Herbert Smith Freehills hires leading project finance lawyer as a partner in Johannesburg

Patrick joins from Bowmans where he was a partner and head of the project finance practice.

A lawyer with 30 years of experience, Patrick specialises in project development and project finance, including public private partnerships. In project finance, he acts for both borrowers and lenders in South Africa and other African countries across a range of industries. In other financing transactions, he advises borrowers and lenders on acquisitions and general corporate facilities.

In more recent years, Patrick has focused his practice on the renewable energy sector. He advised Standard Bank of South Africa and other lenders in six solar PV projects that reached financial close and also advised ABSA Bank and DBSA in three wind power projects that reached financial close – all of which were under the South African Government Department of Energy’s Renewable Energy IPP Procurement Programme. He also acted for the borrower and sponsors in relation to the project financing of Gigawatt’s 100MW Gas Fired Ressano Garcia Power Station project in Mozambique.

Patrick has been ranked for Projects and Energy in South Africa by Chambers for the past 10 consecutive years (2015-2024) and has also been ranked by IFLR1000. Clients have noted that he is 'technically excellent and thorough'.

Jean Meijer, Managing Partner of the firm's Johannesburg office, commented:

"Patrick is a highly rated, capable and experienced project finance lawyer. He is recognised as a market leader and a well-respected figure in the industry. His arrival at the firm will further strengthen our offering across the projects, energy and infrastructure sectors, particularly in the energy transition space. We are delighted to welcome Patrick to the firm."

Patrick Hirsch said:

"I have always highly respected Herbert Smith Freehills as a firm and in particular, the lawyers from the Johannesburg office, some of whom I know very well. The firm has become a leading legal adviser in the projects space in South Africa in a relatively short time and I am excited to be a part of this growth journey with a well-defined sector focus in an international environment."

Patrick is the third partner/director hire at the firm's Johannesburg office in the past year, following Monde Coto's appointment as a director specialising in venture capital, private M&A and equity capital markets transactions in November 2023, and Lesetja Morapi as a competition and antitrust director in March 2024. The firm also promoted Lebo Ramokone and Ernst Müller to directors in November 2023 and May 2024 respectively.

Opened in 2015, Herbert Smith Freehills in Johannesburg now boasts a team of more than 40 lawyers including nine partners.