The Legal 500

The Law Offices of Gebran Majdalany (Legal Consultants) enjoys a pre-eminent reputation in the Doha legal market, having been established for over 40 years. The firm shares a close working relationship with Clifford Chance, receiving regular instructions relating to energy and projects matters. The team has acted for most major Doha banks in respect of transactions and local lending, while also advising a number of international investment banks on local Qatari business operational methods. The firm specialises in banking, finance, securities, insurance, corporate and construction matters, and provides expert advice in relation to QFC matters, joint venture agreements with foreign investors, and the registration of international engineering and consulting offices. The team also boasts a strong energy practice, advising both sponsors and lenders on many major Qatari projects, with clients including Qatar Petroleum, RasGas and Qatargas. Gebran Majdalany and Richard Horsfall Turner are recommended.

Hassan A Alkhater Law Office is led by name partner Hassan Al Khater, and was recently joined by John Whatnall, an English-qualified solicitor with several decades’ experience in finance and corporate law. Though David Silver departed the firm following an eleven-year period, the arrival of South African property lawyer, Van Wyk Jooste, was welcomed in October 2008. The firm caters to a number of international companies looking to set up business in Qatar, and regularly advises on the all matters relating to investment vehicle formation.

Patton Boggs LLP’ Middle Eastern practice is formed around its Doha office, and was one of the first US firms to be granted permission to practice in Qatar, back in 2003. As such, the firm has spent several years building a solid reputation for its work in international trade and investment matters, infrastructure projects involvement and in particular, for its knowledge of Islamic finance. The team advises on a number of significant energy deals, having represented key clients such as Qatar Petroleum and RasGas Company in relation to the negotiation of LNG sales contracts. The firm is active in the real estate sector, with instructions arising from the Pearl of the Gulf project and Qatar’s largest real estate venture, the $2.5bn Lusail project. Robert Hager acts as managing partner, while business-law expert Hussein Damirji and Sonia Barber are the Doha team’s other resident partners.

Simmons & Simmons continues to strengthen its market profile, having grown from advising start-up companies in 2003, to representing clients in some of Qatar’s biggest projects and M&A deals. Andrew Wingfield, the Doha managing partner, has led the team in advising the Qatar Investment Authority on its $1bn joint venture agreement with NYSE Euronext, as well as advising Investec Bank on the real estate financing for the Pearl Development. The team acted for the Commercial Bank of Qatar in respect of its $900m rights issue and international GDR offering, the second-ever such offering from Qatar and the first in over 10 years.

Working under a cooperation agreement with Eversheds LLP, A Rahman Mohamed Al-Jufairi, Advocates & Legal Consultants advises a number of Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies. The Doha team specialises in energy, construction, IP and labour law.

Arab Law Bureau is known for its project finance, banking and commercial expertise. Having been licensed by the QFC in 2006, it has since acted as counsel to both borrowers and lenders in many of Qatar’s major oil and gas projects, including Qatargas 4.

Adv Mohammed Al-Marri in association with Al Tamimi & Company has grown significantly, despite the departure of Ala’a Tamneh and Mustafa Elbashier, adding 6 new practitioners to the team and currently housing 12 fee-earners. The practice has been advising on a range of legal matters, including a sukuk issue, the Energy City Qatar Project, and the potential acquisition for a plot of land in the Lusail development. Ahmad Anani continues to act as managing partner.

The Law Offices of Sultan M Al-Abdulla specialises in corporate and commercial transactional matters and complex business litigation. Able to advise on the whole range of corporate matters, such as joint ventures, IPOs and the transfer of shareholdings, the team also has a sterling energy practice wherein it advises on often very complex oil and gas-related transactions. Some of the firm’s marquee clients include Qatar Development Bank, Marriot International and the National Bank of Dubai. Headed by founding partner Sultan M. Al-Abdulla, the firm’s other notable practitioners include energy specialist Salman Mahmood, Leith Ajlouni, Ellen Stebbins and Hamzeh Abd Al-Hady.

Law Office of Sayel Daher is ever-increasing its presence in the energy and project finance arenas, its growth largely attributed to the expertise of Christopher Tingley. The firm notably advised a consortium, including Suez Energy International, on the financing for the development of the $3.8bn Ras Laffan C Project. The team remained active advising the lenders on the $700m Qatofin Petrochemical project.