Posted by: amj_admin on November 1, 2020 - 6:08 pm

AMJ won the “Offshore Finance Deal of the Year” category at the IFN Awards 2020 for the Rakiza Fund transaction. Here’s what the awards committee had to say about AMJ and its transactions:

1) “AMJ advised on the Government of Oman’s unlimited value sukuk, a deal of the year 2019. The firm also advised the Government of Oman on the Oman Investment Authority’s infrastructure fund (Rakiza). A complex structure aimed at expanding international investment into Oman, the deal will surely be a 2020 Deal of the Year contender.

2) WINNER OFFSHORE FINANCE – given to those who demonstrate the art of structuring and those who offer exceptional service. Periodically, the artful deals are unique and even market-changing.

AMJ was the Omani law counsel for the SGRF and Rakiza Fund 1 (Guernsey), Oman Infrastructure Investment Co and Equitix Investment Management. AMJ worked on the Rakiza Fund and this was the first time that an infrastructure fund was established in Oman where the vast majority of investments would be injected through offshore feeder funds. AMJ was required to work closely with international counsels to structure such feeder funds and their investments into the Rakiza Master Fund in a manner acceptable to CMA and its laws.

At another level, the transaction was required to be structured in such a manner than foreign investment manager Equitix could be permitted to advise on investments made by Rakiza Master Fund in Oman without being registered and licensed under the Omani fund regime.

WE ARE LONG USED TO GCC MONEY GOING OUT IN FUNDS FOR PRIVATE INVESTMENT. RAKIZA IS DESIGNED TO ATTRACT GLOBAL INVESTORS INTO OMAN. DESPITE ITS COMPLEXITY, THE FUND MAY PROVE A MODEL FOR OTHER GCC AND EMERGING COUNTRIES TO FINANCE INFRASTRUCTURE.

3) AMJ were shortlisted again for Rakiza in Project & Infrastructure – “one might say that AMJ built the legal infrastructure for foreign investment into Omani projects”. AMJ did “yeoman service, providing the Omani law bits to bring the Oman Infrastructure Fund to life. This entailed managing complexities of local law with respect to foreign fund managers and investors acting in Oman. This certainly is a model for many other countries”.

Posted by: amj_admin on November 1, 2020 - 6:07 pm

AMJ, won the prestigious ‘ Oman Law Firm of the Year’ award at the International Financial Law Review (IFLR) Middle East Awards held on October 14, 2020. This accolade brings AMJ’s tally of IFLR’s ‘National Law Firm of the Year’ awards to an impressive and unrivalled 12 (twelve) times in Oman.

The annual IFLR Award brings together leading global and regional corporate law firms to celebrate the most outstanding legal deals that have taken place in the region in the past 12 months. The award recognises the best law firms in each jurisdiction based on the innovation and the complexity of deals completed. AMJ was also shortlisted by the IFLR alongside the GCC’s top, global law firms for three shortlisted transactions as well as a slate of other legally ground-breaking deals. The firm acted as sole legal counsel to the issuer and underwriters on the Government of Oman’s local sukuk, which included a slew of firsts and novel Omani law issues. It helped structure the Rakiza Master Fund, a first of its kind infrastructure fund of the Government of Oman. The project required a full revision of all applicable Omani laws. A team also worked on the landmark privatisation of the Oman Electricity Transmission Company to State Grid International Development.

AMJ is a top-tier, globally-rated, independent, commercial law firm and the largest in Oman. In 2020, the firm celebrated 40 years of existence, and involvement in most, ‘first of a kind’ deals and landmark projects that have taken place in Oman and the region. Its resident team of lawyers includes many of Oman’s most senior and experienced practitioners, recognised as leaders in their fields. They are able to draw on expertise gained in multiple innovative deals over more than three decades to respond to changing market conditions and the evolving commercial and legal needs of business and government.

Posted by: amj_admin on January 21, 2020 - 11:12 am

AMJ acted as sole Oman law counsel for the Government of Oman and its wholly owned special purpose vehicle, Oman Sovereign Sukuk S.A.O.C., as well as the joint lead managers, Alizz Islamic Bank S.A.O.G., bank muscat S.A.O.G. (including its Islamic window, Meethaq) and Bank Nizwa S.A.O.G., on the on establishment of the government’s first-ever Omani Rial denominated sukuk issuance programme. The establishment of the programme follows the success of the international sukuk programme back in 2017, which AMJ also advised the government.

In addition to advising on establishment of the sukuk programme, AMJ also advised as sole Oman law counsel to the issuer and the banks on the first two tranches of OMR 300,000,000 sukuk under the programme. The first tranche of OMR 100,000,000 sukuk was with a tenure of five years and offering a return of 5 per cent per annum. The second tranche was OMR 200,000,000 sukuk with a tenure of seven years and a return of 5.50 per cent per annum. The issuance closed on 10 December 2019 and has been listed on the Muscat Securities Market.

Amongst the various firsts, this was the first time that a sovereign issuance has been undertaken through an auction process and allocations made through a ‘differential pricing mechanism’. As a result, the subscription process had to be carefully considered to allow allocations through the mechanism preferred by the Government.

The AMJ team, which acted as sole Oman law advisor on this transaction, was led by Mansoor Malik (Senior Partner) and Asad Qayyum (Partner) who were supported by Fatma Al Maamary (Associate) and Khalid Al Abri (Associate). Linklaters acted as international counsel on the transaction.

Posted by: amj_admin on January 21, 2020 - 10:59 am

At awards ceremonies in Dubai, the firm won the IFLR’s “Most Innovative Law Firm of the Year” and Chamber’s globally recognized “Oman Law Firm of the Year”.
Widely considered the leading authorities on global legal rankings Chambers and IFLR Awards are highly sort after. To be eligible the firm had to submit a detailed application and be subject to a vigorous independent assessment process involving the input of clients and competitors alike. The awards are due recognition of the firm’s involvement in the most innovative and complex legal deals that have taken place in the Sultanate of Oman over the past 12 months.

In addition to the awards Chambers also recognized the firm and its lawyers’ expertise for Corporate & Finance and Dispute Resolution work. This year Chambers has added a new category and acknowledged the efforts of the firm for the following:

• The firm’s expertise in Projects & Energy.
• Managing partner Mansoor Jamal Malik’s work in the area of Projects & Energy.
• Partner Asad Qayyum for his work in Corporate & Finance.
• Special Counsel Erik Penz for his work in Dispute Resolution.

AMJ’s founder and managing partner, Mansoor Jamal Malik commenting on the awards said, “We are delighted with our success at the IFLR and Chambers awards.  In an increasingly competitive market for legal services, these independent research-based awards are an important mark of both quality and performance. They also highlight, in the face of challenging economic conditions, the resilience of the Oman government and business in being prepared to adopt and execute bold and creative approaches to the structuring of deals in order to deliver key benefits.”

Senior Partner, Dr. Said Hilal Al Busaidy added, “We are all proud that IFLR and Chambers has recognised the sterling and innovative efforts of the firm and the teams’ dedication to serving the business and legal needs of our clients. It proves that the firm’s policy of investing in the recruitment of experienced international counsel and the best Omani lawyers creates substantial in-country value.”

Posted by: amj_admin on March 30, 2018 - 8:27 pm

AMJ’s Islamic Finance team advised on two of the winning deals in the IFN Awards Deals of the Year 2017 ceremony held at the Ritz Carlton in Dubai on March 11.

The annual IFN Awards, now in the 12th edition, recognise excellence and innovation in the global Islamic Finance industry.

The Oman Deal of the Year was awarded to Oman Government for its US$2 billion 144A Sovereign Sukuk and the Ijarah Deal of the Year was awarded to Mazoon Electricity Company for its US$500 million 144A/Reg S Sukuk.

The winning deals were selected from a total of 425 nominations from across the world.

AMJ advised the Government of Oman and the issuer, Oman Sovereign Sukuk Company, on the Omani law aspects of the Oman Deal of the Year, the Sultanate’s maiden international public sukuk issuance in June 2017. The issuance was the debut issuance under the Sultanate’s first-ever trust certificates issuance program on which AMJ also advised. The deal is further noteworthy for being the second-largest US dollar Sukuk issued out of the GCC since July 2012.

On the Ijarah Deal of the Year awarded to Mazoon Electricity Company, AMJ acted as Oman Counsel for the joint lead managers and issuers. The US$500 million Reg S/144A Sukuk was the first international corporate sukuk issue out of Oman, and the first Reg S/144A corporate sukuk out of the MENA region since May 2016. The deal is also the first-ever Sukuk from the regulated electricity distribution sector which required detailed discussions with the regulator on structuring the transaction in order to comply with the restrictions of the Oman’s Sector Law.

The corporate deal also demonstrated the efficacy of Oman’s Sukuk law, which uses an SPV in lieu of a trust. The concept and structure were not deterrents to global and US investors who respectively took up 30% and 13% of the deal.The fact that both the award-winning deals were well-received by investors which should instil confidence in Omani institutions and corporates for the success of future transactions in the global market.

The IFN Deal of the Year 2017 awards, which were for the first time hosted as a part of IFN’s World Leaders Summit, assembled CEOs and decision-makers from Islamic financial institutions, top business leaders, policymakers, legal experts, economists and thought leaders from key Shariah finance markets around the world.

Mansoor Malik led AMJ’s team supported by senior Islamic Finance associate Asad Qayyum. AMJ was previously awarded the IFN’s global Sovereign Deal of the Year award for its advisory role on Oman’s OMR250million inaugural sovereign sukuk issuance in 2015.

Posted by: amj_admin on February 4, 2018 - 7:05 am

AMJ won the inaugural ‘Oman Law Firm of the Year 2017’ award at The Oath Middle East Awards ceremony hosted by Niche Publishers at Jumeirah Beach Hotel in November 2017. The Firm also received an honourable mention in the small regional firm category.

Over 300 legal professionals from the region attended the Oath Award. The event debuted in 2015 to celebrate law firms, general counsel and in-house teams who are ‘revolutionising the region with their outstanding contribution’. The judging panel includes prominent regional counsel and the Awards process is independently audited by Grant Thornton.

AMJ’s founder and managing partner, Mansoor Jamal Malik commenting on the Award said, “We are delighted to be the first recipients of The Oath’s Oman Law Firm of the Year Award and to have been shortlisted in the small regional law firm of the year category. Recognition by the top legal counsel and industry leaders in the GCC region is a stellar achievement for an Omani firm. It underscores the partnership’s unwavering commitment to raising standards of legal advice and service to the business community in Oman and beyond.”

The previous month, AMJ had won the ‘Oman Law Firm of the Year’ for the seventh year in a row at the International Financial Law Review (IFLR) 2017 Middle East Awards, as well as the IFLR’s ‘Domestic Deal of the Year’ award for its work on a merger between the International Petroleum Investment Company and Mubadala Development Company.

For more information, contact Bernadette Bhacker-Millard

Posted by: amj_admin on October 23, 2017 - 9:31 am

AMJ won two prestigious legal awards at the International Financial Law Review (IFLR) Middle East Awards at Dubai’s Burj Al Arab on October 18. AMJ won both the ‘Oman Law Firm of the Year’ for the seventh year in a row, and the ‘Domestic Deal of the Year’ award for its work on a merger between the International Petroleum Investment Company and Mubadala Development Company.

The annual IFLR Awards, now in its 12th year, brings together leading global and regional corporate law firms to celebrate the most outstanding legal deals that have taken place in the region in the preceding 12 months. The Awards recognise the best law firms in each jurisdiction based on performance in business law, finance, capital markets and M & A. Winners are selected based on innovation and the complexity of deals completed.

In addition to these two awards, AMJ was shortlisted alongside the GCC’s top, global law firms for advising the Government of Oman on its US$ 2 billion international sukuk issuance, and on the landmark merger between Falcon Insurance/Arabia Insurance merger earlier this year.

AMJ’s founder and managing partner, Mansoor Jamal Malik commenting on the awards said, “We are delighted with our success at the IFLR awards. In an increasingly competitive market for legal services, these independent research-based awards are an important benchmark of performance. They also highlight the resilience of the Omani government and business community in adopting bold and creative approaches to structuring deals in order to deliver key projects despite the tough market conditions of the past few years.”

For more information, contact Bernadette Bhacker-Millard

Posted by: amj_admin on April 2, 2017 - 9:46 am

For the seventh year running, AMJ has retained its top ranking in Chambers Global, a leading international guide to lawyers and law firms around the world. Chambers Global conducts independent research into the legal markets of 190 countries, identifying the leading lawyers and law firms through interviews with thousands of lawyers and their clients. The Firm won the select Band 1 ranking for its corporate law practice, and Band 2 for litigation in Chambers 2017 edition released mid-March.

Additionally, four AMJ partners and special counsel retained the ‘leading lawyer’ ranking they have held for successive years. Chambers singles out managing partner, Mansoor Malik as sole star individual in the jurisdiction for the seventh year in succession. Malik is ranked for both his dispute resolution and corporate practices. Chambers describes him as “widely respected due to his masterful practice in finance, energy and projects matters.” “His practice in Islamic finance also earns great respect in the local market.” Commentators highlight that: “He is extremely knowledgeable in terms of the general legal landscape and he is able to provide holistic views thanks to his general experience and great network.”

Marcus Pery, banking and finance partner, retained his Band 2 ranking with clients commenting: “He’s switched on, knowledgeable, experienced and accessible,” and: “He’s been a key partner to our business.” Two lawyers also improved their individual rankings; Ardeshir Patel, corporate and capital markets partner moved up to Band 2. Clients describe him as ” very knowledgeable, technically solid and very easy to work with. He is truly solution-oriented.” Graham Mouat, special counsel in the commercial department, rose to Band 3.

Earlier this year, AMJ again achieved top-tier ranking for financial and corporate work in the IFLR1000, another leading global directories for financial and corporate law firms. The IFLR named Malik, Patel, Pery and Mouat as leading lawyers for their track record of innovative work on landmark transactions in the preceding twelve months.

For more information, contact Bernadette Bhacker-Millard

Posted by: amj_admin on November 20, 2016 - 9:59 am

AMJ was named ‘Oman Law Firm of the Year’ at the International Financial Law Review (IFLR) 2016 Middle East Awards held at Dubai’s Burj Al Arab on October 19. The event gathered the region’s leading lawyers to celebrate stand-out deals over the previous 12 months. As well as the country award, AMJ was shortlisted with the GCC’s top law firms for work on a number of Oman’s landmark deals including the US$6.4 billion Liwa Plastics project financing and the Oman government’s US$680 million debut sukuk.

The annual IFLR Awards recognise the best law firms in each jurisdiction based on high level performance in business law, finance and the capital markets and mergers and acquisitions. Winners are selected based on innovation and the complexity of deals completed. This is the sixth consecutive year that AMJ has won the title and the ninth time in the 11-year history of the awards

Receiving the award on behalf of the Firm, managing partner, Mansoor Malik said, “We are delighted with this prestigious award from the industry-leading IFLR following an exceptionally challenging year for Oman and the region. Thirty years of experience in Oman has enabled the Firm to play a strategic role as adviser to both government and private sectors over the past 12 months. A bold and creative approach to structuring deals and close collaboration with clients has ensured successful delivery of key projects despite the tough market conditions.”

For more information, contact Bernadette Bhacker-Millard

Posted by: amj_admin on July 22, 2016 - 4:55 pm

AMJ has retained top spot in the Legal 500 2016 global directory rankings for Oman released in mid-April. The firm achieved top-tier ratings in all 6 practice areas under review, viz: banking and finance, corporate and M&A, dispute resolution, projects and energy, shipping and real estate and construction. Mansoor Malik and Marcus Pery are named as ‘elite’ lawyers by the Legal 500 and an additional 14 AMJ lawyers are listed as ‘recommended’.

This follows AMJ’s Band 1 ranking for its Corporate Commercial practice in the prestigious Chambers Global Guide 2016 published in mid-March. This is the sixth consecutive year, that the firm has achieved top rating in Chambers, and similarly the sixth consecutive year that managing partner, Mansoor Malik has garnered the exclusive accolade of ‘star individual’ in Oman’s legal world. Three additional AMJ lawyers were rated as leading lawyers; Marcus Kemal Pery, partner and banking specialist who frequently advises on high-value domestic and cross-border transactions; Ardeshir Patel partner and capital markets/M & A specialist and Graham Mouat real estate and projects lead. AMJ’s Dispute Resolution practice also retained its Band 2 for the sixth consecutive year.

Earlier this year, AMJ again achieved top-tier ranking for financial and corporate work in the the IFLR1000, one of the top global directories for financial and corporate law firms and lawyers. The IFLR named three AMJ lawyers, Mansoor Malik, Ardeshir Patel and Marcus Pery, as leading lawyers for their track record of innovative work.

For more information, contact Bernadette Bhacker-Millard