Adam C. R. Schmelzer
Adam is a Senior Associate in the firm's corporate practice with a focus on energy and infrastructure transactions.
Adam focuses his practice on strategic transactions in energy, infrastructure, natural resources, and new economy sectors. He has represented investors, national oil companies, private energy companies, project developers and other entities on construction and development, joint venture and shareholder arrangements, mergers and acquisitions and other strategic international transactions.
Adam has been based in the New York, Hong Kong, and Beijing offices of another international law firm and advises on global transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, foreign direct investment, and private equity. He has notable experience advising state-owned energy companies in strategic investments and divestments as well as multinationals in the telecommunications, media and technology sectors, including in sensitive industry investments into the United States and cybersecurity-related matters in China. Adam has also acted on behalf of investment corporations and funds in their direct and indirect investments, including in several take-private transactions.
Background
Adam graduated from Boston College Law School with a Juris Doctor and holds a master's degree from Tsinghua University in Beijing. He is admitted in New York and Minnesota and is a registered foreign lawyer in Singapore and Hong Kong.
Experience & expertise
Selected matters
Adam's experience includes advising:
- Energy Harbor Corp. in its proposed $3.43 billion acquisition by Vistra Corp., a leading Fortune 500 integrated electricity and power generation company, to combine nuclear and clean energy power generation assets*
- Sinopec in its $11 billion strategic joint venture with SIBUR of the Amur petrochemical complex, set to house one of the world’s largest and most advanced polymer production facilities. Recognised as Projects & Energy Deal of the Year by China Law & Practice and Deal of the Year (Russia) by CEE Legal Matters*
- Sinopec International Petroleum Exploration and Production Corporation on its overseas divestment of oil assets in Argentina to Compania General de Combustibles SA (the first prominent overseas divestment by a China state-owned oil and gas company)*
- Sinopec Capital in its pre-IPO investment in and strategic cooperation arrangements with LanzaTech, a global biotechnology company engaged in developing microbial catalyst technology to convert CO and CO2 into energy (renewable fuel)*
- GIC in its direct and indirect consortium co-investment to acquire Nielsen NV ($16.7 billion valuation)*
- GIC in its direct consortium co-investment to take private a global software services company, Zendesk Inc. ($10.1 billion valuation)*
*advised prior to joining Herbert Smith Freehills
