Biography: Mining

Peter Leon is a partner with Webber Wentzel, Johannesburg, where he heads the firm's Africa mining and energy projects practice. His areas of expertise include mining, energy, black economic empowerment, international investment law and financial services regulation.

In recent matters, Peter acted as co-counsel in an ICSID arbitration against the South African government (Foresti and Others v South Africa), advised the Federal Government of Nigeria on its new mining code as well as investors on the Eritrean Bisha mining project. He has likewise advised resource companies in Mozambique and Madagascar.

Peter is the immediate past chair of the mining law committee of the International Bar Association. He is identified in Chambers and Partners' Global Guide 2012, ranked in Best Lawyers: South Africa 2011, recognised as a mining 'legal expert' by Legal Experts: Europe, Middle East & Africa 2011 and was included in Best Lawyers International 2010. Peter was nominated as one of the world's pre-eminent practitioners in the Expert Guide to the World's Leading Energy & Natural Resource Lawyers 8th Edition. Since 2006 both The International Who's Who of Mining Lawyers and The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers have named him as one of the world's leading lawyers.

Peter received his BA LLB (cum laude) from the University of Cape Town and his LLM with first class honours from Cambridge University, England. A council member of the University of Cape Town (1999-2008), he was chair of the ministerial advisory committee on local government transformation in South Africa (2000-2002).

In 2010, Peter was appointed by the South African government as an independent regulatory expert on the Mining Industry Growth, Development and Employment Task Team.