Bartek is a senior associate in the Energy & Natural Resources Group in London . His practice focuses on delivering practical results for his clients on a wide spectrum of international trade matters.
Bartek has vast experience of handling both contentious and transactional matters relating to the sale, purchase, storage and transportation of a broad spectrum of hard and soft commodities, including oil, base metals, sugar and other agricultural goods, and more recently LNG. As a result, Bartek can assist his clients at every stage of a transaction’s lifecycle.
Contentious Experience
Bartek is highly experienced in commercial disputes at all levels. He has handled a number of high-value English court litigations and international arbitrations under a variety of regimes. Most recently, Bartek co-led a team of lawyers defending a very complex cross-border fraud claim worth c. $285 million, culminating in a five-week hybrid trial in the Commercial Court in London.
Bartek has a proven record of achieving practical results for his clients, often assisting them with securing actual recovery even against the most evasive debtors by – as he put it in one of his thought-leadership publications – “putting the ‘force’ into enforcement.” Bartek is also experienced in assisting clients with early resolution of potential disputes, advising them on how best to exercise their rights and negotiating commercial settlements. His diversified experience also includes handling high-value insurance recovery matters.
Transactional Experience
On the transactional side, Bartek regularly works on drafting and updating general terms and conditions, template contracts and bespoke agreements for the sale, purchase, tolling/refining, transportation and storage of a wide variety of commodities (oil, copper, iron ore, precious metals and agricultural goods). Working in the constantly evolving industry, Bartek helps his clients solve the problems of today and tomorrow, for example by devising contractual solutions to the ever-increasing risk of cyber fraud and invoice fraud plaguing many markets.
Bartek also assists his clients with optimising their business, for example by transforming their supply chains. A leading example of this was Bartek’s extensive work with one of the major international mining conglomerates on the disposal of various high-value assets in South America. The client required advice on reshaping the whole supply chain reliant on the affected assets, and drafting multiple long-term supply/offtake agreements to effect the desired changes, all against a backdrop of complex international taxation regimes.
In-house Experience
Bartek also spent considerable time seconded to the in-house legal team at one of the world’s largest multinational mining conglomerates, working in both London and Singapore. Bartek provided coverage to multiple trading desks ranging from coal to platinum group metals, dealing with contentious and transactional issues. True to his drive for practical results and real impact, Bartek also played an active role in the preparation of new governance and risk policies and the company’s regulatory compliance practices, working closely with the business, tax, compliance, treasury and credit teams.
Speaker Engagements
Thanks to his experience, Bartek is often invited to deliver training, both for specific clients and to the wider industry. He has regularly delivered sessions on topics such as “Principles of English Contract Law” orand “Arbitration Under English Law” for international organisations such as FOSFA and the Oil And Gas Lawyers Online School.
