Biography
Co-leader of Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP’s Middle East practice, advises global and regional institutional clients and asset managers on cross-border investment management, capital markets, and structured finance transactions. In particular, advises on the structuring and documentation of private investment funds and alternative investment platforms; global investments by regional institutional investors, including sovereign wealth funds; and conventional and Shari’a-compliant privately placed debt capital markets, structured finance and restructuring matters. Admitted to practice in New York, registered as a Foreign Legal Consultant with the California Bar and Registered Foreign Lawyer with the Law Society of England & Wales.
Provides regulatory and legal advice to global asset managers and foreign direct investors in relation to the marketing of securities (to conventional and Islamic investors) and doing business in the broader Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and in such sectors as healthcare, technology, infrastructure, telecommunications, energy, and education. Advises on policy reform initiatives in the MENA region and other emerging markets.
Fluent in Arabic and English, a frequent speaker at international conferences on topics relating to foreign direct investment, investment management, and structured transactions (including Islamic finance). Taught on transactional Islamic law and international investment law at George Washington University Law School (Washington, DC); Bocconi University (Milan, Italy), and Sorbonne University (Abu Dhabi, UAE). Currently serving on the Advisory Board of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, is the chair of the International Bar Association’s Arab Regional Forum, and is a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO).
Recently invited by the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC), Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Dubai Financial Market (DFM) to join a new focus group that these three entities are forming, with support from the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI). The focus group will be comprised of relevant experts in capital markets and environmental protection and will be responsible for developing “Sustainable Sukuk Standards”.
