Laurie is a dual-qualified senior banking and finance lawyer in England and South Africa, with 20 years’ experience advising on cross-border transactions across Africa and other emerging markets.
She specialises in trade and commodity finance, debt finance, and refinancing, acting for global financial institutions and corporates active in trade finance. Her sector experience spans financial institutions, energy and natural resources, infrastructure, metals and mining, and agriculture.
Laurie’s clients include banks, corporates, and funds. She advises a broad international client base on cross-border trade finance matters, bringing years of transactional experience and established relationships with leading law firms across Africa and other markets.
Expertise
- Trade finance
- Commodity finance
- Sustainable finance
- Cross-border transactions
- Energy
- Agriculture
Experience
Trade and Commodity Finance
- Advised a British commodity trader on its borrowing base facilities for agri-commodities and raw materials and related receivables across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda with a global syndicate of lenders.
- Advised a DFI on credit guarantee facilities extended to corporates operating in Nigeria and Tanzania.
- Advised a debt fund on secured trade finance facilities for the production and export of agricultural products across Nigeria, Tanzanian, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast/Cote d’Ivoire, and Togo.
- Advised Nedbank Limited on a ZAR1.85 billion trade finance facility with Puma Energy across South African and Namibia.
- Advised a South African bank in relation to a ZAR1.3 billion metal inventory and receivables finance facility agreement with a South African corporate to fund its purchase processing and production of aluminium.
- Advised a Swiss debt fund on a series of trade finance facilities for the production and export of agricultural goods from East Africa.
Commodities
- Advised a Ghanaian independent power producer on its entry into corporate PPAs and gas supply agreements for its power plants in West Africa.
- Advised a Mauritius-based debt fund in relation to the financing of the purchase and export of cobalt, copper, tin, and other commodities from mines in the DRC and Tanzania.
- Advised a global mining company on the review and updating of its standard-form coal purchase and sale agreements.
- Advised a European energy supply company on its coal trading operations with mining houses in Africa.
- Advised a global commodity trader on the supply and sale of Zambian cotton.
Sustainable Finance
- Advised the African Development Bank, Credit Suisse AG and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited on a medium term US$600 million syndicated loan to Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to boost cocoa productivity in Ghana.
- Advised a Switzerland-based sustainable investment fund that focuses on impact investing on a funding transaction in South Africa.
- Advised a syndicate of lenders in relation to a USD240 million sustainability-linked facility with a global commodities trader to support their metals trade across Africa.
Cross-border Transactions
- Advised Barak Fund SPC Limited in respect of term and mezzanine financing for Genser Energy for the expansion of Genser Energy’s gas turbine power plants and the construction of over 240km of natural gas pipelines in Ghana.
- Advised Allied Gold Corp, with the M&A team, on the acquisition of the Bonikro Gold Mine located in Cote d’Ivoire.
- Advised a South African bank in relation to their first cross-border property finance transaction in Africa for the construction of industrial and commercial facilities in Kenya.
- Advised a Mauritian debt fund on mezzanine financings in relation to the construction and operation of power plants in Eastern and Southern Africa.
- Advised a South African bank in relation to a secured trade facility with a Tanzanian distributor of bulk oil and petroleum products to construct and supply fuel services stations.
- Advised a multi-lateral trade finance institution on a syndicated loan to finance a borrower’s mobile telecoms business in Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and the DRC.
Energy & Natural Resources
- Advised Nedbank Limited on a ZAR1.85 billion trade finance facility with Puma Energy across South Africa and Namibia.
- Advised a South African bank in relation to a ZAR1.3 billion metal inventory and receivables finance facility agreement with a South African corporate to fund its purchase processing and production of aluminium.
- Advised a Ghanaian independent power producer on its entry into corporate PPAs and gas supply agreements for its power plants in West Africa.
- Advised a Mauritius-based debt fund in relation to the financing of the purchase and export of cobalt, copper, tin, and other commodities from mines in the DRC and Tanzania.
- Advised a global mining company on the review and updating of its standard-form coal purchase and sale agreements.
Agriculture
- Advised a British commodity trader on its borrowing base facilities for agri-commodities and raw materials and related receivables across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda with a global syndicate of lenders.
- Advised the African Development Bank, Credit Suisse AG, and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited on a medium term US$600 million syndicated loan to Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to boost cocoa productivity in Ghana.
- Advised a debt fund on secured trade finance facilities for the production and export of agricultural food products across Nigeria, Tanzanian, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast/Cote d’Ivoire, and Togo.
- Advised a global commodity trader on the supply and sale of Zambian cotton.
- Advised a Swiss debt fund on a series of trade finance facilities for the production and export of agricultural goods from East Africa.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Career
Laurie qualified as a solicitor in 2007. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2025, she worked at the following firms:
- Hogan Lovells
- Norton Rose Fulbright
- Dentons