MENA Region - Joint Legal Services Provision. خدمات محاماة مشتركة (Aug 2021)

Introduction

Castletown Law and Al Amr Bin Ali & Partners Law Firm (ABPLF) have agreed to work together to provide extended support to clients across the Middle East. The relationship has been cemented based on the long and successful relationship that Castletown Law’s founding Principal Andrew Renton has with Al Amr co-founder Ali Bin Ali.

Castletown Law has extensive experience in the MENA region. Al Amr’s additional regional capability and expertise will help support clients on inbound work to the region particularly in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which is in the early stages of an industrial renaissance. It will also allow regionally based companies who want to engage in the wider markets in all aspects of activity to use the combined service to deliver on transactions any where in the world using the Castletown Law extensive international network. This international network has helped Castletown Law to operate in over30 countries in the recent past.

The majority of ABPLF lawyers are dual language (English/Arabic) with most of them having trained or qualified in the USA or the UK and all are admitted to the bar in Saudi Arabia. They have an established presence in corporate, commercial and regulatory aspects of transactional work in Saudi Arabia and can demonstrate an extensive knowledge working with Ministries and government departments. ABPLF has strong contacts within the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA), the Capital Markets Authority(CMA) and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry(MOCI) and the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) as well as the family businesses that dominate every sector of the Saudi Arabia market.

Sector Focus

Our joint approach allows us to reinforce our respective participation regionally based on our extensive sectoral experience in Energy, Infrastructure, Aviation, Construction & Engineering.

Legal services

•        Corporate law

•        Commercial law

•        Engineering and construction law

•        Real estate

•        Corporate restructuring and relocation

•        Finance and Islamic finance law

•        Employment law in the MENA region

•        Dispute avoidance and resolution

Our Team

Experience                              

 Energy

•        Lead advisor to tier 2 on the Equinor Hywind Tampen Project.

•        Contract structure and tiered agreements for manufacture, delivery, installation, testing and commissioning offshore installation equipment.

•        UK and US offshore wind farm developments.

•        Service contracts for oil and gas production facilities.

•        Finalising contract arrangements for refurbishment of Pancevo Refinery Serbia (Legacy project).

•        Contract advice on Solar projects in the Middle East.

•        Redevelopment of power station sites for new energy, data and commercial centre.

•        Utilisation of ESCO model for provision of power and utilities in regeneration projects.

•        Establish contract structure for provision of offshore energy Baltic Hub.

•        Advising the lenders in the US$1.37 billion financing for Oman Refinery Company in relation to the merger of Oman Refinery Company and Sohar Refinery Company and the repayment of existing project finance facilities.

•        Advising a global oil and gas valve producer on the set up of a joint venture company with a Saudi Arabian investment company for the establishment of a manufacturing company in Dammam.

•        Advising a global water, hygiene and energy technology services provider on its corporate restructuring to consolidate its business operations in Saudi Arabia.

•        Advising International Company for Water & Power Projects (ACWA Power) on two syndicated commodity murabaha-based transactions to add another SAR1.109 billion (USD295million) to its revolving shari’a compliant working capital facilities.

•        Advising a syndicate of international banks on Saudi Electricity Company’sUSD1.4 billion revolving credit facility.

•        Advising Samba Financial Group and Banque Saudi Fransi regarding a long-term SAR1 billion financing for National Petrochemical Industrial.

•        Advising a group of 30 global and regional lenders on a USD10 billion revolving credit facility to Saudi Aramco (state-owned Saudi Arabian Oil Company), the world’s biggest oil exporter.

 Infrastructure Major Projects

•        Regeneration of urban town centre and creation of new economic initiatives, university, training, schools, health centre and housing. (Legacy project).

•        New Port facilities in UK at Hartlepool.

•        Port and harbour development strategy and roll out for Highland and Islands Council Scotland.

•        New international rehabilitation and recuperation centre for sports participants based in Portugal.

•        Lead adviser to Scottish Government on Major Roads Project.

•        Lead adviser on Purfleet Regeneration Project.

•        Adviser on Waste Process Treatment Works in UAE.

•        Sheikh Zayed Sports City Development UAE.

•        Adviser to Scottish Water on Asset Delivery programme.

•        Completion of corporate commercial stage of £1.4 billion urban regeneration partnership in London.

•        Advising a subsidiary company of a waste management company in relation to payment dispute with a main contractor Saudi JV regarding a desalination plant in Saudi Arabia.

•        Advising Saudi Electricity Company (“SEC”) on all aspectsof their US$1.2 billion JV with Saudi Aramco to procure the Fadhili Combined Heat and Power Project (“Fadhili”).

Corporate Transactions

•        Acquisition of the North of England Scottish division of a PLC in the automotive industry.

•        Restructuring of the UK division of a European product distribution company.

•        Merger of a Scottish Utility consultancy into European based US owned multinational.

•        Intermediary arrangements for investment sourcing.

•        Foreign investment into regeneration company in England.

•        Advising a large US corporate on the Middle East aspects of a global merger and reorganisation of its advanced technology systems division.

•        Saudi Arabian common counsel in connection with the two leading IPOs in Saudi Arabia, namely: Rakisa company’s(holding company for the Prince Musa’ed Economic City of Ha’el) for the aggregate issue of SAR 2.225 billion and Khozama Management company (owned by the King Faisal Philanthropic Foundation) for the aggregate issue of SR 3.5 billion.

•        Advising foreign investors on the proposed corporate structure for their operations in KSA and incorporating the same, including drafting/reviewing articles of association, obtaining foreigner investment license and other regulatory licences.

Engineering and Construction

•        EPC contract, civils contract and operating and maintenance agreement for Danish client including joint venture and shareholder agreement.

•        Construction due diligence for acquisitions and disposals of shopping centres, commercial developments and industrial parks advising sellers, purchasers and investors.

•        Delivery of HUB projects for schools and hospitals acting for contractors, SPVs and investors.

•        Adviser to international energy services company on dispute relating to wastewater treatment plant leading to adjudication.

•        Advising on major national refinery refurbishment and reconstruction.

•        Advising professional team on Arzahana medical complex in Abu Dhabi.

•        Advising on Design Build Operate and Maintain contracts for large ground based solar projects in Jordan, Dubai and Egypt.

•        Adviser to international energy services company on dispute relating to wastewater treatment plant.

•        Advising a global construction company on the transfer of employees and employment contracts and liabilities following its recent merger.

•        Advising a Saudi Arabian company against a foreign company in a case related to the construction of oil and gas pipe lines.

•        Advising a sub-contractor in a claim governed by Saudi law for delay and disruption against the main contractor in relation to the construction of an oil refinery in Jizan, in South of Saudi Arabia.

Nuclear

•        Providing a road map for the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Ankara, in relation to the necessary regulatory structure required to meet the IAEA requirements for initiating NNB developments within Turkey and similar in Jordan.

•        Advising on the commissioning protocols and process for contractor compliance for the regulatory sign off on the Barakah NNB project in Abu Dhabi.

•        Advising KEPCO in relation to its potential participation in the development of NNB on the Moorside site. Including negotiations with the Treasury, DECC, the cabinet office and others.

•        Providing statutory, regulatory and compliance advice to Horizon Nuclear Power Limited, covering radioactive substances, ground water, water abstraction etc.

•        Advising on the parent company role and responsibility of EnergySolutions (parent body) in relation to the Magnox nuclear fleet.

•        Advisor to DECC on ONR and OND review and policy papers on nuclear review for government.

•        Advisor to EDF on Hinkley Point C NEC/EPC contract tier appointments.

  Transport

•        Air – Advising on airport development and strategy around new operations, finance leases, aircraft sale and purchase, aircraft sale and leaseback, negotiating and documenting airside, public terminal construction and engineering projects, project management and delivery.

•        Port–Providing advice on asset transfer in government tendered ferry services, development of port and ferry terminals, offshore fleet services.

•        Offshore – extensive experience in offshore support vessel contracting under BIMCO and major producer standard terms. Charter party advice on vessel provision.

•        Rail – Advising on underground development and refurbishment projects, station upgrades and Crossrail line installation contracts, mass transit projects including Abu Dhabi. In general, we provide advice in PPPs and mainstream maintenance, fuel services, re-powering transmission cabling and rollingstock renewal.

•        Road – Providing advice on major road and bridge projects in the UK and internationally.

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In Summary                            

We are specialists by choice, focused on serving clients as professional advisors in a way which best suits the client’s needs and delivers them best value and outcomes. We focus on maintaining trusted relationships through which long term benefits for each of us accrue.

We operate as a digital practice with low overheads and we pass the reduced operational costs on to clients in the rates we charge. We pride ourselves on our approach to using highly experienced staff to deliver precise responses on the issues on which clients need advice.

Feedback tells us we are easy to work with and our expertise is highly valued.

We would like the opportunity to work with you and would be grateful to be able to discuss this further,

Invite us In!

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