Gerald Padmore

Gerald Padmore is a member of the firm of Cox Padmore Skolnik & Shakarchy LLP ("CPSS"). He is based in Denver, Colorado (the firm also has offices in New York and New Jersey). He specializes in international business transactions, civil litigation and arbitration cases with special emphasis on international matters.

Born in Liberia, Mr. Padmore began his early education there before moving to the United States where he received the A.B. degree from Yale University and the J.D. degree from Harvard Law School.

In 1971, Mr. Padmore was admitted to practice as an Attorney-at-Law in Liberia. He also taught at the University of Liberia Law School in 1972.

From 1973 to 1975 Mr. Padmore served as Liberia's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and then from 1975 to 1979 as Deputy and Acting Minister of Finance.

In 1980 Mr. Padmore moved to Denver, Colorado and in 1981 was admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, the United States Tax Court, the Supreme Court of Colorado and all state courts in Colorado. In 1988 he was admitted as an Attorney and Counselor of the United States Supreme Court. He is also admitted to practice in Texas and the District of Colombia.

Mr. Padmore has negotiated international mineral and other natural resource development and finance agreements both on behalf of governments and as counsel to major international resources companies. In Ghana he was primarily responsible for the drafting of a 2003 Investment Agreement with the Government of Ghana on behalf of a major international gold mining company. He was the lead negotiator with responsibility for the 2015 revisions of that Investment Agreement which has now become the model for such agreements in Ghana. He has advised other international clients on a number of matters relating to investment in Ghana.

He has also represented the Government of Guinea on a review and reform of its mining and related fiscal laws and the Government of Kenya with respect to revision of its mining laws.

In Liberia, he has represented Liberia's largest private employer and its US parent since 1990 with respect to their rubber industry investment in Liberia and had lead responsibility for the drafting and negotiation of its amended concession agreement with the Liberian Government. This agreement, and others he negotiated for major international clients in mining and oil and gas both before and after 1990 are now standard for such agreements in Liberia. He continues to provide counsel to a number of major international companies with respect to their investment in Africa including a cross border project involving mining of minerals in Guinea and transportation of those minerals through Liberia.

He was the primary drafter of Liberia's current mining law and of Liberia's Rubber Development Fund legislation at the request of the Liberian Government.

He has advised and represented the Liberian Government in both arbitration and civil litigation matters, in negotiations with various other entities and as to its agreements with foreign investors on matters of Liberian law. Because of his success in obtaining a unanimous award for the Liberian Government in international arbitration in New York in 2017, the President of Liberia conferred on Mr. Padmore the national state honor of Knight Commander of the Liberian Humane Order of African Redemption during Independence Day celebrations. He had earlier been admitted to Liberia's Order of the Pioneers by the President of Liberia.

Mr. Padmore has also represented US clients in complex international and United States arbitration cases as well as commercial litigation in United States Federal and state courts and is listed among preeminent lawyers in the United States with the AV rating by the legal directory Martindale Hubbell.

He has served on the board of a number of organizations in the United States including the Webb Waring Institute for Biomedical Research in Denver, Colorado (and as its Chairman from 1996-1998); the Social Science Foundation of the University of Denver Korbel School of International Affairs; the Denver World Trade Center; the Denver Zoo; and the Colorado Transportation Commission by appointment of the Governor of Colorado and approval by the state Senate (serving as its Chairman from 1996 to 1997). He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Foundation.

Mr. Padmore has taught the negotiation of international natural resource agreements at the University of Denver Law School and written and lectured on natural resources law and mineral development and taxation. His published works include the following:

"Tax Negotiations in Mining Ventures: A Government Perspective", in James Otto, ed. Taxation of Mineral Enterprises, Graham & Trotman, Ltd. (London, 1995)

"Constitutional Versus Contractual Commitments by Governments", International Resources Law II: A Blueprint for Mineral Development (Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation Special Institute 1995)

"Government Participation in Mining Projects: Fiscal, Financial and Regulatory Implications for Developing Countries", 16 Natural Resources Forum, 132 (May 1992)

"Protecting an International Mineral Investment Threatened by Political Upheaval in a Developing Country", International Resources Law: A Blueprint for Mineral Development (Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation Special Institute 1991)