King & Spalding has hired a pair of partners and a counsel in London from Akin to boost its energy and project finance bench, as the US firm continues a concerted growth push in the City. 

Dan Giemajner and Matt Hardwick have joined the firm’s corporate practice group and its energy industry team as partners after two and a half years at Akin, before which they were both partners at Norton Rose Fulbright. 

Giemajner focuses on project finance, advising on the structuring, financing and delivery of international energy, infrastructure and natural resources projects. He has worked on a number of multi-billion-dollar pathfinder projects, and has extensive experience acting on cross-border financings in emerging markets. 

Past work includes advising Canada’s Turquoise Hill Resources on the $6bn development of the Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine in Mongolia and advising the European Investment Bank on the financing and development of Europe’s largest gas-to-grid biogas facility in Denmark. 

Meantime Hardwick advises clients on the design and operation of complex projects in the energy and infrastructure sectors, and the commercial contracts underpinning them. He has experience in structuring EPC and EPCM arrangements, as well as other multi-contract construction delivery solutions in the energy transition, mining, commodities and industrial and processing plant sectors. His work spans Europe and emerging markets, including Africa and South America. 

Moving over alongside them from Akin is counsel Nadia Cinti, who advises on complex energy, infrastructure and natural resources projects globally.

“With the practice they have built and experience handling and financing first-of-a-kind deals around the world, Dan and Matt will be great assets to our team, providing synergies with many of our existing clients as well as new opportunities for others,” said Dan Feldman, leader of King & Spalding’s energy industry team. “Dan and Matt are entrepreneurial and focused on building, which make them a great fit both for our energy industry team and our London office more broadly as we continue to grow with talent in the City.”

King & Spalding has been busily recruiting senior talent in London since the start of last year, adding eight partners over the course of 2024 including four finance specialists who joined from Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft. Earlier this year the firm also hired M&A and private equity partner James Connor from Orrick, with the latest hires from Akin taking the firm’s London partner count to 46 according to its website.  

An Akin spokesperson commented on the moves: “Akin wishes them well in the future.”

Giemajner pointed to King & Spalding’s experience of “genuine mega-projects”, which he said would help him and Hardwick expand the service they provide to clients. 

He added that 2025 “is a key year for the energy industry, and K&S has been at the forefront of all aspects of the industry so has a great advantage, including in key future technologies such as large-scale renewables, hydrogen, battery systems and nuclear”. 

King & Spalding’s wider energy industry team has around 180 lawyers globally, according to the firm’s website. The firm is billed as a go-to choice for sponsor and project companies for Africa, Middle East and Latin America developments, especially with regard to new LNG production and transportation facilities. It also possesses impressive experience in offshore exploration mandates, according to Chambers and Partners. 

The team has worked on major mandates including acting for Dow Chemical Company on all aspects of its $20bn Sadara petrochemicals joint venture with Saudi Aramco in Saudi Arabia. It also acted for Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas in relation to its $28bn RAPID integrated refinery and petrochemicals project in Pengerang, Malaysia, including the $7bn acquisition of an interest by Saudi Aramco in parts of the project.