Attorney and Counsellor at Law, New York State, USA

2017       Legal Practice Course, BPP University London, England

2016       LL.B, Bachelor of Laws, the University of Warwick, England

April 2024 – Date: Principal Associate, Anjarwalla Collins & Haidermota

2020 – March 2024: Associate, Anjarwalla Collins & Haidermota, Dubai

2019 – 2020: Trainee Lawyer, Anjarwalla Collins & Haidermota, Dubai

2018 – 2019: Paralegal, Rosenblatt Limited, London

Mehak is noted as a Key Lawyer in Commercial, Corporate & M&A in the UAE by the Legal 500

Corporate M&A

• Acting for Atraco, a large manufacturing group with diversified operations in the UAE, Kenya, Ethiopia and Egypt, in connection with the sale of its garment manufacturing business in the UAE, Ethiopia and Kenya to Gokaldas Exports (Gokaldas), a leading manufacture and exporter based in India, including conducting vendor due diligence, preparing and negotiating the disclosure letter and the share and asset purchase agreements, advising on underlying legal and regulatory issues and assisting with the completion mechanics. The transaction was structured as a part asset – part share sale.
• Acting for PPR Holding, Turkey’s leading fintech company in connection with the acquisition of SadaPay, a neo-bank in Pakistan, including carrying out legal due diligence on the neo-bank’s holding company in the DIFC and undertaking a local law review of the transaction documents.
• Acting for Baobab Payments (Peach Payments), in connection with its proposed staggered acquisition of a holding company incorporated in DMCC, UAE, with primary operations in Senegal and other countries in West Africa, including acting as transaction counsel and coordinating with local counsel in Senegal, conducting legal due diligence on the UAE operations, advising on the transaction structure, and drafting and negotiating the necessary share purchase and option agreements.
• Acting for Basamh Group, a Saudi Arabia-based investment company in connection with an investment in a cloud kitchen start-up based in Saudi Arabia, including advising the client on shareholding arrangements and the relevant rights and obligations of the founders and setting up a holding company in the Abu Dhabi Global Markets.
• Acting for United Carton Industries Company, a large Middle East based corrugated packaging and display merchandise manufacturing company in connection with its acquisition of a UAE based limited liability company from four individual sellers, including conducting legal due diligence, advising on the transaction structure (particularly since the transaction was on a debt free basis and on post-closing adjustments), drafting and negotiating the Share Purchase Agreement, and assisting in closing formalities.
• Acted as UAE counsel to United Carton Industries Company in connection with its IPO and listing on the Saudi Exchange, including undertaking a restricted scope legal due diligence review of its UAE subsidiaries, preparing the UAE sections of the legal due diligence report and reviewing UAE-related disclosures in the prospectus and other listing documents.
• Acting for the founders of a UAE based tech company in connection with their proposed sale of their entire shareholding to a US based private equity fund, including undertaking vendor due diligence on the target, reviewing and negotiating the transaction documents which included share purchase agreement and rollover shares agreement and drafting and negotiating the disclosure letter.
• Acting for a company listed on the London Stock Exchange in connection with the acquisition of 100% shareholding in a UAE company operating in the Technology sector, including undertaking legal due diligence on the target, reviewing and advising on the transaction documents which includes a share purchase agreement and a transition services agreement from a UAE law perspective, assisting with obtaining regulatory approvals and completing the transfer formalities in the UAE.
• Acting for a group of US investors in connection with the acquisition of 100% shareholding in a UAE based company operating in the Technology sector, including providing structuring advice on the transaction, undertaking a full scope legal due diligence on the target, reviewing and advising on the transaction documents and assisting with the satisfaction of the conditions precedent, completion mechanics and transfer formalities in the UAE.
• Acting for a large UK multinational software group in connection with the restructuring and re-organisation of its group companies based in the United Arab Emirates, including advising on the structure of the business transfer transaction and preparing transaction documents which include the business transfer agreement, assignment agreement and deed of novation from a UAE law compliance perspective.
• Acting for the client in connection with their investment in a property development project in the UAE (a wellness concept, mixed use development in an island in the UAE), including undertaking legal due diligence on the project company and the developer, reviewing the transaction documents which included loan agreements, share purchase agreements and shareholders agreement and providing structuring advice relating to the investment.
• Acting for a Bermuda based fund in connection with the sale of its 100% shareholding in its subsidiary based in Mauritius to a UAE based purchaser, including preparing and reviewing the binding term sheet and the share purchase agreement and coordinating with legal counsel in Mauritius to ensure compliance with laws of Mauritius for the purposes of the share transfer formalities and completion mechanics.
• Acting as UAE legal advisor for a government investment fund in connection with a potential equity and debt investment in a Dubai based free zone company, which is part of a diversified plastics manufacturing group based in Botswana, with a presence across Southern Africa, including assisting with a limited scope legal due diligence on corporate and license.
• Acting for a large Saudi Arabia-based investment company in connection with its seed investment in a UAE-based fintech company with operations in UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including reviewing and negotiating the simple agreement for future equity (SAFE), the proposed shareholders’ arrangement and the rights of the investor as a shareholder once the specific class of shares are issued.
• Acting for a UAE-based retail group in connection with the acquisition of a majority stake in a Turkish group engaged in the retail clothing business, including preparing the term sheet, conducting legal due diligence, preparing and negotiating the share purchase agreement and shareholders agreement, and coordinating with local counsel.
• Novelty, a large French multinational and one of Europe’s leading groups of companies providing audio-visual and lighting solutions, in connection with an acquisition of a majority stake in a company established in mainland Dubai, including undertaking legal due diligence, preparing and negotiating the share purchase agreement and other ancillary documents, and effecting the share transfers.
• CPAS Management DWC, a leading document storage and management service provider and the UAE affiliate of Glenbeigh Group, an Irish diversified business group, in connection with the acquisition of its entire shareholding by Iron Mountain, an American enterprise information management services company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, including drafting and negotiating the transaction documents, the share purchase agreement, Shari’ah compliant lease agreements and certain ancillary documents and advising on relevant procedures to be followed for completing the transactions and procuring regulatory approvals for the transactions.
• An investment company established in a free zone in the UAE in connection with its acquisition of a majority equity stake in a group of UAE companies engaged in steel fabrication, including advising on the transaction structure, conducting legal due diligence on the target companies, preparing and negotiating the transaction documents comprised of share subscription agreement, shareholders’ agreement and the share security agreement, supervising the internal restructuring of the group, coordinating the satisfaction of conditions precedent and completion of the transaction.
• A large Omani manufacturing company listed on the Muscat Securities Market in connection with a co-acquisition, with the lead acquirer, a large Mauritius investment company of certain manufacturing companies in the Indian Ocean Islands region, in Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte, Reunion and Seychelles, from a multinational manufacturing company which is exiting the region, including assisting the client with reviewing the Term Sheet and the Share Purchase Agreement to be entered into between the seller and the lead acquirer, undertaking a high-level review of the legal due diligence report prepared in relation to the target companies, and drafting and negotiating the Memorandum of Understanding and the warehousing agreement between our client and the lead acquirer.
• A large Omani manufacturing company listed on the Muscat Securities Market in connection with a proposed joint venture with a company based in Dubai, UAE, including structuring of the joint venture transaction, advising on the appropriate free zone to establish the joint venture entity and assisting with the establishment of the joint venture entity.

Banking & Finance

• Acting a large ESG based Luxembourg fund in connection with a debt financing transaction including structuring a comprehensive security package across multiple jurisdictions, including the UAE, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Madagascar, including conducting a high-level red flag due diligence, drafting the facility agreement governed by English law, reviewing a range of ancillary security documents to ensure compliance with local regulations.
• Acting for a large fund in connection with a significant debt financing transaction involving the issuance of non-convertible debentures (NCDs) and the structuring of a comprehensive security package, including drafting and reviewing security documents, advising on the enforceability of security over oil rigs and trade receivables in the UAE, and issuing legal opinions on the capacity and enforceability of the agreements under UAE laws.
• Acting for LC Venture Investments Fund, a Singapore-based venture capital fund, in connection with the issuance of venture debt to a free zone company based in the UAE, including preparation of facility agreement, moveable assets security agreement together with preparation of the requisite corporate approvals and assistance with the registration of the security on the Emirates Integrated Registry.
• Acting as international counsel for a syndicate of banks in Pakistan in connection with a USD 9.65 million loan to an alternative energy power company in Pakistan, including renegotiating the terms of the loan following the abolition of LIBOR and the implementation of the Term SOFR calculation mechanics.
• Acting for Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe, a subsidiary of Standard Bank, a major South African bank and financial services group, in connection with facilities advanced to a Zimbabwean company guaranteed by a UAE subsidiary (by way of a corporate guarantee), including reviewing the facility agreement and the corporate guarantee together with issuing a capacity and enforceability opinion on the UAE subsidiary to enter into and perform its obligations under the corporate guarantee.
• Acting as the lead counsel for a Cayman Islands Trade Finance Fund in connection with a trade finance loan to a UK company with operations in Bahrain, including drafting of a facility agreement, corporate guarantee together with coordinating and overseeing certain security arrangements in Bahrain with Bahrain counsel.
• Acting for Rybalkin Gortsunyan Dyakin, the lead counsel to a large Russian bank, in connection with a settlement arrangement with a UAE company, the borrower of a term loan advanced by the bank, including reviewing of settlement deed together with ancillary finance documents from a UAE law perspective together with preparing a capacity and enforceability opinion.
• A bank in connection with the advance of a loan facility to a Mauritius based mobile micro-finance company, including advising the client on the security structure to be implemented for securing their liability under the bank guarantee being provided by the bank to service providers in the UAE, reviewing and commenting on the commercial agreements entered into between the UAE service provider and the mobile microfinance company and the loan agreements with the bank and advising on the perfection and enforcement of the UAE law security to be created as security for the proposed transaction.
• Acting for a large Kenyan bank in connection with a term loan to a mining group with operations in Democratic Republic of Congo and a trading company in the UAE, including reviewing of a facility agreement, inter-creditor agreement and security trustee agreement from a UAE law perspective together with preparing certain UAE security agreements that included moveables securities agreement, corporate guarantee, undertaking and capacity and enforceability opinion.