COMMERCIAL

Our experience in how businesses work enables us to give clients practical and commercially relevant advice. Our experts cover key commercial sectors that start-ups and listed companies navigate through on a daily basis. We draft and negotiate complex commercial agreements, advise on standard terms and conditions, steer clients through the complexities of commercial law.

We function across a diverse range of industries including manufacturing, finance and banking, hospitality, retail and technology and use our intellectual capital to create value for clients. Our lawyers advise clients in the following areas:

Commercial Contracts: We anticipate issues and provide cost effective and insightful commercial solutions. Our lawyers are experienced in negotiating and drafting terms and conditions of business and other contracts, manufacturing agreements, product licensing, distribution and franchise arrangements.

Data Privacy and Information Law: We understand that personal data is a fundamental tool for your organisation and data privacy a fundamental right for all individuals. Our team shares backgrounds in techno-legal issues, digital forensics and cybercrime investigations, thus, providing expert advice on balancing competing interests, making data work for you to drive change.

Intellectual Property Rights and Licensing: We understand the importance of managing and preserving intellectual property, assisting businesses in registering brands and names, creating licenses, managing and drafting intellectual property contracts. We are familiar with underlying business strategies that support a robust patent portfolio and advise on the full range of Intellectual Property rights, specialising in both contentious and non-contentious intellectual property law.

Information Technology Contracts: Our team has considerable experience advising businesses on how to contract effectively with consumers. We provide clients with effective, practical and dynamic solutions to technology-related contracting and legal compliance needs. We advise on all aspects including app development, software licensing, software, hardware, infrastructure and managed services agreements. We also draft website terms and conditions, privacy policies and consultancy arrangements.

Public Private Partnership: Our demonstrated ability to assess key requirements and provide insightful advice on regulatory requirements adds significant value to our partnership consultancies. Our services include procurement and tendering processes, operational support and full project involvement at every stage. We focus on real estate projects, construction and planning issues, as well as infrastructure projects and corporate governance and technology.

CORPORATE

We have extensive experience in corporate law, restructuring, M&A operations, partnering in joint venture arrangements, raising finance in the public or private investment and advising companies on good governance practices. Our specialists understand what you need. Our lawyers advise clients in respect of:

Company Secretarial: You can rely on us for a full range of legal services – from day-to- day company secretarial tasks to answering adhoc queries and monitoring governance and compliance.

Corporate Finance: Our expertise includes advising on a broad range of public company transactions, including IPOs, placings, open offers and other secondary issues, takeovers (including schemes of arrangement), private M&A, joint ventures and restructurings.

Corporate Governance: Our team are experienced in drafting policies and procedures, shareholder agreements and communications, conducting due diligence (if you are looking to diversify) and support all corporate activity such as diversification, mergers & acquisitions, investment and funding.

Group Reorganisations and Restructurings: Specialists in insolvency law, our cross-departmental group help guide clients in financial difficulties or those dealing with a third party who are facing financial problems.

Joint Ventures: Whether your goal is to work with a new partner to expand your business, launch a new product line, acquire a real estate asset or enter new markets, we have a team of experienced corporate lawyers who can provide practical, commercially focused legal advice. We start by finding out about your business and objectives and keep these at the front of our minds throughout the process. We understand the issues and complexities involved in joint ventures and draft bespoke agreements with clear obligations to help you achieve your goals.

Mergers & Acquisitions: Our work covers the full spectrum of M&A needs, including structuring, targeted legal due diligence (with input from our specialist M&A support teams), transactional tax advice, debt finance, and preparation and negotiation of transaction documentation to achieve your ultimate objectives.

Start-ups: at the earliest stage of your business, we will help you with the initial steps and guide you in making the right decisions. Whether it is choosing the right legal structure for your business, formulating a business plan or protecting intellectual property rights, we have the necessary tools to give you the best possible start.

CONSTRUCTION

We provide commercially minded legal advice to a diverse range of clients including private a public developers, landowners, funders and investors, contractors and consultants on all aspects of construction law.

We are experts in preparing bespoke agreements to best suit our clients’ needs as well as all major industry standard forms, including JCT and FIDIC. Our lawyers will assist with building contracts, consultant appointments, development agreements, JV agreements, hotel operator agreements, funding agreements as well as forms of security such as bonds and parent company guarantees, asset protection agreements, collateral warranties and third party rights.

DISPUTE RESOLUTION

No business welcomes conflict, but when disputes do arise, trying – and winning – cases is in our DNA. We try dozens of cases each year before judges and arbitrators, and our successes have been noted as a leading dispute resolution practice. Known for the quality of our service and strength of the relationships we build – the vast majority of our work comes to us on recommendation. Collegiate and connected – we have a focus on nurturing and growing talent inside our business as well as attracting leading expertise from across the legal sector. Our lawyers advise clients in respect of:

Banking Disputes: For claims arising out of all types of financial products, from derivatives and structured finance disputes through to retail banking matters – we have longstanding knowledge and expertise in banking and capital markets litigation, acting for financial institutions, institutional and individual investors, pension funds, corporates and public sector bodies.

Construction Disputes: Whatever the nature of the project or the form of contract, we work with our clients to help avoid disputes when projects or services become problematic. Our lawyers provide strategic and efficient advice, considering a variety of resolution methods such as court proceedings, arbitration and mediation.

Corporate and Commercial Disputes: Our team are experienced in handling commercial disputes of all types, including claims in relation to the sale of goods, the provision of services and IT contracts. On the corporate side, we handle warranty, earn out and other corporate disputes, frequently involving questions of accountancy as well as law. We advise on disputes arising out of the breakdown of companies, joint ventures, and partnerships.

International Arbitration: We have extensive experience arbitrating at major arbitration institutions including ICC, LCIA, DIFC, BCDR-AAA, GCC and in ad hoc proceedings. We adopt an all-encompassing approach, guiding and strategising for our clients from start to finish.

Insurance Disputes: Our experienced team fully understands the sector and handles both large scale and high value claims along with high-volume, low value claims. We work with our clients to decide on the optimum strategy to resolve the dispute, balancing the cost to your business with the desired commercial outcome. We focus on finding an alternative and avoiding time consuming and costly litigations.

Restructuring and Insolvency: We are experienced in all types of insolvency and restructuring situations with specific expertise in dispute resolution, real estate, banking, corporate and employment. We hold the knowledge, resources and experience to support a quick and effective resolution of issues arising from a restructuring or distressed situation. We advise clients on all contentious insolvency issues, acting on behalf of creditors, directors or the insolvency practitioner in all formal insolvency situations, whether liquidation, administration or company voluntary arrangements.

EMPLOYMENT

We help organisations and businesses manage change, head off issues and tackle problems with pragmatic advice and progressive thinking. Our lawyers help businesses build workplaces fit for the future of work and develop effective people strategies and solutions to help your business grow. Our lawyers advise clients in respect of:

Disputes: We are highly experienced in dealing with employment disputes be it breach of contract, unfair and wrongful dismissal, discrimination, or harassment.

Mergers & Acquisitions: We advise on all the employment implications of mergers and acquisitions such as consequences for employees, changes to terms and conditions of employment, secondments, solutions to minimise the risks during redundancy processes and assessment of potential claims that could arise.

FINANCE

Our team advises a wide variety of clients on cutting edge financial transactions. We are experienced in providing sound guidance for cases with a high degree of complexity, including novel structures and cross-border elements. Our lawyers advise clients in respect of:

Development Finance: We act for both borrowers and lenders financing (both conventionally and Islamically). We have a broad understanding of the requirements of diverse market participants, allowing us to provide strategic and cultural advice in structuring, negotiating and documenting the full array of project and financing agreements tailored to each client’s needs.

Islamic Finance: We have been advising investors on the structuring and financing of Shari’ah compliant investments across all asset classes for over a decade. Raees + Co’s clients include issuers and financiers, privately owned and publicly listed corporations, government entities, private equity firms and Islamic finance institutions.

Real Estate Finance: Our experience in real estate finance includes transactions on single and multi-let investments, development, and redevelopment projects and the corporate structured investment vehicles that carry out such projects.

REAL ESTATE

We represent a vast spectrum of clients in the real estate industry including developers, investors, lenders, individual buyers, and business users. We provide our clients support and advice during the acquisition, development, financing, sale and leasing stages of real estate. Our real estate services include:

Negotiating and closing real estate acquisitions and sales, preparing purchase agreements and necessary finance documents as well as escrow instructions.

Representing clients who are seeking financing as well as lending institutions on methods and alternatives in real estate financing.

Assisting in the preparation of mortgage documents, contracts of sale and other financing transactions, such as sale-and-leasebacks.

Representing landlords and tenants in leasing transactions, including retail leases, ground leases, office leases, industrial leases & subleases and drafting relevant agreements.