Bader El-Jeaan

Practice Areas

Bader is the Co-Founder, Managing Partner, and the head of the corporate practice at Meysan.

One of the most respected names in Middle Eastern legal practice, Bader has led some of the most sophisticated, high-value, and cross-border transactions in the region, and is one of the most sought-after lawyers when a company wants to pull off a particularly complex transaction.

Bader has been active in regional M&A for over 20 years, and brings valuable commercial insights to private practice, having formerly been general counsel at the top private equity firm, Carlyle, and as general counsel at leading logistics company, Agility.

Bader has extensive experience advising corporate, investment banking and sovereign clients in complicated cross-border mergers and acquisitions, international joint ventures and strategic alliances, and project development and finance transactions, as well as various capital markets transactions involving registered and unregistered securities offerings, exchange offerings, consent solicitations, and asset securitizations.

Career

Prior to founding Meysan, he practiced for five years in New York and Abu Dhabi with Shearman & Sterling.

Bader has previously served on the Board of Directors of the Kuwait Investment Authority (Kuwait’s sovereign wealth fund), Boursa Kuwait (Kuwait’s stock exchange), Maqasa Kuwait (Kuwait’s Securities Clearing Company), Gulf Bank KSC (Kuwait’s second largest conventional bank), National Real Estate Company (Kuwait’s largest real estate company), Alamar Foods (the regional franchisee of Domino’s Pizza and Wendy’s) and General Lighting Company. He is also a Trustee of the Northfield Mount Hermon School, and was also the founder and inaugural President of the Harvard Club of Kuwait.

Work Highlights

Bader’s notable work highlights include advising Agility Logistics as regular designated counsel, notably on the $4.1 billion sale of its Global Integrated Logistics Business to DSV Panalpina, the $4.5 billion global reorganisation and listing of Agility Global on the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange, and its acquisitions of Geologistics, Transoceanic, and Translink, alongside respective joint ventures across the Middle East and Central Asia. He also advised National Aviation Services on its $924 million acquisition of Menzies Aviation, Zain Group on the $846 million sale of treasury shares to Omantel, and Tristar Transport LLC on acquiring Eships.

Bader represented Abyat Megastore’s shareholders in the sale of a 35% stake to Al Muhaidib Group and advised The Carlyle Group on transactions involving General Lighting Company, Alamar Foods, and Al Nabil Food Products. His dispute resolution work includes securing a $1.7 billion ICC arbitral award for Agility against Korek Telecom. In project development and finance, he advised Mubadala on Qatar's Project Dolphin and worked on landmark deals for ADNOC and the Government of Kazakhstan.

Education

Awards