Bryan Cave has worldwide experience in mining and mining finance matters. Bryan Cave’s mining group brings together the knowledge currently available in several separate areas of the firm that can be applied to specific client projects. Members of the group have experience in General Mining Law of 1872 issues; regulation of mining exploration and development; working with local, state and federal government officials and agencies; finance and collateral issues; hedging transactions; reclamation; environmental matters; and employment issues.
Bryan Cave counsels clients in all phases of mining operations from exploration agreements through feasibility studies, mine construction and refining and service agreements. Bryan Cave represents large and small mining companies and has worldwide experience with a wide range of commercial minerals, including coal, gold, copper, uranium and industrial minerals (such as, potash, trona and phosphates), base metals and precious metals. In addition to hard rock, industrial minerals and other conventional mining activities, Bryan Cave represents large and small uranium companies and has substantial international experience in mining, including negotiation of concessions with governments and private joint ventures.
Examples of the types of advice and services that Bryan Cave’s mining group can provide include:
- Land acquisition and assemblage.
- Due diligence investigations and analysis.
- Mineral title work.
- Mining leases.
- Federal lands access issues, rights-of-way and exchanges.
- Federal coal leasing, potash leasing and other non-oil and gas federal mineral leasing.
- Joint venture and LLC negotiations, including RMMLF Forms 5, 5A and 5A LLC.
- Project financing, metal loans and hedging transactions.
- Facility siting and infrastructure assessment.
- Variances, permits and licenses.
- Millsite issues.
- Intellectual property protection and transfer.
- Environmental assessment and permitting.
- Construction agreement negotiations and preparation.
- Negotiation of contracts relating to feasibility studies.
- Mining claim disputes.
- Review and drafting of mining legislation and regulations in the U.S. and foreign countries.
- Boundary and extralateral rights agreements.
- Milling, tolling and refining agreements.
- Royalty agreements and disputes.
- Alaska public land issues, including Native Regional Corporation expertise.
- Mining service agreements.