Partner and Managing Director – Sustainability and Resilience, DLA Piper
JP has more than 30 years’ experience advising clients on governance, regulatory and compliance issues; representing them in high stakes disputes; and advising on risk management and strategic issues. He has acted for a number of banks, energy and natural resources companies, and a wide range of governments and SOEs, and specialises in the Financial Services and Energy & Natural Resources Sectors. JP cochaired DLA Piper’s Litigation & Regulatory Group for 5 five years, overseeing one of the world’s largest compliance, regulatory and disputes practices. He was recently appointed to the international firm’s Executive Committee as the Managing Director responsible for Sustainability & Resilience, reflecting the evolution of his practice to include a focus on Sustainability & ESG and oversight of the firm’s award winning Radical Change programme which is focused on providing innovative legal and non-legal products and solutions for clients.
JP has acted for a number of governments, often in a post-conflict zone context or following civil society engagement to bring about change to assist with their reform, recovery and reconstruction programmes, including the recovery of assets misappropriated by the Pinochet regime; the Government of the Maldives following the 2004 public uprising to recover misappropriated state assets and development bank loans; the Central Bank of Libya in relation to asset recovery and preservation issues following the Gaddafi revolution in 2011 pending free and democratic elections (to prevent state funds being used for military and other purposes in the meantime); and more recently the Afghan Government with regard to rule of law reform by the Ghani/Abdullah administration to provide a more stable foreign investment environment to facilitate the rebuilding of the Afghan economy after decades of civil war and revolution. JP also led the team which provided pro bono support to the UK Government as President of COP in DLA Piper’s capacity as Legal Provider to COP26 in Glasgow last year and is actively engaged in supporting the objectives of COP27.