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Office Overview
Vinson & Elkins has represented clients for many years in connection with projects, transactions, investments and disputes throughout the Middle East and North Africa. In October of 2003, Vinson & Elkins established an office in Dubai, U.A.E., becoming one of only a few international law firms with an office in the region. Vinson & Elkins offers a broad range of legal services in the Middle East and North Africa, including U.S., English and international law advice, as well as experience in countries across the region. Our location in Dubai offers an excellent business climate and a geographically centralized hub for serving the needs of our clients throughout the Middle East and North Africa.
Our Middle East/North Africa Practice Group includes U.S. and English lawyers qualified in civil law jurisdictions with experience in a broad range of transactions and has members who are fluent in English, Arabic, and French. The core of our Middle East/North Africa Practice Group includes over twenty lawyers located in Dubai, London, Tokyo, Beijing and the U.S., allowing us to collaboratively serve the needs of clients engaged in transactions in the region regardless of whether they are located in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, Asia or the Americas.
Vinson & Elkins' office in Dubai will further strengthen a broad-ranging practice with the capability of assisting clients in many business sectors and in almost all areas of law. Our core areas of practice in the Middle East and North Africa include the following:
Energy
We have extensive experience in the legal aspects of virtually all areas of the energy industry—exploration, production, refining, transportation, power and cogeneration, petrochemicals, environmental and regulation. We provide advice on almost all legal issues affecting the energy and petrochemical industry and its investors, underwriters and lenders. Clients include multinational companies; independent energy, mining and related service companies; government-owned energy entities; large industrial groups; international contractors; institutional, foreign and private investors; investment banks; and some of the world's largest commercial banks.
Telecommunications
We are experienced in the full array of activities surrounding the telecommunications industry and have assisted clients in financings and development of corporate structures, equipment and service supply arrangements, network and system installation issues, licensing, assignment of frequencies, rule-making, rate-making, contested cases and legislative initiatives. Our lawyers have represented numerous existing and new telecommunications entities on a broad scope of technological, transactional and regulatory matters.
Project Finance and Development
Vinson & Elkins has significant experience in the legal aspects of infrastructure development and financing. We regularly advise lenders, developers, sponsors, governments and others in the development and financing of major international infrastructure projects. These matters range from projects involving water, power and energy to transportation, telecommunications and healthcare facilities.
Islamic Finance and Investment
Vinson & Elkins prides itself on being one of only a very small number of international law firms with the ability to advise clients on structuring and documenting complex Islamic finance and investment transactions. Our lawyers have worked with clients in the United States, the European Union and South East Asia on a wide variety of Shari’ah-compliant investments and financial products. We have excellent working relationships with prominent Shari’ah advisers in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United States and Canada. Lawyers in the firm have advised on structuring and documenting Shari’ah-compliant investment and financial products utilizing a variety of Islamic structures including Murabaha, Mudaraba, Istisna’a, Ijara, Bai Al-Salam, Bai Al-Arboon, Musharak and Wakala. Our lawyers have also been involved in developing ground-breaking Islamic equivalents to capital protected funds and funds of funds, call options (Bai Al-Arboon), bonds (Sukuk), convertible loans, Islamic leverage structures and a hedge fund.
Most recently, the editor of a book titled Islamic Asset Management, Forming the Future for Shari’a-Compliant Investment Strategies (Euromoney, June 2004) recognized Vinson & Elkins as one of the top four law firms worldwide in terms of its active involvement in developing Islamic wealth management products.
Privatization
We have advised governments and private investors in connection with a number of significant privatizations of government-owned assets and businesses, including privatization of energy assets, telecom companies and real property assets.
International Litigation and Arbitration
We have extensive experience in handling a broad range of international litigation and international arbitration matters. We have represented both domestic and foreign parties in international civil litigation in U.S. and foreign courts and in international arbitrations, under leading institutional rules. Our lawyers also advise on the drafting of international arbitration and dispute resolution mechanisms, and have been selected to serve as arbitrators in international commercial disputes.
General
We are also actively involved in assisting in the development of the region's healthcare infrastructure, and more generally, in many other business sectors in the region in mergers and acquisitions, joint venture formation, private equity transactions and general corporate transactions and counseling.
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