Bahrain

Norton Rose (Middle East) LLP
48th Floor, West Tower,
Bahrain Financial Harbour
PO Box 20437
Manama
Kingdom of Bahrain

Tel +973 16 500 200
Fax +973 16 500 299

We are committed to the Middle East and have had a continuous presence here for over 30 years. We have been helping our clients to do business in Bahrain for many years and opened our Bahrain office in 1979. We have 17 lawyers based in the office and offer expertise in corporate, banking and Islamic finance, project finance, infrastructure, construction, real estate and dispute resolution. 

We have a long standing connection with the Ministry of Finance and National Economy and with the Central Bank of Bahrain and are privileged to support the Bahraini Government in its economic development programme generally and its privatisation and PPP programmes in particular.

We also have offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and extensive experience working in Saudi Arabia. We advise our client base of regional and international financial institutions and companies in their activities across the GCC and internationally. With over 60 lawyers in our Middle East offices, we are one of the largest and most highly regarded international legal practices in the region. We are committed to building a team of locally qualified lawyers and ensuring that all our lawyers understand, appreciate and can advise on key local law issues.

We advise on projects in:

Financial Institutions 

Acting for the shareholders of Bahrain Financing Company and its associated companies on their sale to Unicorn Investment Bank B.S.C.(c), a Bahrain based Islamic investment bank.  Bahrain Financing Company is one of the oldest financial institutions in the GCC having commenced business in 1917.  It is engaged in the foreign currency remittance and exchange business and operates EzRemit, a remittance technology platform.  The transaction won IFLR Middle East M&A Deal of the Year Award for 2009.

Energy

Advised Constructions Industrielles De La Mediterranee (CNIM), a company registered in France, in relation to the construction and operation (on a BOOT basis) of a waste to energy plant and integrated waste management system in Bahrain. The expected value of the project is US$800 million.

Infrastructure, mining and commodities

Advising the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Works in Bahrain on the Tubli wastewater treatment PPP project together with HSBC and Fichtner. This follows on from the Muharraq wastewater PPP project on which we are also advising.

Transport

Advised on lease novation and refinancing by PK Airfinance of one Airbus A319 aircraft on operating lease to China Eastern Airlines.

Technology and innovation

Advising Mena Telecom on the outsourcing to Motorola of the build and operation of a wireless network across the Kingdom of Bahrain in one of the world’s first full-scale nationwide deployments of WiMAX technology.