Chambers Review
Provided by Chambers
Capital Markets - United Arab Emirates
What the Team is Known For
Latham & Watkins offers an experienced team in Dubai which is active on cross-border matters throughout the Middle East. The firm has a particular reputation for its expertise in Saudi transactions and also has strong experience of working with sovereign and quasi-sovereign entities. Its lawyers are well versed in major sukuk transactions, complemented by their wider skills in Islamic finance and Shari'a-compliant products. Latham is also adept at equity matters, often representing underwriters in IPOs. In addition to transactional work, the firm frequently provides regulatory advice to domestic and international clients, and assists with liability management and restructuring issues.
Strengths
"The quality of their work is excellent, and they have an ability to focus on details without losing sight of the big picture."
"Latham & Watkins bring together commercial awareness and excellent legal skills to help clients take pragmatic decisions when balancing commercial interests and legal risk."
Work Highlights
Latham & Watkins advised Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund on its establishment of a medium-term note programme and a related USD3 billion debt issuance across three tranches, including the first-ever 'century' green bond, with a maturity date of 2122.
Notable practitioners
Nomaan Raja is Latham & Watkins' managing partner for the UAE. He is highly skilled in conventional as well as Shari'a-compliant debt issuances, and has experience advising on matters across the region. He regularly acts for clients in the real estate and oil and gas sectors, in addition to advising government entities. A substantial part of his work relates to Saudi Arabia.
"In terms of strategic thinking, Nomaan is top of the tree."
"Nomaan is brilliant at understanding a client's main concerns, bringing his vast experience to bear, summarising and assessing a situation quickly and thoroughly, and then finding a pragmatic solution."
Basil Al-Jafari is widely acknowledged for his in-depth understanding of debt matters. He is well versed in representing arrangers and dealers, and also has a wealth of experience concerning sovereign issuances. In addition to his debt work he is increasingly involved in equity issuances.
"Basil is a very constructive, solution-oriented lawyer. He also has excellent networking and business development skills, and always takes care of his clients' needs."
"Basil has great attention to detail and is excellent at handling communications during the process. He is also very thorough and methodical."
