Christopher’s practice is focused principally on project finance, acquisition finance, syndicated lending and general bank and trade finance, acting for commercial banks, corporates, private equity houses and international financial institutions.  Christopher also has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, earn-ins, private placements and general corporate matters.

Prior to relocating from the London office to Warsaw in 2007, Dr. Garner was an associate in the Energy, Infrastructure, Project and Asset Finance Group in London, working on a large number of project finance and general banking matters throughout the CIS, CEE and Middle East.  Before joining White&Case, Christopher worked for a Magic Circle law firm in the City of London where he advised on structural finance, project finance and corporate finance transactions.  Between 2003 and 2004 Christopher worked in Prague and Brussels, advising lenders and sponsors on project construction and financing aspects of a number of commercial property developments in Central Europe, as well as advising on joint venture and merger related transactions.

Recently Christopher has represented a number of strategic investors and private equity houses on a number of acquisitions (including financing) and disposals in Central Europe in the manufacturing, financial, agrifood and private health care sectors, as well as advising the lenders in a complex wind-farm project financing in Poland. Other recent representative transactions include:

• Advising Bayerische Landesbank in the export financing of certain petroleum products from Belarus, as well as advising Standard Bank Plc in connection with certain trade financings in the Ukrainian agrifood sector;
• Advising ABC International Bank Plc and Standard Bank Plc on the first-ever international project finance deal to be funded in Libya – a US$16 million financing for the redevelopment and expansion of the historic Al Waddan Hotel in Tripoli;
• Advising Rusal Limited in respect of the financing for aluminum smelter development in Russia;
• Adviser to the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development on various matters including: various transactions for the EBRD Western Balkans SME/Micro business development, a US$ 150 million debt and equity financing of a Russian insurance company, and a secured Euro 115 million term loan facility to Russian borrower for construction and operation of pipe production plant;
• Adviser to the Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO) on various matters including various equity and debt financings in Serbia, Kazakhstan, Romania, Georgia and Turkey;
• Representing commercial lenders on the US$5.8 billion Qatargas 3 LNG project financing;
• Representing the Sponsors in the development and financing of an off-shore oil field in the Côte d’Ivoire;
• Advising the lenders on a US$648 million term loan facility and US$40 million letters of credit for the development of a LNG Plant comprising a natural gas liquefaction unit, associated infrastructure and up-stream supply agreements in the Middle East.
• Assisting a consortium of private equity clients on the bidding process, tolling arrangements, and regulatory requirements for the proposed acquisition of a 4,000 MW coal-fired power plant in the UK; and
• Advising sellers in the sale of the entire share capital of the Holding Company for a 750 MW coal-fired power plant in Germany, and its associated UK-based power trading operations.