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Profile - M. Glenn Hamel-Smith - M. Hamel-Smith & Co.
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Attorney Profile

M. Glenn Hamel-Smith

Partner, Head – Banking & Finance

Glenn Hamel-Smith, Partner at M. Hamel-Smith & Co.
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Phone: 868 299 0981
Mobile: 868 389 6803

Bar Admissions

1998:  Florida

2003: Trinidad & Tobago

Areas of Practice

  • Banking and Financial Services
  • Corporate and Securities
  • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Capital Markets
  • Secured Lending
  • Foreign Investment
  • Project Finance

Profile

Glenn Hamel-Smith is the Head of our Banking & Finance Practice Group and is admitted to practice both in the State of Florida and in Trinidad & Tobago. He began his legal career in 1998 as an Associate in the International and Corporate Departments of one of the largest international law firms headquartered in Miami, Florida at the time. He joined our firm upon his return to Trinidad in 2002 and was appointed Partner in 2007.

Glenn’s core practice is in the corporate and commercial areas of law, focusing in particular on bank finance and regulation, project finance, mergers & acquisitions, secured and unsecured lending, securities and capital markets transactions, including IPOs. He has acted as trusted adviser to lenders, borrowers, arrangers, issuers, underwriters, securities companies, trustees and financial advisers in transactions valued in the hundreds of millions of US dollars. Glenn has also authored and co-authored numerous published articles on topics such as corporate governance, securities laws, bank finance and regulations, taking security over collateral, and mergers & acquisitions.

A former Vice-President of the American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago, Glenn currently serves as a Director and Corporate Secretary of that body. He previously served as a Regional Board Advisory Member of the Association of Caribbean Corporate Counsel and as a member of the Board of Directors of Trinidad Cement Limited. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of ReadyMix (West Indies) Limited having previously served as Chair of the Board’s Audit Committee.  He also serves as a Director of Island Finance Trinidad & Tobago Limited.

Rankings and Accolades – Chambers Global 2020: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business

Glenn Hamel-Smith is featured with a Band 3 Ranking among the corporate/commercial lawyers in Trinidad & Tobago. Some of the commentaries reported by Chambers Global include:

Glenn has a strong aptitude for banking and finance. His work in this field spans transactional and regulatory mandates, including bank mergers, high-value note issuances and project finance. – 2020

“heads the firm’s banking and finance division. He is a well-regarded figure whose practice covers regulatory banking matters in addition to project finance and acting for underwriters on high-value IPOs. Clients describe him as “an excellent attorney.” – 2019

“…in high demand for banking and finance and capital markets matters. He regularly acts as counsel to major financial institutions in connection with secured note issuances, syndicated loans and high-value refinancing transactions.”;

“developed a significant role at the firm and is adding value to clients”;

“No matter how tense we get, or pressed for time, he has an even perspective, doesn’t get very riled up and is measured in his responses.”;

Recent Experience includes Representation of:

  • Represented and advised J.T. Allum and Company in the buyout/repurchase of shares held by a significant shareholder;
  • Represented Proman, a multi-asset, multi-regional diversified energy producer, in the restructuring and amalgamation of two local companies within the Group to achieve efficiencies and synergies in their management and operations;
  • Represented Scotiabank Trinidad and Tobago Limited in a $234.5M cross-border secured financing for the local arm of a regional telecommunications group;
  • The local arranger/subsidiary of an international financial institution in a US$150M Fixed Rate Note Issue by the locally headquartered holding company of a regional financial group;
  • Caribbean Financial Group and its local subsidiary in an acquisition/change of ownership and the financing and security arrangements to accomplish same;
  • National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited in a take-over bid for up to 67% of the ordinary shares of Guardian Holdings Limited, a publicly listed holding company of a group of regional companies in the insurance and financial services sector;
  • Cemex, SA and its subsidiary Sierra Trading in a successful takeover bid to increase its stake to up to 74.9% of Trinidad Cement Limited, the publicly listed parent company of a regional group companies in the cement production and related industries;
  • NCB Global Finance Limited in a $35M syndicated secured loan facility to a marketing/distribution company to partially finance its recapitalization;
  • National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited in its acquisition of a 29.99% stake in Guardian Holdings Limited, a publicly listed holding company of a group of regional companies in the insurance and financial services sector;
  • The Issuer and Selling Shareholder in a TT$1.5B initial public offering of 49% of the shares in Trinidad and Tobago NGL Limited, a holding company whose sole asset consists of 39% of the shares of Phoenix Park Gas Processors Limited, the only natural gas processing and natural gas liquids fractionation plant (and the largest producer and marketer of propane, mixed butane, isobutane and natural gasoline) in Trinidad and Tobago;
  • KfW and KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH in its participation as lender in a US$1.1B shareholder acquisition of the remaining shares of Methanol Holdings (Trinidad) Limited financed by fixed and floating rate bond issues with consequential amendments required to existing loan facilities;
  • RBC Merchant Bank (Caribbean) Limited as Arranger and Massy Holdings Limited as Issuer, as Counsel to the Issue of a TT$1.2B Unsecured Fixed Rate Bond Issue to, inter alia, re-pay existing debt and fund future strategic acquisitions and expansions;
  • Intercommercial Bank Limited as Counsel to the Issue of an up to $100M Subordinated Bond Issue to, inter alia, effect a capital restructuring;
  • Sagicor Financial Corporation in a US$50M Short Term Guaranteed Note Issue in which we structured the transaction to reduce the stamp duty obligation by approximately US$100,000;
  • The Borrower and Guarantor in a TT$412M syndicated bridge loan project financing convertible to a long-term project financing loan for the development of a mixed-use commercial facility in Corinth, Trinidad;
  • JMMB in its takeover and acquisition of the remaining 50% stake of Intercommercial Bank Limited, a licensed bank operating in Trinidad & Tobago;
  • JMMB and Capital & Credit Merchant Bank Ltd., in a US$10M Secured Loan Facility for a Jamaican beverage company which was guaranteed by that company’s Trinidad parent company;
  • KfW and KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH in a US$92M project loan financing of an ammonia plant upgrade;
  • CEMEX providing advice on its significant ownership stake in a Trinidad public company;
  • Republic Bank Limited and First Citizens Bank Limited as Lead Lenders in a US$117M project loan financing of a desalination facility at Point Lisas;
  • Caribbean Financial Group as Trinidad Counsel to the issuer for a US$178M Global Reg. S/144A Secured Note Issue with Jefferies and Company, Inc., as initial purchaser, and in a US$25M amended and restated secured revolving loan facility;
  • ANSA Merchant Bank Limited as lead lender of a TT$488M Government Guaranteed Syndicated Fixed Rate Loan Facility and as arranger in the securitization of the Loan Facility;
  • Campari as Trinidad Counsel in a US$414M public takeover of Lascelles de Mercado and Company, a public listed company on the Jamaica Stock Exchange;
  • RBC Merchant Bank (Caribbean) Limited as Arranger of a TT$300M Unsecured Fixed Rate Subordinated Bond Issue by RBC Royal Bank (Trinidad & Tobago) Limited to effect a capital restructuring.

Publications

Professional Memberships

Island Finance Trinidad & Tobago Limited – Director & Audit Committee member, May 2018 – present;

Readymix (West Indies) Limited – Chairman, 2018 – present; Director & Audit Committee member, May 2015 – May 2018;

Trinidad Cement Limited – Director – August 2014 – July 2015;

American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad & Tobago – Director & Secretary, April 2015 – present; Vice-President & Director, April 2014 – April 2015; Legislative Committee Chairman, 2010 – April 2014;

Association of Caribbean Corporate Counsel – Regional Board Advisory Member, 2013 – 2016;

Law Association of Trinidad & Tobago – Member;

The Florida Bar – Member;

Chambers Global – The World’s Leading Lawyers (Corporate/Commercial) Ranked in Band 3 for Trinidad and Tobago;

Conferences / Seminars:

2019: Speaker at Caribbean Corporate Governance Institute’s Breakfast Seminar “Getting a Seat at the Table”, April 2019;

2014:  Lex Mundi Institute Business Management Program at University of Cambridge, Judge Business School.

2013: “Understanding the Securities Act” – American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad & Tobago – Speaker on the “Registration Regime for Securities, Issuers, Broker-Dealers, Investment Advisers and Underwriters”.

Education

2003: Hugh Wooding Law School, L.E.C.

1998: University of Miami School of Law, J.D., Deans Honor Scholar

1995: Florida International University, B.B.A. cum laude, Management Information Systems/International Business, Faculty Scholar, Honors Program