Jonathan Goacher
Partner
Jonathan is an award-winning corporate/M&A lawyer, and is also independently recognised as one of the leading experts in Asia on sanctions and other international trade controls.
Partner
Jonathan is an award-winning corporate/M&A lawyer, and is also independently recognised as one of the leading experts in Asia on sanctions and other international trade controls.
Language - English
Jurisdiction - US
Jonathan’s career has taken him to New York, London and Asia, latterly Singapore where he has now been based for several years. He is an Asia specialist, having spent over 20 years assisting clients in doing business throughout the region, including in China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
He has extensive experience of guiding clients through new market entries, complex M&A, joint ventures, corporate reorganisations and closures. Clients appreciate his responsiveness and commercially-savvy, solutions-orientated advice, and his particular expertise in many highly-regulated business sectors.
Jonathan is also recognised as one of a small number of genuine sanctions experts based in Asia.
He advises on US and other economic sanctions & trade controls, especially those administered and enforced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Bureau of Industry & Security (BIS), and is frequently called upon to provide expert opinions in sanctions-related disputes. He is also an experienced advisor in relation to sanctions-affected acquisitions, trades and deals; guides clients on an appropriate response when there may have been a breach of sanctions; counsels on delisting applications and conducts sanctions/export control staff training.
Sanctions advisory
Advising numerous energy, insurance, shipping and trading clients on Russia/Ukraine and other sanctions. Including general advisory work & expert opinions, providing updates on latest sanctions, conducting due diligence on involved parties & commodities, advising on potential general or specific licences that are applicable, advising on applicable OFAC decisions/rulings, applying for OFAC licences on behalf of clients, and providing sanctions training for client staff.OFAC specific licence
Preparing and securing an OFAC specific licence. This was to permit the disposal of Iranian oil found on board a vessel that had been arrested following a collision with the client’s vessel.Syndicate of leading insurers
Representing and advising a syndicate of leading insurers on applicable sanctions regarding a substantial claims payment. The claim resulted from a collision of a vessel carrying Venezuelan petroleum products with another vessel within the boundaries of a port owned and operated on behalf of the government of Venezuela.Corporate
Advising a major insurance group on a corporate restructure of their China business. This included a complete change of shareholders and management, which involved advising the group how it can increase its shareholding as a foreign investor and protect its position vis-a-vis potentially competing interests of local shareholders.
Advising an international insurance loss adjusting group on establishing a new business in Vietnam. Including in relation to foreign ownership restrictions, available business vehicles, applicable licences and regulatory filings, business capitalisation requirements, expatriate work permits and visas, and local employment laws.
Advising an international insurance group on a restructuring and expanding their operations in Taiwan. This involved injection of substantial, additional capital and securing regulatory approval for conducting new lines of business.
Global oil and gas / maritime group
Advising a global oil and gas / maritime group on establishing a complex joint venture. The venture involved establishment of an incorporated joint venture with an Indian trading partner, also involving advice on possible exposures from previous, potentially-sanctionable trade by the prospective joint venture partner.
Chinese SOE/M&A/Sanctions Advisory
Advising a Chinese state-owned enterprise on the sanctions compliance of an acquisition target company, entailing our investigation of, and analysis and advice upon hundreds of trading relationships.
Management of sanctions breaches
Advising various trading organisations on an appropriate reaction to their discovery of potential breaches of sanctions, including investigation of thousands of transactions and advice on whether breaches actually occurred; counselling on the resultant options and making recommendations for the best course of action; and proposing & assisting in the development of remedial and preventative measures.
Private equity group
Representing a private equity group in a US$ 150 million acquisition. This was in relation to an online insurance underwriting operation, focused on Asian markets.
Asian insurance group
Advising an Asian insurance group on the disposal of their Indonesian business. This included steering our client through the due diligence process, negotiating sale and purchase contracts, assisting in obtaining regulatory approvals and filing completion documentation.
