Middle East - United Arab Emirates

White & Case LLP

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Helming high-profile deals for a mix of leading industry players, White & Case LLP excels across the entire range of financing mandates with notable strength acting on landmark energy and infrastructure projects alongside construction and real estate developments. An enviable client list includes private credit and direct lending entities who view the firm as a go-to in the region for relevant financing advice, as well as premium financial institutions – both domestic and international – and major publicly-traded companies. The firm fields a string of experienced practitioners as team heads, including the Dubai-based Claire Matheson Kirton who is prominent adviser to government related entities on both conventional and Islamic financing; Debashis Dey, who complements his cross-border prowess with expert knowledge of Islamic financing and capital markets; and William Watson who has established strength in debt financing. Acting out of Abu Dhabi, Alexander Malahias is the fulcrum of the group’s considerable project financing offering, sharing the workload with Antoine Cousin who is a formidable PPP adviser. Adam Pierson wields a commendable regional practice, working for clients such as NEOM Company, Saudi Aramco and the Ministry of Water and Irrigation for Jordan, while Yasser K. Riad has experience acting on energy deals across the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘ Team is well-rounded in that it can handle all types of financing transactions.’

  • ‘William Watson is the key figure for bank finance - knows the industry and market inside-out and delivers to-the-point advice.’

Key clients

  • NEOM Company
  • The Red Sea Development Company
  • Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC)
  • Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco)
  • Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC)
  • The Government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, acting through the Abu Dhabi Department of Finance
  • ADES Group
  • Zakher Marine International
  • Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC)
  • Jubail Island Investment Company
  • Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding
  • Mashreq Bank
  • Fawaz Abdulaziz Al Hokair Co.
  • Metro Jeddah Company (MJC)
  • Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
  • First Abu Dhabi Bank
  • HSBC
  • National Commercial Bank
  • Bank of America Merrill Lynch
  • First Abu Dhabi Bank
  • Gulf International Bank
  • J.P. Morgan
  • Citigroup
  • Goldman Sachs International
  • Deutsche Bank
  • Emirates NBD
  • Societe Generale
  • Dubai Islamic Bank
  • IHS Towers Limited
  • USAID and the Ministry of Water and Irrigation of Jordan
  • Trukker Holding
  • Dubai Electricity and Water Authority
  • Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower)
  • IHS Holding Limited
  • Fidera Limited
  • GIC Private Limited
  • Mubadala
  • Abu Dhabi Development Holding ADQ

Work highlights

  • Representation of DEWA on a significant AED10 billion pre-IPO financing to help optimise the company’s balance sheet ahead of the offering.
  • Advised Nakheel PJSC, as borrower, in connection with the refinancing and restructuring of its existing conventional and Islamic debt profile together with new money funding for significant real estate development assets.
  • Advised the Government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, acting through the Department of Finance in connection with the AED 1.99 billion green loan term facility for Etihad Rail Company PJSC (First Abu Dhabi Bank PJSC (FAB) acting as lender, agent, security agent, account bank and mandated hedge provider) for the construction of passenger stations and rail track extensions to connect with the existing Etihad Rail freight line and associated infrastructure.

Lawyers

Leading individuals

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Claire Matheson Kirton, William Watson, Debashis Dey, Alexander Malahias, Antoine Cousin, Adam Pierson, Yasser Riad