Tahan A. (Tom) Thraya is partner-in-charge of Mayer Brown’s Dubai office, head of the firm’s Middle East corporate and commercial team and a member of the Global Corporate & Securities practice. Tom has spent nearly a decade practicing in the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East region and spends a small portion of his time in the firm’s Washington DC office.
Tom focuses his practice on the Middle East and has worked in the region for nearly a decade. He advises both private and public clients in the areas of cross-border and domestic mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, international and domestic joint ventures, private equity and global corporate reorganizations.
He also advises clients on international and domestic commercial agreements, foreign direct investment, employment and compliance related advice and investigations, litigation / arbitration support and general corporate and commercial counseling.
Tom also has an international geographic focus on the Middle East, with particular emphasis on Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Iraq. He is a fluent Arabic speaker and reader.
Tom was ranked by IFLR1000 as a Leading Attorney in the Middle East for 2018 and was ranked by Chambers Global in 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014 for M&A/corporate matters (“his experience and technical knowledge are incredibly impressive” – Chambers Global2017) and was recognized by Legal 500 as “truly an expert in M&A, business-oriented and highly responsive.”
Tom also received special mention by Chambers Global in 2014, 2013 and 2012 for Corporate/M&A in the UAE under the “Highly Regarded” category and as a “key contact partner for M&A work”. Additionally, Tom was recognized by IFLR1000 in 2013, 2012 and 2011 and by Legal 500 for UAE for having “an impressive transactional record in 2011″.
Tom also received special mention in 2012 and 2011 by Chambers Globalrankings for corporate/commercial in Qatar for having “excellent work product and very hands-on”. Finally, Tom was also listed in the 2012 MENA Fund Manager Service Provider Power 50.
Education :
- University of Michigan Law School, JD
- University of Calgary, BA, with honors
Admissions :
- Emirate of Dubai
- Illinois
Activities :
- Muslim Bar Association of Chicago
- American Bar Association
- Arab-American Bar Association
Experience :
- Representing Caesars Entertainment Corporation in a joint venture/hotel management arrangement with Meraas for the development of two luxury hotels (including a Caesars Palace), a conference centre and a breach club at Bluewaters in Dubai (on-going)
- Representing a UAE based client in a significant joint venture in Saudi Arabia for the creation of the largest biofuel plant in the Kingdom (on-going)
- Representing a large US client in a joint venture in connection with the operation of the first nuclear reactor in Abu Dhabi (on-going)
- Representing a Saudi Royal Family member in connection with three significant oil commodity transactions in North America (on-going; valued over $100,000,000)
- Representing DM Prevent in a joint venture with Al Sharq Hospital in Fujairah to establish the only diabetes wound clinic in the Middle East (on-going)
- Representing a UK publicly traded company in a significant joint venture with an African oil & gas company (on-going; value in excess of USD 100 million).
- Representing a leading UAE real estate developer on its sale and lease back transaction with a Bahraini based private equity firm for Dubai-based warehouses (on-going; value in excess of USD 250 million).
- Representing a large US based defense firm on its joint venture with AMMROC in Abu Dhabi (on-going; value in excess of USD 25 million).
- Representing a large UAE based IT systems company in its more than $500 million auction sale process.
- Representing BR Foods in its more than $56 million acquisition of a significant interest in Federal Foods in the UAE.
- Representing a large Malaysia oil & gas quasi-governmental entity as defendant in an agency dispute in the UAE for more than $185 million.
- Representing a large US oil & gas company as defendant in a wrongful death claim in the UAE.
Cost
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