Elias Matni

Full Profile

Elias has advised on a number of corporate transactions, working with clients operating in the education, energy, financial services, infrastructure, real estate, retail and consumer, and technology sectors. 

Elias is currently ranked by Chambers Global 2023 for Qatar banking and finance, and corporate/commercial.

Elias is a member of the Beirut Bar Association. He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB) from La Sagesse University, Beirut in 2005. 

Prior to joining Clyde & Co, Elias worked at K&L Gates and Simmons & Simmons in Qatar. 

Elias is fluent in Arabic, English, and French.

Experience

• Advising on the takeover by Barwa Real Estate of Qatar Real Estate Investment Company.
• Advising International Bank of Qatar (IBQ) on their ground-breaking merger with Barwa Bank. This is the first merger in the banking sector in Qatar, creating a combined entity with more than QAR 80 billion (USD 22 billion) in assets.
• Advising Dukhan Bank QPSC on its direct listing on the main market of the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE). Dukhan Bank is the third largest and fastest-growing Islamic bank in Qatar with total assets of more than QAR 100 billion (USD 27.5 billion).
• Advising a number of clients on the restructuring exercise as part of IPO readiness test.
• Advising listed companies on corporate governance issues, board directors structures, board charters, and board committees charters.
• Advising clients on commercial contracts including notably commercial representation agreements, distribution agreements, JV and shareholders agreements.
• Advising several leading local, international, and multinational institutions with the implementation/expansion of their businesses through the incorporation of different forms of JV companies, as well as drafting the constitutional documents in relation thereto, following the incorporation formalities with the various administrations until full incorporation and assisting the companies as of incorporation with their general legal work. 
• Advising several multinational corporations such as Veolia, Mitsubishi Corporation, Systra SA, on setting up their businesses in Qatar.
• Advising several leading international engineering consultancy firms with their registration as international and local engineering consultancy firms in Qatar. 
• Advising major rail operation companies in setting up their business in Qatar for the construction and operation of railway in Doha.
• Advising international companies on the participation in local tenders. 
• Advising clients on financing and refinancing transactions, mainly advising on securities aspects.
• Advising on one of the major IWPP projects in Qatar related to the building of a water and electricity plant, assisted with the structuring and implementation of the transaction.
• Advising one of Qatar’s major hospitality companies on its agreements and JV with leading international hospitality companies.

*Experience gained prior to joining Clyde & Co.