Expertise
Banking, Finance and Insurance
Our lawyers act for international and domestic financial institutions. Through our involvement in the setup of new financial instruments, we are kept abreast with the developments in this field and we continue to work closely with accountants and other financial advisers in relation to such new structures. Our experience includes drafting and advising financial institutions and borrowers in relation to loan structures and security or in enforcement of security documentation.
We advise domestic and international banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions on complex domestic and cross-border regulatory issues. Our core competences include advising clients on capital markets and other financing transactions, in particular syndicated loans, bond issues and convertible bonds, equity capital transactions (primarily for banks and insurance companies), alternative and structured financings, such as covered bonds and securitizations, and financial restructurings. We structure and document customised as well as standardized derivatives, develop and administer programmes for structured products, and we advise clients on the issuance, marketing and listing of derivatives, structured products, investment funds and other financial products. We also prepare and analyse various types of agreements in the financial services area on behalf of both service providers and customers. Our experience in Islamic Finance ranges from financial services to Takaful issues and advising financial institutions in the development Islamic products and practices for numerous banks, Insurance companies and financial organisations.
Our lawyers advise and represent (re)insurance companies in complex domestic and international corporate and insurance law matters. Our core competence includes the comprehensive advice of (re) insurance companies on corporate issues as well as on licence and regulatory requirements. Our competence in conducting proceedings before regulatory authorities and courts regarding every aspect of insurance regulation is equally recognised as is our broad experience in arbitration, litigation and related proceedings in the (re-)insurance sector. We are recognised advisers in the field of (re-) insurance and broker contracts. We advise clients on the structuring, issuance, marketing and distribution of innovative insurance products from a legal, regulatory and tax perspective.
We also advise financial institutions and insurance companies in contentious situations and represent them in courts and arbitration where our litigation experience covers all aspects of banking and customer relationship ranging from routine recovery and foreclosure proceedings to confidentiality and negligence. Our lawyers represent both local and foreign clients in respect of all range of insurance disputes.
Examples of our lawyers’ experience include:
- Advising a major Austrian bank on a large factoring operation in France. Tasks included review of contracts and advising on matters of French and European law.
- Advising a Swiss financial institution on loan agreements and taking of security with clients in the Arab Gulf region.
- Assisting a leading Lebanese bank in a pool financing scheme for a large equipment leasing operation. Tasks included drafting the syndicated loan agreement and the guarantees as well as the financial leasing contract and reviewing the commercial agreements with the international manufacturer.
- Advising a French Investment Bank on a real estate asset backed debt securitization in Lebanon. Tasks Involved the preparation of substantial legal opinions and drafting of agreements and the Offering Memorandum for the operation.
- Advising the official professional body of the Insurance industry of Lebanon for the establishment of a legal framework for bancassurance operations, which included drafting of a comprehensive comparative legal opinion and a proposal for necessary legislative amendments in this respect.
- Providing conceptual and legal recommendations to the Central Bank of Lebanon regarding the creation and regulation of the unpaid cheques central department and drafting the departments’ internal regulations.
- Advising the Ministry of Finance of Lebanon on various projects and subjects concerning financial, Public Finances and Tax law and participated in drafting and/or reviewing the following draft laws:
- Development of life insurance and pension funds products (adopted by the Parliament),
- Financial Markets law,
- Insider trading law (adopted by the Parliament),
- Usury and lending interest rates regulations.
- Representing a major Lebanese insurance company in a wide range of insurance related disputes.
- Representing clients in several banking disputes involving banks professional liability, performance bonds, bank guarantees, insolvency and restructuring, etc..
- Representing a French credit insurance company in the enforcement of a French judgement against assets in Lebanon.
- Acting for a client in a dispute involving bank’s liability for wrongful execution of a bank transfer.
- Representing a Lebanese NGO in proceedings before the UK Legal Services Ombudsman in a dispute against a major UK bank in relation with a wrongful execution of a bank transfer.
- Acting as sole arbitrator in arbitration proceedings between a bank and a client related to credit cards legal issues.
- Representing the Lebanese Deposit Insurance Agency in wide range of court cases in connection with the collapse of a major bank. Cases include prosecuting former directors and executives of the bank and other debtors.
- Acting as president of an ICC tribunal in Dubai in a multi-party dispute involving several banks and insurance companies in relation with a credit insurance policy.