Kamran Bajwa

Kamran Bajwa handles highly complex international legal matters with a focus on matters relating to the Middle East and emerging markets. He has extensive experience in all areas of corporate law including securities regulations, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, investment funds, corporate finance and Islamic finance. In addition to his international transactional work, Kamran represents U.S. private equity sponsors for investment fund and U.S. domestic acquisition related work.

Prior to rejoining Kirkland in 2011, Kamran spent eight years as a corporate lawyer and business advisor in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Cairo, Egypt. His experience during this time included serving as the Chief Legal Officer for the leading investment bank in the MENA region, where he established the first in-house legal department and led several major new product launches, investment fund formations and corporate acquisitions.

Kamran has been recognized repeatedly for his global legal work. In October 2014, Kamran received the Legal Excellence Award from the IL Diversity Council. In 2012, he was selected to the “Emerging Leaders Program” by the Chicago Council of Global Affairs, a two-year program that recognizes young leaders taking steps to help Chicago compete in the global market. In 2008, Kamran was selected as a finalist for a prestigious global legal award (ILO) in recognition of his work.

In addition to his law firm and in-house experience, Kamran has served as an advisor to major international NGOs in the U.S., Europe, and Middle East and is fluent in several languages.

Education :

• University of Michigan Law School, J.D., 1999
• University of Michigan, B.A., Sociology, 1994

Admissions : 1999, Illinois

Representative Matters:

• Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Advise U.S. private equity buyer on petrochemical asset purchase in Saudi Arabia
  • $1 billion cross-border acquisition of major U.S. home developer
  • Represented U.S. private equity sponsor for acquisition of healthcare technology business
  • Represented U.S. private equity sponsor for structured finance investment in Argentine telecom business
• Corporate and Finance
  • Led regulatory and transactional work for investment bank’s expansion into Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia markets
  • $800 million debt refinancing for U.S. public company
  • $350 million Islamic finance construction lease for Dubai Palm Island project
  • Advised on standardization of employment contracts for investment bank’s 1,000+ employees in order to resolve employment liability issues
• Investment Funds
  • Advise sovereign wealth entity regarding investment management structure and corporate governance policies
  • Structuring and negotiation of JV with major U.S. university for Middle East hedge fund formation
  • Formation of $500 million infrastructure fund in partnership with European and Middle East sovereign wealth funds

Memberships & Affiliations:

• Board Member, Chicago Project on Security and Terrorism, University of Chicago
• Fellow, Emerging Leaders Program, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
• Member, US Naval War College Foundation, Newport, RI