Firm Profile > Dentons > Baku, Azerbaijan

Legal market overview Tier 1

Leading Firms Tier 1

The 'responsive and knowledgeable' Dentons team in Baku is led by James Hogan, who specialises in banking and finance, energy, and construction, among other areas. Alongside fellow banking and finance expert Kamal Mammadzada, he acted for Agence Française de Développement (AFD) on a €112.5m credit agreement between AFD and the Republic of Azerbaijan for the construction of railway-servicing workshops. The pair also acted together on a major $10m aircraft leasing deal, reviewing the lease agreement and issuing a legal opinion on the bank payment guarantee. New arrival Nargiz Kazimova has also been involved in banking and finance matters; she and Mammadzada advised Pasha Bank, as arranger and lender, on a $15m loan facility, the first of its kind in Azerbaijan. Clients recommend counsel Ophelia Abdullayeva as a 'trusted adviser' who is 'responsive and provides quick and practical advice'; she also assisted on the aforementioned AFD mandate. In addition, she advised an international oil and gas company on a $50m production-sharing agreement for the exploration, rehabilitation and development of an oil and gas field in the Caspian Sea. Also highly recommended is counsel Ulvia Zeynalova-Bockin, who 'has very good knowledge of her area of expertise'; she covers all areas of finance, including Islamic finance, and recently advised a foreign company on the sale of shares in an Azerbaijani mobile operator.