Profile

Sophia is a US-qualified lawyer with extensive experience in cross-border transactions and dealing with sophisticated regulatory issues including competition, capital markets and financial services in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. She also has experience leading the legal due diligence and restructuring aspects of complex transactions and regularly advises clients on a variety of commercial agreements, including franchise, licensing, distribution and trademark agreements.

Prior to joining Hourani & Partners, Sophia was a member of the Government Affairs team at General Electric based in Washington, DC, where she assisted the head of Regulatory Affairs in the areas of compliance, aviation, drone and additive manufacturing regulations. She also worked as a Law Clerk in the United States Senate, where she assisted the Transportation Counsel with researching and drafting legislation concerning surface transportation.

Expertise
  • Capital Markets
  • Regulatory
  • Corporate
  • Commercial
  • Antitrust and Competition
Experience

Sophia’s experience includes advising:

  • Several multi-national companies, including a US manufacturer of orthodontic equipment, an Australian multi-national food company and a French multi-national hazardous waste treatment company, on competition law compliance in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
  • Several large multi-national companies, including a Japanese multi-national electronics corporation, a leading ESG company and a German multi-national supply chain management company, on Saudi merger control laws and their economic concentration filing requests with the General Authority for Competition in Saudi Arabia.
  • An international investment bank on various aspects relating to a SAR 573,750,000 Murabaha facility in connection with the acquisition of a majority stake in Saudi Arabia’s leading digital transformation enabler.
  • Several publicly listed Saudi insurance companies on their mergers.
  • A leading Saudi car rental company on its acquisition of a vehicle leasing company.
  • A leading UAE-based nutrition provider on its websites’ privacy policies.
  • A leading Saudi distributor of globally established brands on the setup of multiple joint ventures with internationally renowned luxury brands.
  • The founder of a UAE homegrown café restaurant on franchise terminations.
Qualifications

Education

  • JD, American University Washington College of Law, USA
  • BA, Foreign Affairs, University of Virginia, USA

Admissions

  • Virginia State Bar, USA
  • Dubai Legal Affairs Departments, UAE
Languages
  • English
  • Spanish
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