Said Al Shahry & Partners

Managing Partner: Said Al Shahry
Partners: Thamer Al Shahry
CEO: Malcolm Dickinson
Number of partners: 2
Number of lawyers: 33
Languages: Afrikaans, Arabic, English, French, Gujarati, Hindi, Korean, Malay, Mandarin, Serbo-Croat, Spanish, Swahili

Firm Overview:
SASLO is a full-service Omani law firm with almost 30 years of experience, known for providing practical and commercial advice while adhering to Omani regulatory and legal requirements. They have advised on complex financing and infrastructure projects, and played a significant role in litigation and arbitration in Oman, setting legal precedents with the Supreme Court. SASLO maintains professional relationships with all government ministries and decision-makers in Oman, which allows them to assist clients with their business needs in accordance with relevant regulations and laws. Additionally, SASLO has advised on regulatory development for the business environment. With offices in Muscat, Sohar, and Salalah, SASLO is well-positioned to respond to clients' legal needs across Oman.

Main Areas of Practice:
Aviation Finance
Banking & Finance
Capital Markets
Corporate
Construction
Energy & Utilities
Employment
Hotels & Tourism
Infrastructure & Natural Resources
Insurance
International Arbitration
Intellectual Property
Islamic Finance
Litigation & Arbitration
Logistics & Procurement
Government Legislation
Mergers & Acquisitions
Oil & Gas
Projects, Privatisation & Project Finance
Real Estate
Shipping
Telecommunication & Technology
Taxation
Waste Management / Water

Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions/Restructuring/Capital Market:
SASLO is a law firm that advises on a wide range of legal matters, including corporate and commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, complex restructurings, and capital markets. The firm represents a diverse range of clients, including the Government of Oman, government-owned companies, local and international corporations, and institutions. SASLO specializes in providing advice to corporate clients on capital market transactions, bonds, private equity transactions, and M&A, as well as offering guidance on securities laws, corporate governance, compliance, anti-money laundering, bribery and corruption laws, and other regulatory issues.

SASLO is a market leader in ECM/DCM and investment funds, and most recently, the firm advised on the high-profile Ahlibank and Bank Nizwa rights issues. SASLO has also been instructed to act on the launch of two new open-ended mutual funds that will be listed on the Muscat Stock Exchange, which will be the first mutual funds to be established in Oman in several years.

In addition, SASLO has been very active in public and private M&A and joint ventures, and in 2022, the firm acted on several notable M&A/JV transactions in various sectors such as banking, insurance, retail, food, industrials, IT, and energy. SASLO has also become a leading player in private equity/venture capital transactions, with a focus on the IT sector.

SASLO is retained as legal counsel to many of Oman's leading banks and joint stock companies, and the firm's advice for these clients includes compliance with the requirements of the Central Bank of Oman, the Capital Market Authority, and the Muscat Stock Exchange.

SASLO is a law firm with significant experience in water and energy projects in Oman. The firm has a deep understanding of the government's objectives for the power and water sector, and has established relationships with relevant governmental bodies, such as the Ministry of Housing and Town Planning, the Authority for Public Services Regulation, and Nama Group companies. SASLO has worked with various consortia on greenfield IWP and IPP projects, advising both sponsors and lenders on financing, compliance with sector laws, project agreements, permits, corporate governance matters, and other related obligations.

The firm also has extensive experience advising on Omani energy and infrastructure projects, including in the oil and gas sector. SASLO has acted on the acquisition and disposal of participating interests in exploration blocks, advised on farm-ins, and closed several M&A transactions in the O&G services sector. The firm routinely assists in the negotiation and settlement of EPSAs, farm-in agreements, joint operating agreements, and other necessary agreements and documents for implementing transactions.

SASLO has also been a leading participant in public-private-partnership projects in Oman across various sectors.

Litigation & International Arbitration:
SASLO is a well-established and influential law firm in Oman with over 30 years of experience in dispute resolution. Their full-service dispute resolution team comprises 18 local and international lawyers, making them the largest dispute resolution team in Oman. They have extensive experience representing both private and government-related entities in various court cases and arbitration tribunals both locally and internationally.

The firm is recognized as the go-to firm for Oman's public and private sector businesses and has excellent communication lines within the senior levels of government ministries and regulatory bodies. They also deliver innovative solutions to clients' problems and think outside the box to deliver the best result. Their team is experienced in all kinds of alternative dispute resolution, including mediation, arbitration, expert-determination, and early neutral evaluation. They have multilingual capability and expertise in conducting dispute proceedings in Arabic or English.

SASLO's dispute resolution team handles complex and technical construction disputes and is widely sought after by local and foreign companies in Oman and sometimes abroad to advise and represent them as counsels or co-counsels in construction arbitration matters. The firm has been ranked in top tiers by various international and national publications. In addition to counsel work, the partners in SASLO are often nominated and appointed as arbitrators and/or experts, such as Sole Arbitrator in a major construction dispute between a Government Ministry and a well-known contractor in Oman, a member of the arbitral tribunal in a commercial dispute between a Government Regulatory Authority and a well-known local company in Oman, and an Omani Law expert for an ICC arbitration.

Labour & Employment:
SASLO has a team of specialised employment lawyers, who advise clients, both employers and employees, on all aspects of labour law. The firm acts for a wide array of companies, both foreign and local, in ensuring compliance with the requirements of Omani labour law, drafting employment manuals and internal procedures. SASLO also represents both employers and employees in labour disputes both before the Labour Disputes Settlement Department of the Ministry of Labour and at all three levels of the Omani court system.

Examples of work include:
■ Regularly advises retained clients on review and amendment of employment policies and employment contracts, leave policy, Trade Union issues and conducting negotiations with Ministry of Labour on disputes with the Trade Union, end of service benefits, penalties imposed by Ministry of Labour , disciplinary policy review, termination and settlement issues, secondment provisions and agreement, and represented the company in labour disputes at all levels of courts.

■ Regularly advises a retained client on several employment issues such as end of service benefits, unjustified leaves of absence, redeployment, transfer of employees, and represented the company in several labour disputes at all levels of courts.

Government Legislation:
SASLO has very strong experience in the field of legislative drafting. SASLO has been engaged over the years by the responsible Omani authorities in drafting a number of laws and regulations. Most recently, advising the Capital Market Authority on the drafting of the VASP/cryptocurrency regulation.

Key Clients:
SASLO key clients across different sectors include ASYAD Group, OCTAL, Oman LNG, Orpic, Oman Qatar Insurance Company SAOG, Port of Duqm Company SAOC, Nama Group, PDO, Ahli Bank, Bank Muscat, Oman Tourism Development Company (OMRAN), Muscat Electricity Development Company SAOC (MEDC), Schlumberger Oman, Dhofar Power Company SAOC and many more.