Peter Lowing

Leahy Lewin Lowing Sullivan is the leading independent Papua New Guinea based commercial law firm advising a wide range of investors, institutions and governments in and about Papua New Guinea. The firm’s major areas of expertise include corporate advisory, banking and finance, energy and resources, aviation, construction and infrastructure and government and public company work.

The five partners of the firm have practised extensively in Papua New Guinea (and Australia) and have significant legal and commercial expertise in the areas in which we practice.

Professional Background

Peter has practised extensively in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Fiji during his 38 years of legal practice including as a Partner and then Managing Partner, Gadens PNG (1987-1994). Managing Consultant, Allens Arthur Robinson PNG (1994-1999), Consultant Tress Cocks and Maddox Sydney (2001-2003) and commenced the practice of Peter Allan Lowing Lawyers in 2003 now known as Leahy Lewin Lowing Sullivan. Peter commenced the practice of Lowing and Associates in Fiji in 2006 and returned to PNG in 2013 as the partner in charge of litigation.

Areas of Experience

Peter’s expertise is in the area of major commercial transactions including banking and finance, energy & resources and commercial litigation.

Peter has been involved in a significant number of major energy and resources, banking, infrastructure, construction and corporate transactions including drafting project agreements and related documentation, privatisation and corporatisation, joint ventures and advising institutional and private clients, investors, contractors and the PNG Government. Peter’s major litigation work was acting for Rio Tinto in the Mt Kare litigation and BHP in the Ok Tedi litigation. Peter continues to divide his time between commercial and litigation work and oversees the litigation division of Leahy Lewin Lowing Sullivan. Peter has worked on various transactions including:

• BHP in the Ok Tedi litigation
• CRA (now Rio Tinto) in the Mt Kare litigation
• The government of PNG in the restructure of its petroleum and mining interests and the eventual IPO of Oregon Minerals Ltd. This involved the restructuring of all the State interests in the mining and petroleum projects in PNG including Kutubu, Lihir, Misima and Porgera
• Battle Mountain Gold and Niugini Mining Ltd in its merger with Lihir Gold Ltd
• UBS in the financing of Lihir Gold Ltd
• Air Niugini in the purchase of two Airbuses
• Swire group in the takeover of Collins and Leahy Ltd
• Placer Dome in the takeover of Highlands Gold Ltd and the sale of the non-Porgera assets to Highlands Pacific Ltd
• Inchcape Bhd in its timber operations in PNG
• Burns Philp generally and in the sale of its retail and other assets in PNG to Steamships Ltd
• National Australia Bank in its sale of its interest in the Bank of the South Pacific
• Papua New Guinea Banking Corporation (now BSP) generally
• Westpac Bank generally
• Chevron Texaco generally and in its operation of the Kutubu oil project
• Bank of Hawaii generally and its restructuring
• ANZ Bank in its purchase of the Bank of Hawaii in the Pacific
• Total in its purchase of the Shell downstream business in the Pacific
• International Petroleum Investment Corporation in its USD1.68 billion loan to the PNG government with respect to its participation in the PNG LNG project
• ANZ Bank in the funding of the redevelopment of the Holiday Inn in Port Moresby Updated 26 Oct 2018 Leahy Lewin Lowing Sullivan
• ANZ Bank in the funding of the Naisoso Island development in Fiji in 2010
• Kula Fund in the purchase of certain retail and associated assets in the Kingdom of Tonga
• General large-scale domestic commercial/corporate/tax work in Papua New Guinea, Fiji and the south-west Pacific generally

Memberships

• Member of the PNG & Fiji Law Societies
• Qualified Mediator - ACDC
• Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
• Member of the Board of St John Council of PNG
• Member of the International Bar Association