Debashis Dey > White & Case LLP > Dubai, United Arab Emirates > Lawyer Profile

White & Case LLP has ‘great capital markets and derivatives expertise‘ and handles work across the full range of asset classes, including interest rate, credit, equity, currency and commodity derivatives, regulatory capital transactions, repurchase agreements, securities lending, synthetic investments and Islamic derivatives. ‘Responsive and reliable‘ practice head Ingrid York is a market-leading expert on repackaging and structured note transactions, and the ‘spectacular‘ Anthony Colegrave, who is dual-qualified in both England & Wales and South Africa, is a key adviser on equity derivatives and hedging solutions. Debashis Dey is praised for his advice to banks, corporates and governments on a range of structured finance matters, including private equity matters, Islamic finance and non-performing loans. Tom Falkus, who acts for arrangers, originators, asset managers, sponsors and investors, and Phillan Amin, an emerging talent in OTC derivatives and hedging matters, also play central roles in the team.

White & Case LLP has built a broad securitisation practice over the years, and its hire of Adam Farrell from Paul Hastings LLP in 2023 added extra skills in CLOs, RMBS, CMBS and trade receivables. In the CLO market, the firm is recognised as a leading adviser on ESG structuring, having pioneered the structuring of transactions as Article 8 financial products under the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation. As well as CLOs, the firm advises banks, sponsors, issuers, investors and service providers on regulatory matters, RMBS, covered bonds, CMBS, whole-business deals, and structures based on auto loans, inventory and esoteric assets. Debashis Dey, who works from both London and Dubai, acted for a global investment bank in a $150m warehouse securitisation, while the ‘good-humoured and solution-oriented‘ Tom Falkus, whose work encompasses NPL portfolio acquisitions, advised a major car rental company on an extension to its €1.2bn securitisation platform.

Handling multiple IPOs across the Middle East, including pre-IPO restructurings and complex debt transactions, White & Case LLP continues to be sought out by a host of prominent clients on account of to its comprehensive capital markets offering. The team is noted for its capabilities in innovative, first-of-its-kind securitisation transactions, while the firm’s dedicated trusts and agency team provides further support to clients engaging with conventional and Shari’ah-compliant finance and capital markets mandates. Practice head and debt specialist Debashis Dey is valued for both his transactional prowess and regulatory counsel, as well his Islamic financing expertise. Co-head Sami Al-Louzi is a key adviser to multinational banks serving as underwriters and coordinators in equity capital markets transactions, and Roger Gaspard is a ‘highly appreciated solutions orientated lawyer who banks and issuers turn to for advice in complex situations’. Xuan Jin, Marcin Zawadzki and Eren Ayanlar also come recommended. Cassy Raby is a key supporting presence on IPOs. Greg Pospodinis left the firm in 2025.

Leveraging its deep team of highly experienced advisors, White & Case LLP provides comprehensive counsel to financial institutions, corporates, and sovereign-backed entities on a wide range of cross-border transactions, spanning both the Gulf and the African continent. The firm is particularly well-regarded for its project finance expertise,  regularly acting for sponsors and lenders in the oil and gas, power, utilities, and infrastructure sectors. Claire Matheson Kirton heads the practice and has a strong track record in Sharia-compliant transactions. Co-head Debashis Dey brings expertise across finance and capital markets, Adam Pierson and Antoine Cousin are highly active on projects in Saudi Arabia, while Yasser K. Riad focuses on project financings in the UAE. Sam Manful and Mikaela Nikolausson Toumia are key supporting presences across a number of practice mandates. Former co-head William Watson moved to Paul Hastings LLP.

The White & Case team comprises three divisions: equity capital markets, corporate agency and trusts, and debt capital markets. The full-service team boasts specialities in IPOs, rights issues, Islamic Finance, project bonds, securitisations and green bonds. The team recently served as issuer counsel for Saudi Aramco’s secondary public offering, marking the largest such offering in EMEA since 2000. Leading the team is Debashis Dey, a specialist in complex issuance programmes and Islamic finance, and Sami Al-Louzi, a leading figure in ECM and IPOs.