AMJ is a globally-ranked, independent law firm with world class capability established in Oman for over 40 years. We combine a distinctive partner-led, proactive and pragmatic approach with high calibre legal expertise to help clients to address their toughest legal challenges and to achieve their goals. At AMJ, we never lose sight of the fact that our clients are our business and our philosophy of putting clients first guides us in everything we do.
Founded in 1979
50 people in their team
Our corporate and M & A practice is recognised as a market-leader. We assist businesses entering and operating, or seeking to expand or re-structure in the Oman market, to achieve their commercial objectives. Our lawyers combine technical expertise, in-depth knowledge of the laws, language and business practices of Oman with a sound understanding of markets and global trends.
The team advises both principals and their financial advisors on the full spectrum of domestic and cross-border public and private M&A deals, joint ventures and strategic investments. Clients rely on our lawyers to guide them through the licensing and incorporation of inward investment projects including the set-up of branch and representative offices, 100% foreign-owned companies under the US-Oman Free Trade Agreement and in Oman’s free trade zones.
Our team is also experienced in assisting government and government-owned companies to privatise and/or bring in strategic partners to key strategic sectors such transport and logistics and power. This often involves advising on a corporatisation phase prior to an IPO as well as on managing the transition of national employees from the public to private sector.
Our lawyers routinely advise clients on managing compliance with sector-specific regulations, listing rules as well as best practice corporate governance and responsibility issues such as directors’ liabilities, insider trading, money laundering, employee relations, health and safety, environment and trade sanctions. They work closely with their colleagues in the banking and finance and commercial teams to ensure that clients’ legal and commercial interests are protected and their risks mitigated at all times.
Our employment lawyers provide a range of legal services for national, regional and international employers spanning all industry sectors seeking to set up or already managing a workforce in Oman. We provide support on all aspects of Omani labour law and practice as well as immigration, residency and social security rules and regulations assisting clients to managing the respective rights and obligations of employer and employee for the life cycle of the employment relationship. We advise on employment issues relevant to transfer of employees as part of a corporate acquisition or restructuring. Our lawyers keep clients abreast of changing government regulations and directives impacting their operations and employee relations.
In the event that a dispute arises between an employer and employee/s, we provide mediation, pre-litigation advice, and if required, representation before tribunals and all tiers of the Omani courts.
Our services include:-
At AMJ, we recognise that the protecting an organisation’s intellectual property is a strategic priority for business and critical to fostering the innovation which drives growth. Our dedicated intellectual property practice provides a full portfolio of contentious and non-contentious IP-related legal services.
We regularly advise leading national, regional and global brand owners on trademarks, copyright, patents, designs, domain names, trade secrets and anti-competitive practices. Our specialist lawyers work closely with our clients to develop and implement brand protection strategies by registering their IP rights throughout the MENA region. We also advise clients on all aspects of infringement and enforcement of IP rights. We assist in mediating and handling disputes in a range of forums including the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the Omani courts and regulatory authorities.
Our intellectual property team provides support to the firm’s commercial and corporate teams on related matters such as the negotiation and drafting of licensing and franchise agreements, M&A due diligence, brand merchandising and marketing, technology transfer and data protection issues. Our clients value our ability to provide high quality, specialist IP advice on major corporate transactions within a broader commercial context.
The value of many of the world’s most successful companies is increasingly vested in knowledge-based, intangible assets rather than physical assets and traditional sources of competitive advantage such as manufacturing capability or location. In a fast-paced, technology-driven global economy, the valuable knowledge or intellectual property a company has – and its competitors do not – is a source of competitive advantage and is likely to be a key factor in its success.
AMJ’s litigation and arbitration practice is recognised as a market leader in Oman. Our strong reputation stems from the unrivalled depth of our practice and from our 30-year track record of success in handling complex, high-profile claims before the Omani courts as well as domestic and international arbitrations for an impressive roster of national, regional and international clients.
We have more than 20 litigation specialists organised into two teams led by senior partners, Mansoor Jamal Malik and Dr Said Hilall Al Busaidy, a former Supreme Court Judge and Deputy President of Oman’s State Council. Each team includes international lawyers with multi-jurisdictional experience and a cadre of licensed Omani advocates. More than half of our lawyers are licensed to appear before the appeal courts of Oman and 5 of them enjoy further rights of audience before Oman’s Supreme Court.
We assist clients in the following areas:-
Our arbitration practice comprises lawyers with expertise in domestic and international arbitration of complex public and private law disputes. Their experience includes acting as arbitrators and lead counsel before the Omani courts and in international arbitrations under ICSID and UNCITRAL rules before the ICC International Court of Arbitration and the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA).
Our practice is known for adopting a practical and commercially-aware approach to disputes employing a range of alternative dispute resolution methods in order to reach an out- of-court settlements. When legal proceedings cannot be avoided, we guide clients expertly through every stage of prosecuting and defending the claim or arbitration procedures.
We have extensive experience of advising on large scale development projects in Oman including hotels, business parks, leisure projects, retail centres, industrial sites, workers’ accommodation, and office buildings. We also advise on the real estate aspects of energy, resources and infrastructure projects, public private partnerships and private finance initiatives.
Our team advises on all aspects of real estate activity including development, planning, and construction, fund and investment structuring, debt financing and capital raising, acquisitions and divestments, asset management and joint ventures. As well as a long track record in conventional real estate deals, we have specialist expertise in Shariah-compliant and complex hybrid transactions.
Our clients include buyers, sellers, investors, lenders, developers, sponsors, public and private funds, sovereign wealth funds, public agencies. The breadth of experience that comes from advising the full range of market participants, combined with decades of market knowledge, gives us insights on the full range of issues that come into play in real estate transactions. As deals become more complex and structured, we are able to leverage these insights to help clients anticipate and manage the opportunities and risks associated with real estate development and management. Our full service offering allows us to call on teams in all relevant practice areas to provide clients with a full range of support including planning, public procurement, construction, finance, tax, employment, regulatory and litigation.
Our lawyers advise on the full spectrum of issues that arise from corporate distress and formal insolvencies. We have extensive experience advising all types of stakeholders in distressed situations including corporate debtors; commercial creditors; insolvency officers/ trustees; creditors’ committees; principal finance and private equity sponsors; financial institutions; accountants; and financial advisers.
We provide restructuring and finance advice on issues such as directors’ duties, due diligence, contingency planning, debt restructuring and reschedulings, distressed acquisitions/sales, formal insolvency proceedings, out-of-court refinancings, litigation, reorganisations and schemes of arrangements and pensions.
We work closely with specialists in related practice areas including finance, corporate, real estate, employment, pensions, tax, environment, regulatory, capital markets and litigation to provide integrated advice on the full range of contentious and non-contentious issues encountered in insolvencies. Not only do we provide our clients with excellent legal counsel, but also with practical insights and commercial implications of a particular course of action, thanks to our decades of experience in the Oman market.
