Professionals

Michèle is a French-Lebanese qualified attorney who mainly acts for conventional and Islamic banking and financial institutions. She has extensive expertise in negotiating and drafting conventional facility agreements (bilateral and syndicated) with their related security interests, securitization, structured finance and Islamic finance. The combination of her international experience and business-oriented approach wins praise for her capabilities in tailor-made solutions.

Prior to joining Hourani & Partners, Michèle worked in Paris and Dubai for Herbert Smith Freehills and Allen & Overy, and in Lebanon for a law firm she founded in 2007.

• Conventional Banking and Finance
• Islamic Banking and Finance
• Structured Finance
• Private Equity

Michèle’s experience includes advising:

• First tier banks on loan agreements (bilateral and syndicated) based on the LMA model with their related collaterals
• A multi-national in respect of the restructuring of a securitisation of invoice receivables and contract receivables under French law
• A French company in respect of the securitization of car receivables
• A multi-national on the restructuring of a syndicated loan involving five jurisdictions including Dubai and Malaysia
• A German bank as to its compliance with French regulations when providing banking and investment services in France
• French and English first tier banks on netting provisions under the ISDA agreement
• A UAE financial institution on the trading of securities on the internet in the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and KSA
• A multi-national on the conversion of conventional loans dedicated to the acquisition of real estate properties into Ijara agreements
• A Qatari bank on setting up a Shari’ah compliant structure for the acquisition of real estate properties located in France, the UK, Germany and Belgium and leased to first tier tenants. In this complex structure, a conventional loan was converted into a Shari’ah compliant financing based on Murabaha and the development of a structure involving the creation of vehicles in France and Luxembourg (marchand de biens). Sukuks were issued to re-finance the real estate acquisitions
• A real estate development company on setting up a Shari’ah compliant structure based on a combination of Ijara, Istisna’ and Murabaha, to finance the construction of a shopping mall
• An Islamic bank on the development of a real estate fund dedicated to the acquisition of real estate properties in Turkey
• An Islamic bank on Musawama and Murabaha agreements pertaining to the development of a financing programme in Qatar and KSA, for the purchase of cars
• An Islamic bank on interbank Murabaha agreements (Tawarruq)
• An Islamic bank on the development of Real Estate Investment Funds
• A Moroccan bank in the incorporation of an Islamic bank in Casablanca
• A multi-national on the creation of a new crypto currency
• A UK wealth management entity in the development of a structure involving the creation of entities in DIFC and ADGM

Education

• Doctorate in Law, Paris 2, Panthéon-Assas, France
• Diplôme d’Études Supérieures Spécialisées, droit bancaire et financier, Paris 1, Panthéon-Sorbonne, France
• JD, Saint Joseph University, Lebanon

 Admissions

• Paris Bar (avocat à la Cour), France
• Beirut Bar Association, Lebanon
• Dubai Legal Affairs Department, UAE

• Arabic
• English
• French