Obeid & Partners

Obeid & Partners

New Developments in the Lebanese Oil & Gas Sector

02-11-2013

On Wednesday 6 February 2013, the Lebanese Council of Ministers approved (with one amendment) a draft decree detailing the pre-qualification requirements ahead of the bidding phase, and also clarifying aspects of the latter process. The draft decree, for example, outlines the legal, financial, technical and QHSE evaluation criteria which interested parties are required to meet, along with conditions for the submission of a pre-qualification application. It is expected that the official version of the decree will include a checklist of criteria and a list of supporting documents to be submitted by the applicants. Significantly, OLF also anticipates that an official announcement regarding the opening and closing dates of the pre-qualification phase will shortly be issued. It is important to note that the draft decree and its contents will not be considered official and binding until published in the Lebanese Official Gazette, which our team expects to take place either this week or the following one. Once this happens, we will circulate a February edition of our Energy Alert detailing the decree’s contents for our subscribers. For more information, or to subscribe to our Energy Alert, please contact us at [email protected] To see previous news posts related to the Oil & Gas sector, visit our News & Events page. 

Recent Work Highlights

Our lawyers at Obeid & Partners have extensive experience in complex cross-border matters. Since the establishment of the firm in 1987, we have represented various clients ranging from government and government entities to nationally and internationally renowned investors, corporations and individuals. Our clients are distinguished in their respective fields of expertise.

Our team holds a track record in handling complex local and international cases, of which relevant work highlights include:

Hospitality

Successfully representing multiple owners of shares in an unprecedented class action before the Lebanese courts, involving a landmark resort in Beirut. The matter involved complex proceedings in addition to requiring significant logistical and coordination skills for the various plaintiffs in the context of the class action. This prompted the firm to develop an in-house protocol […]

Educational Services

Successfully representing a dually licensed private university in relation to a criminal lawsuit as well as an administrative claim.

Aviation

Successfully representing a world leading provider of solutions for the travel industry, in relation to a series of complex disputes pending before the Lebanese courts, involving seizure matters, URL geo-blocking, payment claims, action on the merits, and other proceedings. 

States

Successfully representing foreign states before the Lebanese courts in a series of complex court actions involving both private and public international law issues, relating to advance payment claims, real estate and lease agreements. 

Banking and Finance

Successfully representing a major oil trader, in what is still known as the largest litigation in Lebanon involving a claim in excess of one billion dollars against one of the largest local banks.  This was a first-of-kind matter in the banking sector which challenged the amnesty in the current financial crisis in Lebanon and the […]

Oil and Gas

Successfully representing  a group in relation to a complex cross-border action involving worldwide freezing injunctions and document preservation orders with claim amounts exceeding USD 300 million. Our firm secured a first-of-a-kind decision from the Lebanese courts and advised on complex cross-border matters involving mareva injunctions.