Karim is a highly regarded energy and infrastructure lawyer based in London. He advises multinational corporations, equity investors, debt providers, development finance institutions, governments, project developers, utilities and other stakeholders in large-scale international energy projects and in natural resources. Karim provides legal and policy advice for governments and institutions seeking to develop a sustainable energy policy that is cost-effective and suited to the needs of consumers.
Karim’s areas of expertise include: (i) mergers and acquisitions; (ii) development, construction and financing of power plant projects (greenfield and brownfield); (iii) concession agreements, power purchase and sale agreements, grid connection contracts, and power transport, distribution and interconnection agreements (conventional and renewable); (iv) construction contracts (EPC/O&M) for power plants and transmission lines; and (v) agreements between governments and local entities that have a monopoly in electric power generation, transport and distribution. With his financial expertise, Karim is able to advise his clients on the tax aspects of these transactions.
Karim also has extensive experience in mining law, from financing, mobilising capital and the purchase, sale or development of a project to securities over mining claims. He has a comprehensive understanding of operational and strategic matters relevant to the development, construction, operation and financing of both power and mining infrastructure, and is able to ensure the smooth conclusion of matters by engaging in dialogue with relevant stakeholders, including indigenous communities and governments
With over twenty years of experience in French-speaking and English-speaking countries in Africa and gaining considerable expertise during this time, Karim has been involved in creative transactions in almost all of the Sub-Saharan African countries subject to the civil law-based OHADA's set of regulations and belonging to WAEMU. Moreover, Karim has a keen business sense and can effortlessly gauge the expectations of relevant parties in a matter due to his experience at the helm of several project companies in Africa and Europe, as part of a role he held within a leading American private equity fund. As such Karim is able to advise on the structuring of complex business transactions as well as dispute resolution involving private and public entities.
