affreightment, ship-to-ship service agreements, and a chartering agreement for compliance with local cabotage laws
- Advising the owner of an oil field on its defence of non-delivery claims arising from the emergency shutdown of an FPSO and suspension of production
- Acting for a sugar trader in the successful defence of a US$23.5m claim in SAL arbitration
- Obtaining a US$1.5m GAFTA award in favour of a CIF corn seller following the buyer’s failure to open letter of credit
- Securing a FOSFA appeal award in favour of an FOB seller for a quality dispute under a contract for the sale of sunflower seeds
- Obtaining a US$4.6m arbitration award, under the rule of the International Cotton Association, for repudiatory breach of seven sale contracts
- Successfully defending the seller of Indonesian coal, on the basis of force majeure, against a US$1,100,000 claim for non-delivery in Singapore arbitration
- Acting for a ship owner in the successful defence of a claim for wrongful withdrawal of a vessel under a charterparty (Singapore Arbitration 3/19)
- Obtaining an anti-suit injunction from the High Court in London to restrain foreign proceedings brought in breach of a London arbitration agreement (ADM Intermare -v- Sunraja and Gem [2019] EWHC 2321 (Comm))
- Advising an energy trader on the performance of a 60-cargo LNG supply contract with a state-owned entity and acting in the defence of a US$500m arbitration claim arising from the same
John McNeilly's Expertise
Commercial
Commodities
Dispute resolution
Shipping
