Firm Profile > Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP > Muscat, Oman

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Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP > Firm Profile

The firm: Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP, founded in 1830, was one of the first US law firms to develop a truly international practice. Dedicated to counselling clients involved in some of the most challenging transnational transactions and complex multi-jurisdictional disputes, Curtis represents multinational companies, international financial institutions, governments and state-owned entities, family and other privately held businesses, entrepreneurs and high-net-worth individuals. With offices in the United States, the Middle East, Latin America, Europe, and Central and East Asia, Curtis is located in the key business centres where clients need the firm most.

Areas of practice: The firm’s Muscat office was established in 1997 and is the largest office of any international law firm in Oman. Curtis remains the only US-headquartered law firm that is licensed to practise in Oman. Clients benefit from a highly regarded and integrated team of US, UK, Australian, Indian, Pakistani, Italian and Omani lawyers, which provides practical and nuanced advice on both international and local law under one roof.

Private and public sector clients, including various ministries and related entities, come to Curtis for advice on the full range of international and domestic legal matters, from general services mandates to specialist areas of law. The core practice areas of (i) infrastructure, project finance and energy, (ii) corporate, commercial and banking, and (iii) litigation and dispute resolution are complemented by experience in privatisation, insurance, shipping and port development, tourism, real estate, employment and public procurement, among others.

In 2017 the corporate team advised on the IPO of a listed company, perpetual bond issue for a bank and on the merger of two large listed companies in the finance sector. The team also advised on a number of project finance transactions related to new project companies, in particular in the food sector. The projects and energy team completed the Salalah and Sharqiyah IWPs for Oman Power and Water Procurement Company SAOC (OPWP), and won a new mandate to advise OPWP on the design and implementation of a new more flexible IPP procurement process for 2022. The team also won a mandate to advise Petroleum Development Oman LLC on its procurement of a utility size solar IPP, a first for Oman.

The disputes team of approximately ten lawyers is currently working on various active arbitrations, primarily in the construction industry including advising a multinational engineering and construction company. These include matters under ICC, LCIA and DIAC rules as well as ad hoc proceedings under Omani arbitration law, focusing on commercial and construction arbitrations in the region. The team continues to be instructed and have success in the Sultanate’s biggest infrastructure and construction disputes, with recent instructions in the oil and gas sector being a highlight.

The office undertakes dispute avoidance, as well as litigation and arbitration in respect of a large, diverse range of matters, including high-quantum corporate disputes, criminal law, labour law, agency, insurance, construction and real estate.

The highly subscribed Oman Insight Series, in which Curtis’ Muscat lawyers hold regular breakfast seminars on topical legal issues in Oman, continues, as well as the office’s highly regarded legal blog (http://omanlawblog.curtis.com/). The team has also produced an overview of the business and legal framework in Oman for foreign companies and investors entitled ‘Doing Business in Oman’.

To ensure a consistent, high-quality service, Curtis’ Muscat-based lawyers work closely with colleagues across the firm’s international network, enabling clients to receive the full benefit of Curtis’ resources and global reach. The Muscat office is part of Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP, a New York limited liability partnership.