INTRODUCTION ISLAMIC finance Foot Anstey is a Top 100 UK law firm with six offices and approaching 500 staff. We provide a range of services and bespoke Islamic finance advice to a number of key players in the UK Islamic finance market and our team of Islamic finance specialists includes private equity, banking, real estate, corporate and financial services lawyers. Our team advise conventional and shariah compliant financial institutions, investment advisory firms and Middle Eastern investors on high-value, complex transactions. Many of our lawyers are described as leaders in their field and we are recognised as easy to do business with. The Islamic finance team at Foot Anstey is efficient, good value for money and a pleasure to work with. Ahli United Bank (UK) PLC We are the only law firm headquartered outside of London to be listed in the Legal 500 for Islamic finance. Six members of our Islamic finance team hold the IFQ and our Director of Islamic finance also holds the CIMA diploma in Islamic finance. In 2015 alone, our team successfully closed over 500m worth of financing and investment deals for shariah compliant banks and Middle Eastern investors. The Shariah compliant structures we have developed, implemented and advised on include: Ijarah Musharakah Murabaha Commodity Murabaha Muwa ama / Tabdeel Mezzanine Commodity Murabaha Sukuk Hybrid Conventional Debt Wakala Foot Anstey s Islamic finance team forms part of a wider offering including expertise in property financing, asset based lending, acquisition financing and private equity. Clients of our expanding banking practice include major clearing banks, venture capitalists, international entrepreneurs and property investors. Many of our transactions contain some cross-border element, usually driven by a need for tax efficiency. We are comfortable working with the main off-shore jurisdictions and have contacts in those locations. Our lawyers also have experience of working with both bilateral and syndicated facilities, UK and off-shore security structures and intercreditor arrangements. Foot Anstey have continued to grow its Islamic finance practice having risen up the rankings in the Legal 500 2015 directory. Praise was also merited from the coveted Islamic Finance News awards where Foot Anstey took second place in the category, for the second year in row. 2 / FOOT ANSTEY 3 / FOOT ANSTEY
expertise expertise We have considerable expertise in acting on behalf of Islamic banks on the financing of UK real estate investment and development projects. We have a dedicated team advising firms across the regulated financial services sector. REAL ESTATE FINANCE We have advised Islamic banks on developing a number of real estate financing products including commodity murabaha, ijarah and diminishing musharakah structures. Acting for an Islamic bank on the acquisition and development financing of prime London residential schemes including dealing with shariah compliant currency hedging and profit rate swaps Advising on potential listed sukuk over UK real estate Acting for banks on senior and mezzanine real estate finance on a range of investment and development transactions using commodity murabaha with finance amounts typically in the region of 5m to 50m. Acting for an Islamic bank on the financing of healthcare facilities and hotels Developing mortgage products using ijarah and diminishing musharakah structures for high value residential properties REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT We have specific expertise in setting up shariah compliant tax efficient investment structures for foreign investment into UK real estate. investors on the 40m investment acquisition of 10 care homes, structured as a shariah compliant sale and leaseback with a leading care home operator investors on the acquisition then sale ( 33m) of the Argos national distribution centre in Stafford investors on the acquisition and Islamic financing of a number of investment properties including an industrial property in Lincoln let to Siemens for 17m and student villages in Bradford and Canterbury each for sums in excess of 40m Foot Anstey has been our preferred legal advisor on a number of large real estate deals. We value Foot Anstey s bespoke advice and view their specialists as an integral part of our team and not simply third party professional advisors. Dimah Capital REGULATORY EXPERTISE The team has developed particular expertise on advising Islamic financial institutions on a range of regulatory issues on wakala deposit documentation. Developing wakala deposit products including advising on the FCA compliance aspects surrounding those deposits Advice on FCA Variation and Cancellation of Permissions Advice on product and customerfacing documents for various regulated products WIDER ISLAMIC FINANCE EXPERTISE Members of our Islamic finance team are experienced in all types of Islamic financial products covering a range of asset types, investment classes and industry sectors. Our specialists have worked on a number of deals for which leading industry journals have awarded the accolade of Deal of the Year. Our specialists also have widespread experience of funds and sukuk (both in Europe and globally) and have advised on the establishment of shariah compliant institutions across the UK, Middle East and Malaysia and have developed Islamic financial products for a number of those institutions. Drafting and negotiating domestic and cross border syndicated and single, stand-by and revolving financing facilities based on the principles of murabaha, musharakah, ijarah and istisna a Advising on several types of funds, including venture capital funds and currency funds in London, from a shariah perspective. This includes the private placement memorandum and other relevant documentation for the establishment of the said funds Advising a syndicate of Islamic banks on the financing of an aircraft which was awarded Best Ijarah Deal of the Year by Islamic Finance News in 2009 Advising a syndicate of banks on the financing of several vessels on a commodity murabaha basis Advising a shariah compliant bank on several project financing transactions relating to developments in the Middle East Advising a shariah compliant bank on several commodity murabaha transactions relating to real estate and working capital financings with customers and security in England, France and Germany Advising on the establishment of a retakaful product We have worked on a number of projects with Foot Anstey and have consistently found them to be easy to work with and genuine experts in their field. QIB UK 4 / FOOT ANSTEY 5 / FOOT ANSTEY
ABOUT Foot Anstey OUR ISLAMIC finance team Fara Mohammad, director Imam Qazi, partner Foot Anstey is among the largest UK law firms based outside of London. We are ranked by national directories in all the main areas of our practice, with over half of our partners named as leaders in their field. We offer full service legal solutions to our regional, national and international client base and have an enviable record of providing quality and a value for money service. Foot Anstey s success has attracted high profile recognition. We have moved into the UK Top 100 law firms; won Legal Week s Regional Law Firm of The Year; South West Business Insider s Property Law Firm of The Year and Legal Business lists us as one of the fastest growing law firms. This year, we have also received recognition for our culture and strategy. We have been listed as One to Watch for the Sunday Times Best 100 Companies to Work For and shortlisted for Best Strategic Leadership at the Managing Partner Forum Awards. Many of our lawyers are members of the Law Society s specialist panels. Imam Qazi is recognised as a leader in his field by Chambers UK legal directory and most recently listed amongst the most innovative and inspirational lawyers in the legal industry by his appearance in the Hot 100 by trade publication The Lawyer. Islamic Finance and head of Islamic Finance E fara.mohammad@footanstey.com T +44 (0)117 915 4987 M +44 (0)7817 121529 E imam.qazi@footanstey.com T +44 (0)117 915 4913 M +44 (0)7896 757875 Will Whitt, partner Matthew Stoate, partner Banking Corporate E matthew.stoate@footanstey.com T +44 (0)1392 685398 M +44 (0)7816 275565 E will.whitt@footanstey.com T +44 (0) 117 915 4917 M +44 (0)7896 747774 Deborah Carrivick, partner Alan Hughes, partner International Tax Financial Services E deborah.carrivick@footanstey.com T +44 (0)117 915 4986 M +44 (0)7854 447921 E alan.hughes@footanstey.com T +44 (0)1392 685266 M +44 (0)7989 968499 Zahir Nayani, senior associate Gordon McDougall, associate OUR clients We provide a range of services and bespoke Islamic finance advice to a number of key players including: Banking E zahir.nayani@footanstey.com T +44 (0)117 915 4946 M +44 (0)7896 699969 E gordon.mcdougall@footanstey.com T +44 (0)117 915 4976 M +44 (0)7815 945034 Ben Neville, solicitor Lingxi Wang, solicitor E ben.neville@footanstey.com T +44 (0)117 915 4942 Kate Amos, trainee solicitor E kate.amos@footanstey.com T +44 (0)117 915 4645 E lingxi.wang@footanstey.com T +44 (0)117 915 4956 Excellent legal knowledge, and concise, commercial advice...[with] notable experience in Islamic finance. Legal 500 6 / FOOT ANSTEY 7 / FOOT ANSTEY
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