Imam Qazi > Foot Anstey > Bristol, England > Lawyer Profile
Foot Anstey Offices
2 GLASS WHARF
BRISTOL
BS2 0FR
England
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Imam Qazi
Work Department
Head of Islamic Finance | Real Estate | Banking & Finance
Position
Imam is a member of the real estate team and an Islamic finance specialist with considerable experience in dealing with a range of high-value and complex investment, finance and development transactions.
An active participant in the Islamic Finance market for over 15 years, he has developed a broad Islamic Finance practice advising investors and financial institutions on a range of shariah compliant products and structures.
Lawyer Rankings
London > Finance > Islamic finance
(Leading partners)With a deep bench of experts at partner and associate levels, spread primarily across its Bristol and Exeter offices, the ‘very knowledgeable’ team at Foot Anstey provides ‘pragmatic and commercially realistic’ advice to banks, investors and corporates seeking to utilise a variety of Islamic finance structures. Under the guidance of the vastly experienced Imam Qazi, the team’s sweet-spot lies in structuring Shariah compliant transactions in the real estate sector, with the firm regularly picking up work for the majority of Islamic banks active in the UK on both new money and refinancing mandates in the space. Drawing upon a wealth of experience in both private practice, as well as during a stint as General Counsel at a privately owned shariah-compliant investment advisory firm, the ‘commercial and approachable’ Zahir Nayani is also pivotal to the firm’s success in the real estate sector, helping to grow and develop the firm’s lender-side client base, as well as regularly handling work for investors as borrowers. As well as conventional banking advice, the firm has also successfully made in-roads into the burgeoning Islamic fintech arena, with Exeter-based head of retail financial services Alan Hughes well-placed to advise both Islamic banks and Islamic fintech start-ups on the relevant commercial and regulatory implications pursuant to new and often innovative products. ‘Proactive and knowledgeable’ senior associate Kate Heard is also gaining traction with clients as a result of her aptitude at structuring a wide range of Islamic financing arrangements pursuant to real estate-driven banking and finance transactions and multi-tranche development transactions. All named practitioners are based in Bristol unless otherwise indicated.
South West > Real estate > Commercial property: Bristol
Well regarded by clients, the ‘very knowledgeable’ team at Foot Anstey acts for clients across the developer, retailer, financial services, and energy sectors. The team is led by the Exeter-based Richard Sutton, a specialist in development work. Imam Qazi is noted for his Islamic finance acumen, while Kutahya Cherry – who was promoted to partner in January 2023 – maintains a renewable energy sector-focused practice. Other key figures include Mark Li, a transport and energy property specialist, whose recent engagements include cross-border acquisitions and portfolio management matters. Stuart Cleak left the practice in July 2022 to pursue freelance opportunities. All named lawyers are based in Bristol unless stated otherwise.
Lawyer Rankings
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Insurance > Clinical negligence: claimant
- Private client > Contentious trusts and probate
- Corporate and commercial > Corporate and commercial: Dorset, Devon and Cornwall
- Employment > Employment: Dorset, Devon and Cornwall
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > IT and telecoms
- Real estate > Commercial property: Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire
- Insurance > Personal injury: claimant
Firm Rankings
- Private client > Agriculture and estates
- Private client > Charities and not-for-profit
- Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: Dorset, Devon and Cornwall
- Real estate > Commercial property: Dorset, Devon and Cornwall
- Real estate > Construction
- Projects, energy and natural resources > Energy and projects
- Private client > Family
- Employment > Health and safety
- Finance > Insolvency and corporate recovery
- Public sector > Local government
- Private client > Personal tax, trusts and probate
- Real estate > Property litigation
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Sport
- Finance > Banking and finance
- Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation: Bristol
- Real estate > Commercial property: Bristol
- Corporate and commercial > Corporate tax
- Employment > Employment: Bristol
- Real estate > Environment
- TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > Intellectual property
- Real estate > Planning
- Real estate > Social housing
- Corporate and commercial > Corporate and commercial: Bristol