Farmida Bi > Norton Rose Fulbright > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Led from London by Farmida Bi  and also able to leverage significant resources on the ground in Dubai, the ‘well organised, efficient and client focused team’ at Norton Rose Fulbright is well-positioned to advise investors, corporates, governments and banks across a broad range of Islamic finance structures pursuant to transactions in core areas of expertise for the firm as a whole, including energy, transport and real estate. A good deal of the work flow centres around debt capital markets transactions, with Bi recently advising ACWA Power on the update and second drawdown under its domestic sukuk programme, the proceeds of which were used to refinance its large equity investment in a high profile and strategically significant Jizan IGCC project. Yusuf Battiwala has made a strong impact to the practice (particularly in the context of derivates and structured finance matters) since his arrival from Dentons in March 2022, including handling a considerable number of mandates for large commercial/investment banks on Islamic repo transactions. Counsel Andrew Coote is also a key member of the team, regularly working alongside Bi for underwriters and issuers, including their continued work for Pakistan Ministry of Finance on its sovereign sukuk and bond issuances.

At Norton Rose Fulbright, ‘the team is very efficient and responsive, and their communication is clear, concise, and easy to understand‘. Known for its emerging markets and sovereign bond expertise, the firm is also active in project bonds, debt restructuring, corporate trust matters, Islamic Finance and  Canadian issuance. Practice head Peter Young handles debt offerings under both English and New York law, and he acted for the underwriters of Sweihan PV Power Company PJSC’s $700m senior secured amortizing green bonds offering. EMEA chair Farmida Bi is recognised as one of the most influential women in European finance. Peter Noble is best known for advising Canadian issuers and their dealers in the international debt markets. Highly regarded junior partner Kirstin Russell focuses on corporate trust transactions. She recently worked with Young on a ZAR7.3bn bond restructuring and refinancing for South Africa-based telecommunications operator Cell C, which involved holders of the company’s existing international notes agreeing to an exit consent. Counsel Andrew Coote is a notable practitioner for public structured debt transactions including project bonds and sukuk, while counsel Vishal Mawkin handles both English law- and New York law-governed cross-border debt financings.