Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Over 20 years' experience providing legal advice, both in private-practice and inhouse. Ex-Magic Circle, skilled in a broad range of corporate, commercial and contentious areas, including Corporate and Project Finance, International Arbitration and Litigation, M&A, Capital Markets, and commercial contract negotiation.
• Providing a wide range of corporate and commercial advice to Crescent Petroleum and Pearl Petroleum, a BVI incorporated joint venture vehicle whose shareholders include Crescent, Dana Gas, MOL, RWE and OMV. • Advising in relation to bank finance, capital markets debt, ECA and contractor finance including in relation to the first successful grant of collateral over plant assets in KRI. • Advising Crescent and Pearl in relation to procurement, employment matters, regulatory requirements and corporate governance, drafting and implementing ABC/AML policies and procedures, advising in relation to HSE matters and implementation of safety standards. • Providing oil and gas expertise in relation to two world class oil and gas fields in The Kurdistan Region of Iraq, including in relation to all legal, operational, regulatory, financial and corporate matters. Some highlighted experience: • Advising Pearl Petroleum in relation to a $250m financing with Development Finance Corporation of America (nee OPIC) to fund the expansion of the Kor Mor Field in The Kurdistan Region of Iraq. • Advising Crescent Petroleum in relation to the conduct of a $25bn+ arbitration against the Kurdistan Regional Government. • Leading an enforcement campaign to monetize arbitral awards totaling $2.3bn. • Advising Crescent on its successful bid for three oil and gas fields in Federal Iraq, engagement with the Ministry of Oil and Ministry of Finance.
Advising Crescent Enterprises in relation to a wide variety of corporate, financial and other matters. Primarily, provided M&A advice in relation to the divestment of a private equity/venture capital fund across a wide variety of industries. In addition, advised on the incubation and growth of various companies, general corporate matters and Human Resources and employment matters.
Experience includes advising: • The syndicate of financiers in connection with the development of a US$20bn+ integrated acrylates complex in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. • Mubadala Oil and Gas in relation to a solvent restructuring of its asset portfolio. • Mubadala subsidiary Liwa Energy in relation to Occidental joint venture in the Mukhaizna Field, Oman. • IPIC in relation to the construction and licensing of the Fujairah Refinery Project. • Shell Gas (LPG) Holdings B.V. on the divestment of a number of its liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) businesses in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Romania, Spain and Switzerland. • Shell in relation to the divestment of two refineries in Germany. • Reliance Industries Limited on various oil and gas project financing matters. • Reliance Industries Limited in relation to gas pricing disputes from Krishna-Godavari Basin. • Lenders on the financing for the € 7 billion Nordstream gas project. • FuturePipe LLC in relation to commercial borrowing and refinancing of pipeline business. • Qatargas in relation to the sale of part of its LNG business. • Sponsors on the construction and financing of a tank storage, blending and throughput facility in Fujairah. • Sponsors in relation to the development and financing of a greenfield atmospheric residue facility in Egypt. • Serbian state gas company (NIS) in relation to its Angolan, offshore oil and gas holdings. • NIS and Gazprombank in relation to oil and gas joint ventures in Serbia. • Salamander in relation to the sale of oil and gas assets in Indonesia. • Surestream Ltd in relation to the disposal of its Congolese oil and gas assets. • Ashmore Group in relation to joint venture and trust agreements with Petrosaudi. • Total in relation to oil and gas disposals in Angola. • Merrill Lynch International and Morgan Stanley Securities Limited in relation to an accelerated book-build placing by Afren plc. • BG Group in relation to the single train regasification plant at Brindisi.
Experience includes advising: • the investment banking and funds unit on a wide range of general corporate and finance matters including, in relation to taking and granting security, restructuring, project and asset financing structures and Islamic finance. • in relation to asset financing for significant new military equipment for The UAE Armed Forces. • The UAE Armed Forces in relation to financing structures and contracts and the provision of training at the most senior levels. • employment, governance and confidentiality matters.