Sam Fowler-Holmes has joined law firm Fieldfisher as a partner in its financial markets and products group, with a primary focus on trade, commodity and export finance. 

London-based Fowler-Holmes joins from trade finance specialist law firm Sullivan, where he spent nearly 12 years and was promoted to partner in January 2021. 

Fieldfisher says he will advise on a wide range of structured and unstructured trade products, noting his experience in pre-export, prepayment and borrowing base facilities, letters of credit and working capital financing. 

Fowler-Holmes has worked on transactions in several jurisdictions and across a range of commodities, including oil, gas, metals and softs, the firm says. He has also focused on the digitalisation of trade, acting for both providers and users of electronic trade platforms. 

“We are delighted to welcome Sam to our fast-growing team at an exciting time when trade is in the spotlight,” says Philip Abbott, head of Fieldfisher’s banking group and co-head of its financial markets and products group in London.  

“The trade finance sphere continually evolves to meet the needs of international trade, the challenges of emerging markets, and the regulatory and capital pressures faced by financial institutions.” 

Fowler-Holmes adds: “We are seeing significant shifts in the trade finance world – characterised by economic uncertainty, increased digitalisation, diversification and disruption of supply chains, growing scrutiny of sustainable finance and increasing regulatory complexity and oversight by global institutions.  

“There is a pressing need for clarity in the directions that organisations need to embark on as they navigate these choppy waters. I am looking forward to working with some of the industry’s prominent trade practitioners.”