Al Busaidy, Mansoor Jamal & Co

The firm: Al Busaidy, Mansoor Jamal & Co (AMJ) is a top-tier, full-service law firm of international quality established in Oman for over 30 years. It has been described as a rarity in the Middle East being an independent, national firm that tops the legal rankings and is widely considered the strongest adviser in the market. It has expanded to become the largest law firm in Oman providing clients with significant in-country breadth and depth of expertise. Eight teams of experienced UK, US and commonwealth-trained solicitors, barristers, Arab law specialists and Omani advocates serve a large portfolio of international and regional corporates, financial institutions, government bodies, trading houses, and high-net-worth individuals. The team includes most elite and ranked lawyers in the jurisdiction known for their involvement in innovative, ‘first of a kind’ deals and landmark projects in Oman and the region. Recent highlights include the restructuring of Oman’s aviation, transport and logistics sectors, logistic and financial sectors, advising the government on the establishment of its first sovereign sukuk programme and debut US$2bn international sukuk issuance thereunder, and advising IPIC on its US$125m merger with Mubdala Development Company, one of the largest ever globally.

Areas of practice
Banking and finance: AMJ’s banking and finance team handles large-scale domestic and cross-border transactions for Omani and international banks, international finance and export credit agencies, government bodies, issuers, asset managers, funds, private equity participants and project sponsors. They advise borrowers and lenders on syndicated and multilateral loan and credit facility agreements and related security packages, project finance, corporate finance, ship and aircraft finance, leveraged and acquisition finance, asset and real estate finance, and corporate restructurings. In 2017 AMJ was involved in all the government’s external borrowings exceeding US$10bn. The team also won heavyweight mandates from international and regional banking institutions in the wholesale lending market, and AMJ’s dedicated Islamic finance team advised on numerous ‘first of a kind’ Islamic and hybrid real estate development financings and product development.

Corporate and capital markets: AMJ has the largest corporate/capital markets and M&A practice in Oman advising the government of Oman, leading corporates and institutions on a full spectrum of corporate and capital markets work. They regularly act for corporate clients in headline capital market transactions, funds, bonds, sukuk, IPOs, rights issues, private equity transactions, privatisation projects, complex restructurings and M&A. They provide advisory on the full range of securities laws and regulations, bankruptcy, corporate governance, compliance and other regulatory issues. AMJ has been at the forefront of ground-breaking capital market developments such as swaps, derivatives, and Oman’s rapidly developing Islamic finance segment. Recent highlights include the government’s debut US$2bn international sukuk issuance under its first-ever sukuk programme; US$2.5bn sovereign bond issuance, three IPOs and restructurings in the insurance sector, and cross-border acquisitions of controlling interests in leading Omani companies.

Litigation and arbitration: AMJ’s strong reputation stems from its success in handling complex, high-profile claims before the Omani courts as well as in conducting international and regional arbitrations in centres such as LCIA, ICC, GCC Commercial Arbitration Centre and Dubai International Arbitration Centre. Three teams of 18 litigation specialists advise on a wide range of commercial litigation, banking litigation and regulatory proceedings, administrative law claims, employment, private property disputes, Shariah and criminal cases. Each team includes international lawyers with multi-jurisdictional experience, and a large cadre of Omani advocates, all licensed to practise by the Oman Ministry of Justice (four Supreme Court-licensed litigators, nine Court of Appeal licensed and eight licensed arbitrators). The firm’s dedicated administrative law team is unique in the jurisdiction and considered influential in shaping amendments to Oman’s administrative law through the establishment of legal precedents in cases handled since 2000. AMJ is also recognised as a market leader in criminal law, in particular white-collar crime, insolvency and liquidation, trade union disputes and collective bargaining.