Group General Counsel
Confidential
Total years of experience :35 years, 8 Months
Heading the legal department of a private investment company in Abu Dhabi with a range of business activities including transportation, property management, facility management, interior design, real estate management and development. Main responsibilities include drafting and reviewing of all types of commercial contracts, advising management and all subsidiaries on all legal matters and potential legal risks, as well as liaising with external counsel regarding court disputes. Role also involves setting up of joint ventures, company restructuring, mergers and acquisitions.. Responsibilities also include liaising with external counsel on litigation and dispute resolution.
Concluded a number of large scale M&As and JV transactions as well as overseas real estate acquisitions in different jurisdictions. Recently concluded the successful issuance of as well as issuance of multi million dollar Sukuk.
Managed the corporate department consisting of a team of lawyers. My duties involved advising clients on corporate/commercial law as well as banking and finance transactions. Worked closely with the managing partner in the day to day running of the firm as well as business development.
Managed the legal team for the UAE. Provided legal support to senior management, branches and different departments of the bank. Duties involved drafting / reviewing loan and security documentation as well as contracts with suppliers and service providers. Liaising with panel law firms on litigation matters and registration of IP rights.
Established and managed the Banking & Finance department within the firm. Advised local and international banks as well as investment companies on different aspects of banking laws, compliance and financial regulations. Assisted in setting up several companies in the DIFC. Responsibilities included advising on compliance and AML requirements and drafting relevant manuals. Acted as outsourced Compliance Officer and Money Laundering Reporting Officer for an investment company and a takaful company regulated by the DFSA.
Senior Legal Consultant - Legal Department - Risk Management Division
Managing a small group of legal officers, offering legal counseling to a network of three affiliated banks. Assessing legal risks relating to credit facilities and various financial instruments, making sure they comply with bank’s policies and procedures as well as Central Bank’s regulations.
Drafting of syndicated loans, corporate and retail loan agreements in English and Arabic, as well as settlement agreements for the restructuring of bad loans.
In charge of all follow-ups of legal matters with external counsel.
Managed the translation of all the bank’s documents from French to English.
Taught a course in Business Law for 2 semesters.
Credit Administration & Inspection Division
In charge of collecting and restructuring of bad loans.
Managed the scheduling and preparation of packages for credit committee meetings; issuance of credit approvals; monitoring expirations of credit facilities.
In charge of the compliance and safekeeping of all credit related original documentation, and organized a new filing system in this respect
Prepare credit analysis for existing and prospective borrowers and spread financial statements; present credit proposals and memos to credit committees.
Back Office Operations
In charge of handling and monitoring of all incoming and outgoing payment orders both national and international as well as bankers' cheques and money orders.
In charge of all shipping manifests and the collection of freight expenses.