AJA Law Firm successfully closes a $180 Million multi-business family debt restructuring, the biggest in Lebanon’s recent history, involving a large real estate portfolio. The Firm’s scope of work span over 8 years and covered the legal review of all the existing assets of the debtors, negotiations with several banks, creditors and the Central Bank of Lebanon, preparation of all documentation related to the transfer/mortgage/pledge of various real and movable assets as well as drafting/reviewing of the various settlement agreements.
June 2010
AJA Law Firm advises on a pioneering project in the F&B and event planning sector in Lebanon; the launching of the worldwide renowned Dinner In the Sky® concept. The Firm’s input was instrumental in the negotiation and drafting of the agreements as well as in the obtainment of all necessary authorizations.
AJA Law Firm has been successfully chosen as the winner of the Corporate Intl Magazine 2010 Global Award ‘Corporate Governance Advisory Firm of the Year in Lebanon', in recognition of our continuous efforts to encourage the adoption of sound governance principles by recommending and implementing tailored systems of best practices.”
November 2009
AJA Law Firm advises African Telecommunications Group on €75 Million buyout of a company that owns and operates a GSM license in Guinea. The transaction was an equity purchase, partly involving a put option, with a complex payment mechanism and purchaser’s exit structure. Counsels for the sellers were the prominent law firm Gide Loyrette Nouel.
October 2009
AJA Law Firm represents a private bank (and its real estate subsidiary), acting partly on a fiduciary basis, in a multi-million dollar real estate project finance involving the acquisition of a controlling stake in the bearer and registered shares portfolio of a company from a large number of sellers. The Project contemplated is the development of a first-of-its-kind wellness resort in the Middle East region. The transaction involved conducting a legal review of the target company and preparing the private placement as well as the shares’ sale and purchase documentation.
September 2009
AJA Law Firm Annual Retreat 2009 Edition: AJA Law Firm held a successful Annual Retreat and Workshop on September 14-16 2009 at Terre Brune Hotel, Faqra, Kfarzebian under the themes:
Work, Work, Work!
Law Firm Personality: Our Gateway to Growth
June 2009
AJA Law Firm represents the buyer in a $/200,000,000/ acquisition of controlling equity stakes in the capital of five companies that own and operate GSM licenses in Tanzania, Cambodia, Uganda, Burundi and Malawi. AJA conducted a legal due diligence of the target companies as well as a review/assessment of the regulatory framework governing the ownership and operation of GSM licenses in various African countries and advised on the corporate and tax structuring of the acquisition. AJA also assisted the client in the negotiations with the relevant several telecoms regulatory authorities.
May 2009
AJA Law Firm’s real estate team counsels on the legal aspects of a real estate development project covering 650,000 m² of built up area and conducted as a joint venture with a prominent Dubai-based real estate development and promotion company. AJA advised on the regulatory issues under applicable Lebanese laws governing the ownership of real estate rights by non-Lebanese nationals and recommended/implemented the acquisition structure and the business and taxation model of the transaction involving the issuance by a special purpose vehicle of convertible bonds for purposes of securing the economic interest of the foreign investors.
January 2009
AJA Law Firm advises a telecommunications group on the expansion of its operations in various African countries and the group’s $/80,000,000/ consolidation through mezzanine financing including preferred stock and bank facilities. AJA recommended and implemented the structure of the issuance of preferred stock and the private placement thereof and drafted all legal documents related thereto including the term sheet, the memoranda of understating and the subscription agreements.
September 2008
1. AJA Law Firm acts as legal counsel in connection with a real estate acquisition of a surface area of 2,000,000 m² for the development of a first-of-its-kind golf resort in Lebanon, funded partly by a private placement of convertible bonds. AJA’s scope of work in connection with this $/200,000,000/ transaction entailed conducting a real estate/legal review and assessment of the target plots, advising on regulatory issues under applicable Lebanese laws governing the ownership of real estate rights by non-Lebanese nationals, recommending and implementing the acquisition and private placement structure involving the issuance by a special purpose vehicle of convertible bonds to secure the economic interest of the foreign investors, preparing the investment package presented to investors and drafting the convertible loan agreement and the convertible bonds term sheet.
2. AJA Law Firm is retained to opine on the privatization of the telecoms sector in Lebanon in liaison with the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority and the Higher Council for Privatization of the Lebanese Republic. The Firm advised on the tender process for the sale of two GSM licenses to build, own and operate a mobile telecommunications network and provide mobile telecommunications services in Lebanon together with the acquisition of the businesses of the existing mobile network operators.
August 2008
AJA Law Firm counsels an Emirati investment company on a $/450,000,000/ real estate development project consisting of 180,000 m² of built up area divided into 8 plots located in the Beirut Central District (BCD). AJA assisted the Client in liaising and negotiating with SOLIDERE (The Lebanese Company for the Development and Reconstruction of Beirut Central District) in connection with the plots’ sale and purchase agreements.
June 2008
AJA Law Firm represents a Lebanese Bank in connection with a $/60,000,000/ issuance by of preferred shares and the private placement thereof. The Firm prepared and filed all legal documentation required by the Central Bank of Lebanon and the subscription documents to the preferred shares as well as the private placement memorandum.
June 2007
AJA Law Firm acts as legal counsel in respect of the first of its kind conversion of a financial company into an investment bank under Lebanese Law. The Firm’s involvement entailed advising on compliance and corporate governance measures and policies, recommending and implementing the corporate and financial structure of the transaction and drafting all legal documentation required to obtain the license from the Central Bank of Lebanon as well as a thorough practical guide related to the activities of a private bank.
May 2007
AJA Law Firm represented the buyer in a private equity transaction involving the acquisition of an equity stake in a London based financial services firm which core business lines are investment banking, asset management and carbon credit.
October 2006
AJA Law Firm advises on a pioneering project: the launch of a land and satellite television station funded by a private placement of shares through multiple banks acting as placement agents. The holding company issuing the shares now has the first largest shareholding base among private companies in Lebanon. AJA opined on regulatory issues under applicable Lebanese laws governing the licensing and operation of a land and satellite TV station, recommended and implemented the corporate structure of the TV’s network of affiliate companies operating in the media, audio, audiovisual, press, advertising, production and post-production fields, drafted the private placement documentation for the sale and purchase of the bearer and registered shares including the private placement memorandum and assisted the company in the appointment of MIDCLEAR (custodian and clearing center of financial instruments in Lebanon and the Middle East) as custodian of its registered shares portfolio.
