Florencia Heredia of HOLT Abogados examines the increase in investment and prosperity in the sector, and the corresponding corporate social responsibility of mining companies to communities and local governments.

Heath Lewis of Clayton Utz outlines the main changes being proposed by the Australian Securities Echange in relation to its mineralogical information disclosure regime following two years of consultation with industry. It also discusses how the new requirements compare with the Canadian and South African markets.

Who’s Who Legal spoke to Juan García Montúfar, head of the legal department at Anglo American in Peru, to find out more about the company’s recent activities and the developments in mining law. Montúfar joined the company in July of this year from the firm Rubio Leguía Normand where he was a lawyer for 16 years.

The International Who’s Who of Mining Lawyers has brought together three of the world’s leading practitioners to discuss the expropriation of natural resources by governments, the financial climate and its impact on junior companies, geographical expansion and the responsibility of mining companies to engage stakeholders.

The International Who’s Who of Mining Lawyers has brought together two of the leading practitioners in the world to discuss key issues facing lawyers today.

In this section we analyse the findings of our research in greater depth to identify the firms and practitioners who stand out worldwide.

With over 16 years of experience in researching the global business law marketplace, Who’s Who Legal analyses the key trends and developments in international mining law and business over the past year. We identify trends relating to financing difficulties experienced by junior mining companies, and the negative impact of state participation in mining projects.

Our research utilises the feedback received from corporate counsel and private practitioners across the globe to pick out 287 lawyers in 47 countries who should be considered the leading experts in the world for the full range of mining related work.

With the benefit of over 14 years of research and tens of thousands of votes from clients and private practitioners, Who’s Who Legal takes a closer look at developing trends in the mining legal marketplace worldwide.

Months of independent and rigorous research have revealed the world's best mining lawyers in 42 jurisdictions. Who's Who Legal includes 267 expert practitioners and this article highlights the best of the best in the mining hotspots Canada, the United States, Australia and Latin America.

Little has changed over the last 12 months in the mining marketplace. The mining industry is witnessing a lack of worthwhile financial investments, a cessation of greenfield exploration and a flurry of consolidations, as investors opt for the safety of the precious metals market over risky mining ventures.

Mining is a key industry in the CIS region and our research uncovers 25 lawyers in four countries who are considered leaders in this competitive marketplace.

Our research allows us to highlight the firms and individuals who are leaders of this practice area.

Tom Barnes identifies the issues currently faced by leading mining lawyers.

With the continuing turmoil in the financial markets and the relative weakness of the US dollar, the price of precious metals continues to reach record high levels, with gold prices increasing by 30 per cent in 2007 and platinum, palladium and silver also rising sharply. With such potential rewards on offer, this continues to prompt similarly elevated levels of activity in the mining sector across the world. Our research has identified 235 individuals in 37 countries who have demonstrated the highest levels of expertise in this vibrant area.