Philip Webster is an International Lawyer

Philip Webster is a solicitor of the Senior Courts of England & Wales and currently practises as the Managing Partner of Websters Legal. He has  practised as a trade  finance, project finance, banking and general  corporate lawyer,  within the corporate and trade  finance departments of leading ‘blue chip’ legal firms such as Norton Rose (London-England) (now Norton Rose Fulbright), White & Case (USA),  LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae (USA) (*later Dewey & Leboeuf before ceasing to operate),  Fasken Martineau DuMoulin (Canada) and  and in  legal departments as In-House Counsel to leading banks such as  Natwest Securities Limited ( London-England) and Société Générale S.A., and  Société Générale Energie S.A.  (Paris- France).

Advice provided over the years to various banks and commercial institutions in trade finance and project finance. Such institutions include the following: NatWest Securities Limited, Société Générale S.A., Société Générale Energie S.A.  (Paris- France), the Development Bank of Southern Africa Limited (DBSA), BNP, Barclays, ABSA Bank Limited, Investec, Nova Capital Partners, Deutsche Bank, HSBC Investment Services (Africa) (Proprietary) Limited, HSBC Equator Bank, JP Morgan, Morgan Grenfell, the Standard Bank of South Africa Limited, Standard Chartered Bank Zambia PLC, the IFC and the World Bank, notably the privatisation unit responsible for Africa and the Indian Ocean.

Professional Experience:


Websters Legal: August 2021 – Present: CEO and Managing Partner

  • Specialist international corporate law legal advice with particular emphasis on project finance, trade finance and insurance related law.

Asafo & Co.: June 2019 – July 2021: CEO and Managing Partner of the Southern Africa office.

  • Specialising in trade finance, project finance, banking, and insurance related corporate law on the continent of Africa.


Dentons.: November 2018 to June 2019: Head of Project Finance in South Africa office.

  • Specialising in trade finance, project finance, banking and insurance related corporate law on the continent of Africa


Websters’ Legal: January 2006 to November 2018: CEO and Controlling Shareholder.

  • Specialising in trade finance, project finance, banking, general corporate and capital markets law, Insurance, corporate investment, energy, utilities e.g., aviation/ telecommunication/water/electricity, financial and legal aspects of non- recourse project finance, mining, privatisation related matters and lobbying

 
Fasken, Martineau, DuMoulin, July 2004 to December 2005: Director and Partner

  • Specialising in trade finance, project finance, banking, mining, and privatisation related matters.


Dewey, LeBoeuf, January 2001 to July 2004: Partner

  • Specialising in trade finance, project finance, banking, aviation, energy, privatisation, and corporate finance matters.


White & Case, 1997 to 2001: Senior Solicitor

  • Specialising in trade finance, privatisation, banking, corporate and project finance.


Legal Counsel, Equities Division of Natwest Securities Limited, 1996 to 1997

  • Specialising in trade finance, oil and gas sales and energy linked derivative sales contracts.


Legal Counsel, Société Générale Energie S.A., Paris, 1993 to 1996

  • Specialised in trade finance, oil and gas sales and energy linked derivative sales contracts.


Norton Rose, 1987 to 1993

  • Senior Solicitor in the London office of the Commercial Property, Banking and Capital Markets Group of Norton Rose, a leading City of London firm, specialising in trade finance, international infrastructure transactions as well as in, project finance, commercial property and property finance and venture capital and capital markets related transactions.

                                                                                                                                               

Languages:


Language

Reading

Speaking

Writing

English

Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

French

Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

Spanish

Excellent

Good

Fair

Portuguese

Good

Fair

Fair


Education:


Institut Européen des Hautes Études Internationales (European Institute of Advanced International Studies), Postgraduate (M. Phil. equivalent) University of Nice, France. 1984-85

Post graduate (“Trosieme cycle”) Diploma (“DEA”) in Law and International Relations (M.Phil.equivalent).1983-84

Masters in European Law, Leeds Business School, England and Nice University, France. 1982-83 (Mention ‘bien’)

Law Society Final Exams, College of Law, England. 1981-82

Law LL.B.  (Honours 2:1 cum laude), Leeds University, England. 1978-81



"The so called ‘law’ of breaking sanctions is not good law or experience and never has been!"