Middle East - United Arab Emirates

Norton Rose Fulbright

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Advising on the full range of conventional and Shariah-compliant financing deals, Norton Rose Fulbright regularly acts for some of the largest regional banks and financial providers, and show notable proficiency in real estate, logistics and energy. Practice head Mohammed Paracha is a competent cross border adviser whose recent work highlights include financings for major property, hospitality, residential and office space developments, while Nicholas Robinson is a key figure for both regional and international banks and possesses a wide portfolio of work. Robin Balmer advises on a variety of project financing mandates, while counsel Seya Rahnema has a considerable Islamic financing offering. A spate of hires and partner relocations have strengthened the Dubai offering, with Hamed Afzal – previously of Akin – and Marc Hamilton joining in November 2022 and March 2023, respectively. Between them, they bring strong expertise in debt capital markets and regional asset financing.

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Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The firm provides a hands on approach, value add services, and proactiveness.’

  • ‘I work with Robin Balmer. He brings a unique commercial acumen and understanding of local law requirements to the table. He is very practical and solution oriented. He has attained the rank of a trusted advisor within my business.’

Key clients

  • HSBC
  • Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank
  • Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation
  • ABC International Bank PLC
  • SMBC International Bank
  • Mashreq bank
  • National Bank of Egypt
  • Emirates NBD
  • First Abu Dhabi Bank
  • Société Générale
  • BNP Paribas
  • Commercial Bank of Dubai
  • Citi Bank
  • Global Trading and Shipping WLL
  • Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank

Work highlights

  • Advising HSBC Advising on a US$1.1bn sustainability linked dual tranche Murabaha financing to Al Ahli United Bank in Bahrain.
  • Advising APICORP on a dual tranche Murabaha financing to Al Ahli United Bank in Bahrain.
  • Advising ABC International Bank PLC on a bespoke transaction to split an existing £143m real estate development facility into a senior and mezzanine tranche.

Lawyers

Hall of Fame

The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Mohammed Paracha

Other key lawyers

Hamed Afzal, Marc Hamilton, Nicolas Robinson, Robin Balmer, Seya Rahnema