Latham & Watkins has represented the State of Qatar on a US$3 billion sovereign bond offering – the State’s first since 2000.
Doha corporate counsel Craig Stoehr led the Latham team, which included partners Philipp von Randow (Doha), Nicholas O’Keefe (Dubai), Bill Voge and Dennis Nordstrom (London), Lene Malthasen (London) and Jiyeon Lee-Lim (New York).
Stoehr said: "This is likely to renew interest in what has historically been an underdeveloped bond market in the Middle East."
Skadden represented joint lead managers Goldman Sachs, Barclays Capital and BNP Paribas, and co-lead manager Qatar National Bank. The Skadden team was led by New York senior partner Hal Moore and London partner Danny Tricot.
Denton Wilde Sapte’s Doha office acted as local counsel to both the managers and the issuer. The firm was led by office managing partner Leigh Hall and partner Safwan Moubaydeen. Qatar Investment Authority general counsel Hassan Al-Thawadi was integrally involved in managing the legal aspects of the transaction for the State of Qatar.
In 2008 Latham advised the Qatar Investment Authority on the strategic alliance between the State of Qatar and NYSE Euronext, which involved the latter purchasing a 25% stake in the Doha Securities Market for US$250 million.