Ali Sharif Zu’bi Advocates & Legal Consultants maintains a dominant position in the Jordanian market. The team has an excellent track record on high profile transactions, including sovereign and corporate bond issues, cross-border M&A, restructurings, joint ventures, and aircraft financings. Highly rated managing partner Khaled Asfour has almost 30 years’ experience and remains a leading figure in the market for a wide range of corporate finance matters. Another key partner is Jumana Toukan , who has an active M&A practice. The team was boosted in 2021 by the arrival of counsel Tareq Madanat, who joined from AlDhabaan & Partners in association with Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP in Saudi Arabia.
Commercial, corporate and M&A in Jordan
Ali Sharif Zu'bi Advocates & Legal Consultants
Practice head(s):
Khaled Asfour
Other key lawyers:
Jumana Toukan
Key clients
Kingsway Capital
Adenium Energy Capital
Bank Audi
APICORP
EBRD
Avolon
Dubai Aerospace
Proparco
Meridiam
HSBC
Work highlights
- Advised Cairoscan on its $50 million acquisition of a medical imaging laboratory business in Jordan.
- Advised Bank Audi in connection with the sale of its Jordan and Iraq branches to Capital Bank of Jordan.
- Advised Hikma Pharmaceuticals on the Jordanian law aspects of its $500 million bond issue.
Khalifeh & Partners Lawyers
Khalifeh & Partners Lawyers has a strong reputation for corporate and M&A work and can regularly be found on Jordan’s largest deals. Clients include major domestic and international corporates and organisations. The team has a strong track record on cross-border acquisitions, joint ventures, restructurings and financings, as well as associated regulatory issues such as competition and antitrust. Managing partner Ala’ Khalifeh and Khaldoun Nazer are both active in this area.
Practice head(s):
Ala’ Khalifeh; Khaldoun Nazer
Obeidat Lawyers
Obeidat Lawyers has a strong presence in the market and is popular with international and domestic clients. The team can regularly be found on the country’s largest corporate M&A deals and financings. Key partners include Thamer Obeidat and Hussam Al-Kurd.
Practice head(s):
Thamer Obeidat; Hussam Al-Kurd
Sanad Law Group in association with Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP
Sanad Law Group in association with Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP has a ‘stand out‘ corporate practice, popular with domestic and international clients. The firm’s strong domestic and regional presence gives it an edge on outbound and inbound investments, and its lawyers are closely integrated with colleagues in Iraq, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the wider global network. This has made it an increasingly strong choice among corporates, investment funds and banks. Regional practice head Nadim Kayyali is a prominent figure in the market, and is especially active in the fintech and wider technology space. The ‘extremely professional and dedicated’ partner Lana Habash is also making an extremely good name for herself in cross-border M&A. Managing partner Ghaleb Al Faraj and Hani Kurdi also have strong practices in this area.
Practice head(s):
Nadim Kayyali; Lana Habash
Other key lawyers:
Hani Kurdi; Ghaleb Al-Faraj
Testimonials
‘Eversheds Jordan clearly stand out in comparison to other Jordanian Law firms in terms of knowledge, thinking out of the box, using whatever resources and means they have, including but not limited to availability, responsiveness and execution.’
‘Lana Habash comes across as extremely professional and dedicated. She carefully listens and think hard about possible solutions and her approach is always accompanied with expert knowledge. She is always available and quick to check the boxes and if she’s not available she makes sure others in the firm are updated and available.’
‘A very knowledgeable and professional team with the extra personal touch and deep understanding which is becoming less and less common these days.’
‘Truly very professional with deep understanding of the matters at hand having a wide overall look at the bigger picture and all options available. Thanks to the superb Lana Habash in Amman and her team and also Samer Hamzeh in Dubai.’
Key clients
FinnFund (Finnish Fund for Industrial Cooperation Ltd)
Crestbridge
Arab Palestinian Investment Company (APIC)
AB Invest Group
Siniora Food Industries Company PLC
Foursan
iMENA Group
SPE Capital
AXA
The Coca Cola Company (TCCC)
Finto
Jordan Ahli Bank /Ahli Fintech
Jordan Kuwait Bank
Al Majal Group
Mohammad Al Charchafgi / March Holdings
Abwaab
The Online Project
Micro Fund for Women
Capital Bank
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Middle East Pharma (Avalon Pharma)
Eat Group
Akhtaboot – ZenHR
Ithmar Invest
Work highlights
- Advised Siniora Food Industries on its $28.3 million acquisition of a 77% stake in Trakya Et Ve Sut Urunleri Sanayi Ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi through a sale and purchase of shares and subscription of newly issued shares.
- Advised OpenSooq.com on the $24 million funding round led by the Saudi Jordanian Investment Fund, with the participation of existing international and regional investors: FJ Labs and iMENA Group.
- Advised Mohammad Al Charchafgi, through March Holding, on the acquisition of 28% of the issued share capital in F&B Venture Holding SAL and 28% of the issued share capital in EH Pyramid Holding SAL from Al Meekat Holding.
Al Tamimi & Company
Al Tamimi & Company has an active corporate practice with good expertise in transactional and regulatory matters, as well as capital markets and banking law. The firm represents an impressive mix of banks, multilateral lenders, multinational and domestic companies. Khaled Saqqaf leads the well regarded Amman team. A strong differentiator is the firm's impressive regional network, and the Jordanian team works closely with offices in other key Middle Eastern jurisdictions, including the UAE and Iraq. The practice is also active in the infrastructure space and regularly advises on the sale and acquisition of energy assets and other infrastructure development projects.
Practice head(s):
Khaled Saqqaf
Key clients
Standard Chartered Bank (SCB)
National Bank of Kuwait (NBK)
Maersk
Masdar Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company
Master Card
Credit Suisse
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
Safwa Bank
Western Union
Housing Bank for Trade & Finance (HBTF)
Work highlights
- Assisting the EBRD on a full review of the legal and regulatory regime in Jordan relating to securities and capital markets legislation, with a view of drafting legislative amendments to the existing framework.
- Assisting the EBRD in reviewing NEPCO’s existing framework, developing charter documents and corporate governance policies, and assisting in the implementation of a corporate governance action plan for the National Electric Power Company in Jordan (NEPCO), including proposing Board Charters, nomination policies, audit and regulatory functions and other CG matters in line with international standards.
- Representing two local X-ray companies as both seller and buyer in a share acquisition and nominee arrangement.
Barghouti Khirfan Hattar Advocates
Barghouti Khirfan Hattar Advocates is arguably the strongest challenger firm to the older, more established players in Jordan’s commercial legal market. The firm takes a more boutique approach to high-end corporate matters, and is popular with private equity and broader investment funds. The senior partners place a strong emphasis on the development of their younger team members, as demonstrated by high client praise for the firm’s associates, including Fares Masri, Shahd Sa’ad Aldin and Rula Hidayah. Founding partners Yazan Barghouti, praised for ‘his immense knowledge of corporate law and M&A‘, Muayyad Hattar and Hazem Khirfan all enjoy strong reputations in the market.
Practice head(s):
Yazan Barghouti; Hazem Khirfan; Muayyad Hattar
Other key lawyers:
Fares Masri; Shahd Sa’ad Aldin; Rula Hidayah
Testimonials
‘Several senior partners with high knowledge of commercial law locally and elsewhere with competency that they can deliver outcome satisfactorily.’
‘Focused and knowing the relevant areas of law and able to advise on the details proven, when we had meetings with individual senior partners, that they come prepared and ready to explain plan and go through various related issues and requirements.’
‘The team is highly qualified and work well together which is evident in every task and case they undertake. They’re equally as proficient in Arabic and English in both arbitration and litigation. During COVID they updated all their clients with new government regulations the day of their release. There overall knowledge and they way the analyze cases is quite different and superior when compared to other firms I’ve worked with. The team is young and highly motivated which is refreshing.’
‘Each team member as mentioned is super qualified and excels in their respective field. I’ve worked with Yazan Barghouti for years now, his immense knowledge of corporate law and M&A is truly inspiring and makes me feel confident as I can that I’m getting the best representation and advice possible. I always feel he looks out after my best interest and always takes the time to explain things to me and makes sure all my requests are handling correctly and in a timely manner. Shahd Sa’ad Aldin is impressive to say the least, always on point is a very competent lawyer. Fares Masri and Rula Hidayeh are both excellent lawyers that have helped me through many deals and are extremely efficient.’
Key clients
Middle East Holding
Fabric Aid
Astra Farms
Cayyesh
Istinara for Jewellery Design
Autoexcellence Automotive and Spare Parts Company
Ern Capital
ExcelMena
Blue Iris Advanced Technology LLC
Lymo for Transfer Company
ScentAir
Talhouni Group
Crystel – International Company for Outsourcing Services
Delights Shop
Middle East Development Company
Car Genie
Japan Tobacco International
JTI Jordan (Manufacturing) Ltd.
Airport International Group
Rimal Capital
Al Jaber Group
Badia Capital
Manafsoft
PricewaterhouseCoopers Legal Middle East LLP
Acteon Group
Engineering Enterprises Co.
Sukljian Co. for Trading and Marketing
Jordanian International Auto Trading Co. (JIATC)
Tahboub Group
Black Pearl Capital
Trust International Insurance Company
Market Insurance Brokers Limited Jordan
Petra Aluminum Company
Gulfsat Telecommunication (KIPCO)
Saudi Dairy Foodstuff Company (SADAFCO)/Jordan
KABS Fit Factory
Middle East Insurance Co.
Landmark for Investment and Trade
Knight for Real Estate Development and Investment
BeMotion
American Center of Oriental Researche (ACOR)
Reclaim Childhood
Al-Mashreq for Marketing
16th of May
Qawaed Real Estate Development
Focus for Computer Programming
German Protestant Institute of Archaeology
Optimized Data Dynamics
Khaled Bin Walid Investments
Sajdi – Consulting Engineering Centre
Ghalia Bisharat Architects
Hourani and Partners
Work highlights
- Represented Astra Farms, the Middle East’s largest producer of cut flowers, in the digitisation and sale of its flower distribution business.
- Represented Middle East Holding PLC in its acquisition of 20% of Middle East Insurance and currently advising the company in the acquisition of the remaining 80% via a one of a kind share swap transaction.
- Advising Badia Capital on investments in Europe, including assets in Greece, Cyprus, Portugal and England, and the establishment of a €40 million fund with respect to the development of a hotel in Mykonos, Greece.
International Business Legal Associates (IBLAW)
International Business Legal Associates (IBLAW) has had a longstanding presence in the Jordanian legal market and is a regular destination for major international corporations, banks, multilateral lenders and venture capital and private equity funds. In addition to high-end transactional matters, including M&A and acquisition finance, the team provides day-to-day commercial support, including on compliance and regulatory issues. Key partners include Firas Malhas and senior partner Salaheddin Al-Bashir. Nancy Dababneh heads the firm’s IP department.
Practice head(s):
Firas Malhas; Salaheddin Al-Bashir
Other key lawyers:
Nancy Dababneh
Osama Sukkari & Associates - Attorneys at Law
Osama Sukkari & Associates – Attorneys at Law has a strong commercial practice that is regularly used by major corporates, banks, and investment funds. M&A and finance work feature prominently on the agenda. Anwar Sukkari is one of the key contacts.
Practice head(s):
Anwar Sukkari
Work highlights
Rajai K.W. Dajani & Associates
Rajai K.W. Dajani & Associates has an active corporate practice with a loyal clientbase. The firm has expertise across a wide range of sectors and skill-sets, including energy, telecoms, healthcare, construction and media. In addition to high-end M&A and restructurings, the firm assists clients on franchise and distribution agreements, privatizations, and day-to-day commercial matters. The ‘highly innovative‘ team is praised for its ‘attention to detail‘ and for being ‘very well rounded in multiple jurisdictions, and industries‘. Clients recommend the firm’s ‘outstanding‘ managing partner Yousef Khalileh. Partner Arwa Al Azzeh also has a prominent commercial practice, and good expertise in the finance, energy and infrastructure sectors.
Practice head(s):
Yousef Khalilieh
Other key lawyers:
Arwa Azzeh
Testimonials
‘Key areas that I appreciate the most and that sets the team apart are: Great attention to details. They cover all the bases, and in all my dealings with them, I have never been blind sided by an issue. They provide clear options, and spend the time to explain all the cons and pros of each. Low turn over. I never had a team member leave in the middle of an assignment. Highly innovative. Whenever were were limited by the current legal setup, they were very creative in identifying alternative ways to achieve the same result. International perspective and multi jurisdictional experienced. My work usually spans multiple countries, and they have been extremely effective in managing the entire spectrum of our work across multiple geographies.’
‘Strong commercial sense. My biggest challenge with other law firms was the lack of commercial sense. With Dajani and associates, the team I dealt with had strong grasp of the Commercial side of the business. This has been extremely valuable to us – Always available to respond quickly. Yousef Khaliyeh, the partner I have been dealing with, has been outstanding. He is spends the time to explain all options. Very well rounded in multiple jurisdictions, and industries – he brings a lot of wisdom that has proven to be an extreme asset over and over again. -Very fluent in both English and Arabic contractual needs. This is particularly important for all our international engagement.’
‘Rajai K.W. Dajani Associates Law Office is corporate law specialist in Jordan, by far they are the most experienced and capable of providing all legal advise concerning corporate law in the country. The company is highly competent, knowledgeable and professional in the services being provided.’
‘Individuals from the firm that I have been working with in the last 15 years, are highly qualified, knowledgeable, competent and professional in all aspects of their engagements with the client, whether in terms of the legal support needed or the follow up if needed. By far they are some of the most capable and experienced lawyers and law advisors in Jordan if not even in the whole MENA region.’
Key clients
Luminus Group (Quds for Development)
Khalidi Hospital Medical Centre
Daehan (Kospo – Tafileh Wind Project)
Mawdoo3 Limited
ArabiaWeather
Tamatem Inc.
Faylasof
Instashop Ltd.
Amarenco-Karak Energy Project and Spectrum International For Renewable Energy
Jordan Duty Free
POS Rocket Inc.
PriceWaterhouseCoopers Jordan LLC
Work highlights
- Advising Luminus Group (Quds for Development) on a $14 million financial restructuring, and its expansion into the MENA region.
- Advising Khalidi Hospital Medical Centre on its restructuring and change from a limited liability company to a private shareholding company, as well as on an investment from a leading digital healthcare comapny.
- Advising Amarenco on the potential acquisition of the KARAK photovoltaic energy project.
Safwan Moubaydeen Law Firm in association with Dentons
Safwan Moubaydeen Law Firm in association with Dentons has a prominent position in Jordan’s commercial legal market. The firm acts for a broad mix of major banks, energy and utility companies, and manufacturers. The clientbase benefits from the firm’s strong regional and international presence, and managing partner Safwan Moubaydeen splits his time between the firm’s Jordan and Qatar offices. Other key team members include the ‘very approachable and flexible‘ Ala’ George Musleh and Dia Zaiter.
Practice head(s):
Safwan Moubaydeen
Other key lawyers:
Ala’ George Musleh; Dia Zaiter; Haya Moubaydeen
Testimonials
‘Ala’ Musleh has been very approachable and flexible in his dealing with us. He has understood our challenges and has acted upon such needs providing adequate service.’
‘Good professional response by the team.’
‘They are undoubtedly one of the leading firms in the market and have top quality teams who consistently deliver high quality work. They know the law and you know you will get a good quality product with them. Dentons is expanding continuously and the team is able to leverage the strength of the firm’s global network to advise and assist us anywhere in the world and obtain quick access to lawyers with the right expertise and depth of jurisdictional knowledge to meet our needs. The team has been advising us on various corporate and commercial matters for a long time. Their expertise in this area is broad and deep. They are very practical, proactive, reliable and highly responsive to our needs. They are great partners and have always given us sound and thoughtful advice.’
‘The two individuals who I would like to highly endorse are senior associate Haya Moubaydeen and legal consultant Dia Zaiter. They have excellent command of the issues and the law and provide advice that takes into account our approach as a business. They are really passionate about their practice, incredibly responsive and ready to undertake any task on any timeline to get the job done. They are very sharp, with great attention to detail and have great insight of what our business needs and how it operates.’
Key clients
Adidas Levant Limited
AerCap Ireland Limited
Agence Française de Développement
Ahli Bank QSC
Al Amar Foods (part of the Domino’s Pizza larger group)
Al Badiya Power Generation Company
Al Hamawi Roastery NEW
Al Husainiyah Power Generation Company
Amazon Web Services
Amazon.com Services LLC
Amman Asia Electric Power Company
Axa France Vie
Bank of New York Mellon Corporation
CHANEL Limited FZE
CRIF S.p.A.
Engine Lease Finance Corporation
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Fujeij Wind Power Private Shareholding Company
JPMorgan Chase Bank
Lesaffre
Middle East Telecommunication SAL – MEATEL
Philadelphia Solar
Seara Food Europe Holding B.V.
SITA Information Networking Computing BV
Thales Amewa FZE (previously Gemalto Middle East FZ LLC)
Trilux Medical GmbH & Co. KG
True Aero LLC
Work highlights
- Advising EBRD on its investment Al-Hadatha Telecom and Technology PSC (Company) in Jordan through a loan and investment grant of up to US$8 million
- Advised Thales on its award to supply the Ministry of Interior, through a joint venture with OFFTEC, with its electronic smart ID cards.
- Advising Philadelphia Solar on several photovoltaic panel supply contracts and related joint development agreements.
Atwan & Partners Attorneys and Legal Consultants
Atwan & Partners Attorneys and Legal Consultants comes highly recommended by foreign and domestic clients. Managing partner Khaled Atwan ‘has an exceptionally strong eye for detail‘ while the firm is commended for its ‘hard-working, motivated, ambitious, charismatic, and reliable‘ lawyers. Clients come from across a wide range of industries, including renewables, media, financial services, food and manufacturing. The firm also has a strong track record in advising venture capital and investment funds. Transactional advice, including corporate acquisitions, feature prominently, but the firm has a full-service offering, from corporate governance through to employment law. Rana Atwan has a good track record advising major funds, startups and entrepreneurs.
Practice head(s):
Khaled Atwan; Rana Atwan
Testimonials
‘They are really great in the collaboration and communication with us, and always describe what is best for us.’
‘The best thing about the individuals is that they are keeping in touch with you until you end your service with them and the after-sale service is great.’
‘The team are hard-working, motivated, ambitious, charismatic, and reliable employees. Their honesty, dependability, confidence, and excellent communication skills helped them become the top law firm in Jordan and incredibly impressive.’
‘Khaled Atwan has an exceptionally strong eye for detail that has been a benefit to us on more than one occasion. He also has a very calm demeanour that was a blessing in and out of the courtroom.’
‘Small law firm with proactive approach. Efficient team supporting without hesitation with any matter. Important resource for our company when having no operative office in Jordan.’
‘Very responsive and reactive. No matter is too small to assist with. Very good English speakers. Khaled Atwan has been our main contact.’
Work highlights
- Legal counsel for a leading seed investment company and business accelerator in Jordan’s creative industry.
- Represented a construction company on its capital restructuring and a capital raising.
Hammouri & Partners Attorneys At-Law
Hammouri & Partners Attorneys At-Law is recommended for transactional, commercial projects and day-to-day governance advice. The firm represents a range of domestic and international clients, and is also regularly referred work by major international law firms. The ‘extremely responsive, detail oriented‘ partner Yotta Pantoula-Bulmer is the main contact for major international transactions, and has a good track record advising clients in the healthcare and energy sectors. Senior associate Ahmed Khalifeh leads the team and has experience across a range of sectors.
Practice head(s):
Yotta Pantoula-Bulmer; Ahmed Khalifeh
Testimonials
‘We had a great experience while dealing with Hammouri & Partners. They were very prompt in providing their responses and always managed to deliver on time (despite the deadlines being quite tight). Their knowledge about the local law requirements and the practical aspects were impressive. Would be happy to recommend Hammouri & Partners to future clients.’
‘We interacted primarily with Yotta Pantoula-Bulmer at Hammouri & Partners. She was extremely responsive, detail oriented and the advice we received was clear and succinct. She was also very flexible with respect to accommodating the requests around fees and tight deadlines from the client. Would be happy to recommend Yotta to future clients.’
‘Hammouri & Partners is well known in the local market and has lawyers that have either studied or practiced in western countries. It is this blend of skills that drew us to the firm and are what we believe sets them apart from other Jordanian firms.’
‘Yotta Pantoula-Bulmer is an experienced attorney, very skilled in international trade and distribution. She has helped guide us through the differences between commercial law and practice between the USA and Jordan.’
Key clients
Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company (JPRC)
Electronic Health Solutions (EHS)
Major Renewable Energy Regulator
Al Rakaez Investment Company
Electronic Health Solutions International (EHSI)
Near East Technologies
SAMGREEN POWER LLC JORDAN
EL-ZAY Ready Wear Manufacturing Co
Mawdoo3
Work highlights
- Legal counsel to Electronic Health Solutions in relation to the digitization of the public health sector.