A veteran of the Qatari market, Patton Boggs boast the accolade of being the longest established American firm in the country. The firm has other credentials too, namely leading lawyer Robert Hager who is respected by peers as an experienced practitioner and valued by clients for his depth of knowledge in all matters legal....
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A veteran of the Qatari market, Patton Boggs boast the accolade of being the longest established American firm in the country. The firm has other credentials too, namely leading lawyer Robert Hager who is respected by peers as an experienced practitioner and valued by clients for his depth of knowledge in all matters legal. "Fantastic. He's very up on current affairs in the legal world and he gets the job done." Others value his commitment and state he makes himself permanently available. "His responsiveness is excellent; he is always on the clock," is one client's reference.
Peers observe that the firm has a good relationship with the government. An example of this saw Hager acting for the not-for-profit Qatar Development Bank in creating it's new indirect lending programme to support SME (samll and medium enterprise) development in Qatar, which is the first plan of its kind in the country.
On the corporate side, Hager represented Qatari Diar Real Estate company in the negotiation and establishment of a joint venture with DBI (Deustche Bahn International) to develop Qatar's Integrated Railway Network in November 2010. The network, which will encompass high speed lines, an underground metro and freight lines, will connect Qatar to Bahrain, and is expected to cost in excess of $20 billion.
In the finance sector, Hager led a team advising Barwa Real Estate company on the sale, development and fit-out for the Barwa Financial District project, which comprises nine commercial towers and a hotel, and closed in November 2010.
On the Islamic side an ongoing deal sees the firm advising on a shariah compliant, multi-billion Riyal financing of a prominent real estate development.
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