Hunton’s global, multidisciplinary extractive industries team offers broad experience in the lifecycle of mining projects in key mining regions across North America, South America, Australia, Africa, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Asia. With industry-recognized environmental and project finance practices and strong corporate capabilities, we partner with mining sector clients on matters that begin with permitting and development of new projects and span financing, construction, operation, and reclamation.

We support clients throughout the mining value chain, offering robust capabilities and comprehensive services for mining processing facilities, transportation, and logistics. We have experience with a wide range of metals, minerals, and materials—gold, silver, copper, cobalt, nickel, uranium, coal, rare earth elements, and various other critical minerals and materials—and work on cutting-edge technologies, such as direct lithium extraction and in situ mining.

Our services include the following:

Mineral Exploration, Development, and Permitting

We have extensive experience obtaining federal, state, and local approvals across the United States for quarries, surface mines, underground mines, mining-related land uses, rail and marine terminals, large stationary sources, and associated infrastructure. We also assist clients in understanding and maneuvering within environmental laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Clean Water Act (CWA), Endangered Species Act (ESA), and National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).

We conceive compliance strategies, support the preparation of permit applications, and work with agencies to develop environmental review documents. We also manage regulatory proceedings with respect to permit applications, the public comment and review process, and receiving and responding to public agency comments. We help clients ensure agencies have a strong administrative record for environmental reviews and permit decisions, anticipating, preparing for, and seeking to avoid challenges. When necessary, we represent clients in litigation to defend permits and underlying environmental reviews.

Our team also provides comprehensive counsel on import and export issues related to cross-border resource development affecting the movement of materials across borders and overseas. This includes construction and permitting of processing facilities and distribution terminals, as well as compliance with inland and coastal waterways protections. Our experience extends to mining-related land uses and infrastructure, such as rail transloading terminals, concrete and asphalt plants, and mineral processing (e.g., heap leaching) and waste storage facilities. We also provide regulatory and due diligence counseling.

Permit Defense and Litigation

Our environmental litigation team has significant experience defending against challenges to permitting actions and alleged violations of environmental laws that may affect mining and minerals companies. We handle investigations and enforcement actions by governmental agencies and private parties, defending against all types of enforcement actions and initiatives. We rely on our skilled trial and appellate lawyers, and a network of technical, governmental affairs, public and media relations, and local counsel to mount a strong defense of our clients’ interests.

Our international arbitration and transnational litigation practice is global and advises mining and other companies in all stages of arbitration and court proceedings. We also handle environmental insurance matters for energy companies and joint ventures, including policy placements, renewals, investigations, litigation, arbitration, mediation, settlements, and appeals.

Environmental

With nearly 50 lawyers dedicated to environmental law, Hunton handles a full range of environmental regulatory issues and litigation matters related to mining projects, from exploration and discovery to closure and reclamation. Established in 1970, our environmental team has been at the forefront of environmental law for more than half a century, participating in over 40 US Supreme Court cases and hundreds of cases in US circuit courts of appeals. Our experience in industry, as well as at EPA, DOJ, DOE, the White House, and various state agencies, helps us effectively tackle problems and build pragmatic, durable solutions.

Our environmental lawyers work closely with the firm’s corporate and finance attorneys to provide due diligence services for large-scale mining and mineral development and transactional projects. We also assist with the development and implementation of audit and diligence protocols to effectively identify and manage environmental, health, and safety (EHS) concerns and broader corporate social responsibility (CSR), environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG), and other risks and opportunities within the supply chain.

Corporate and Project Finance

Hunton has an established reputation as a global leader in providing comprehensive advice in the development and financing of capital-intensive projects, including projects related to mining and minerals processing. We regularly represent sponsors, lenders, borrowers, investors, government enterprises, and other project participants operating in the minerals and mining industry, and have handled transactions in more than 75 countries, counseling clients on some of the world’s largest and most complex projects involving mining, energy, and infrastructure.

Agency Finance

Our agency finance team is strategically located around the globe and has over 30 years of experience working with multilateral, regional, and bilateral development banks and export credit agencies, including on complex mining and critical mineral projects. We are proud to serve on multiple US government and agency panels, including DOT’s Build America Bureau, the Export-Import Bank of the United States (US EXIM), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), and IDB Invest, and have well-established relationships with more than a dozen leading development finance institutions. We understand these lenders’ approaches to structuring loans, standard reporting and compliance requirements, and the timing, process, and requirements for closing such loans.

Members of our agency finance practice, in collaboration with our energy, infrastructure, and environmental teams, also represent clients in connection with federal grants and loans, including a number of first-of-a-kind projects that present novel and complicated structuring issues. We have advised clients in understanding and complying with applicable award requirements, including the Uniform Guidance in 2 C.F.R. § 200; negotiating award documentation and related subaward agreements and contracts; and handling compliance matters that arise in connection with these programs, including maritime law (and the Cargo-Preference Act), NEPA, and the Davis-Bacon Act.

Native American Law and Cultural Resources

Matters relating to Native American law and cultural resources involve a complex interplay between public lands law, environmental law, and Indian law, among other legal and social considerations. Our attorneys are experienced with the unique aspects of mining and large-scale infrastructure and energy projects on public lands in the United States that require consultations in accordance with the NHPA and attendant state laws. Our team has assisted with such consultations both as outside counsel and while working in-house at US governmental agencies, including EPA, DOI, and DOJ’s Environment & Natural Resources Division.

Mergers and Acquisitions, Joint Ventures, and Commercial Contracts

We help clients manage complicated risks regarding exploration, development, financing, construction, operation, and reclamation of mining properties while creatively addressing their complex transactional and commercial contracting challenges, even across multiple jurisdictions.

In the past five years, Hunton’s M&A team has handled over 1,200 transactions worth approximately $200 billion, including for clients in the mining and mineral processing sector. The team advises on virtually all forms of corporate transaction, including acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, takeover defenses, leveraged buyouts, spinoffs, holding company formations, corporate auctions, mergers-of-equals, go-private transactions, and strategic acquisition and divestiture programs. We guide clients through every aspect of a transaction, including structuring, negotiations, documentation, corporate governance, closing, and integration.

We have extensive experience in forming and advising joint ventures and other strategic commercial arrangements. We negotiate and draft joint venture agreements, governance structures, operational frameworks, and commercial contracts, including construction, procurement, EPCM, royalty and streaming agreements; hedge, swap, and other derivatives agreements; and smelting, refining, product sales, and off-take agreements. We also provide project structuring advice and address indemnity, insurance, and risk management issues. 

Our team is dedicated to maximizing asset value for our clients, ensuring that their projects are developed efficiently and in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

Capital Markets, Securities, and Corporate Governance

Hunton has a long history of representing issuers, investors, and underwriters in a wide range of public and private offerings of equity and debt securities. Over the last five years, the firm has handled more than 1,175 equity and debt capital markets transactions aggregating over $645 billion.

Our capital markets team efficiently handles every phase of the equity offering process. Since 2010, we have been involved in 99 IPOs that have raised almost $36 billion. We also advise clients on all types of debt issuances, both public and private, including high-yield debt, acquisition financing, convertible and mortgage debt, hybrid debt/equity structures, and bridge financings.

We offer a fully integrated team to advise foreign companies on US listings and cross-border transactions, including lawyers with extensive experience representing mining companies on public and private US securities offerings and dual listings. We regularly advise domestic and foreign public companies and boards of directors on general corporate matters, including exchange listing requirements, SEC reporting, corporate governance, and ESG matters.

Environmental

• Named Environmental Group of the Year by Law360 12 times in the award’s 15 year history.
• Consistently ranked Band 1 nationally by Chambers USA, with 13 of Hunton’s environmental attorneys individually recognized in the most recent publication.
• Awarded Environmental Practice Group of the Year in 2023 and 2024 by Benchmark Litigation.
• Ranked Tier 1 for Environment: Regulatory, and Climate Change Litigation in 2023 by The Legal 500.
• Recognized nationally as a Tier 1 law firm for Environmental Litigation in 2024 by US News & World Report.

Corporate, Project, and Agency Finance

• Our corporate finance practice groups and individual lawyers are routinely recognized by Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, IFLR1000, The American Lawyer, Corporate Counsel, Corporate Board Member, Thomson Reuters, Bloomberg, SNL, and dozens of other regional and industry-focused guides and publications.
• Our project finance accolades include several “Deal of the Year” awards from leading publications including International Financial Law Review (IFLR), Project Finance magazine, and Project Finance International.
• In 2024, IJGlobal ranked Hunton as the No. 1 firm for Power Infrastructure Finance, by value ($62.023 billion), as well as No. 3 for North America Infrastructure Finance, by value ($80.039 billion), No. 10 for Global Infrastructure Finance, by value ($80.673 billion), No. 10 firm Global Infrastructure Finance, by deal count (103 deals), No. 11 for North America Project Finance, by value ($16.845 billion), No. 17 for Power Project Finance, by value ($7.705 billion), and No. 20 for Telecoms Project Finance, by value ($7.908 billion).
• Named a recommended firm across the United States, Western Europe, and Asia Pacific in the 2024/2025 IFLR 1000 Guide. The following practices were recognized:
  • Projects (Thailand)
  • Project Development (United Kingdom)
  • Project Development: Energy (United States)
  • Project Development: Foreign (Japan)
  • Project Development: Infrastructure (United States)
  • Project Finance (United Kingdom, United States)
  • Project Finance: Foreign (Japan)
• Twenty-four of Hunton’s practice groups were ranked in the Chambers and Partners 2025 Global guide, which includes recognition in the following categories:
  • Africa-wide: Projects & Energy
  • Africa-wide: Projects & Energy – Power
  • Latin America-wide: Project Finance
  • Middle East-wide: Energy & Natural Resources – Oil & Gas
  • Thailand: Projects & Energy
  • USA: Projects – PPP
  • USA: Projects: Renewables & Alternative Energy