Sumeet leads the firm’s Commodities and International Trade offering and is a partner in the Dispute Resolution group.
Sumeet has over twenty years of experience in the management of complex, high-value international disputes, with particular expertise in international commodity trading, structured trade finance and shipping. His clients include the world’s leading agricultural commodity traders, mining majors, energy traders, oil and gas supermajors, trade finance lenders, trade credit insurers, brokers and shipowners/operators. He has assisted his clients in obtaining favourable outcomes in a number of large, complex multi-jurisdictional arbitrations including matters subject to the rules of the ICC, HKIAC, SIAC, LCIA, LMAA, SCMA, GAFTA and PORAM.
Before turning to private practice, Sumeet spent over a decade in-house, including senior roles at leading commodity trading houses. His unique in-house experience allows him to provide his clients with innovative, cost-effective, practical and commercial legal solutions and he routinely leads the negotiation and drafting of international trade contracts, trade finance documentation and charterparties.
He is qualified in England & Wales and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers. He speaks fluent English and Hindi.
- Acting for a commodity trader in a US$1.4bn claim against a defaulting trade credit lender; successfully obtained an HKIAC Emergency Award requiring the lender to resume performance of its obligations.
- Successfully obtained summary judgment in court proceedings for a leading agricultural commodity trader against a trade credit underwriter, in relation to its failure to make payment under a performance bond.
- Advising a commodities trading client on a high value non delivery and misrepresentation dispute arising from a sale contract; led end to end strategy including investigations, loss analysis and settlement negotiations, securing a favourable US$24m settlement with a major industry counterparty without resort to litigation.
- Acting on behalf of a Geneva-based international commodities trading firm in two US$ multi-million time-charterparty LMAA arbitration proceedings for vessel non-delivery claims.
- Successfully representing a commodities trading subsidiary of a state-owned coal mining entity in SIAC arbitration proceedings arising from a long-term sale contract, defeating force majeure and mitigation defences and securing a US$9m damages award.
Education
- 2002 · National Law School, Bangalore, India, LL.B. (Hons.)
memberships & associations
- Member of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers
