Hamid Yunis

Hamid Yunis advises clients on complex areas of transactional law (M&A, Investments, Private Equity, Major Projects and Corporate Finance), with a concentration of clients and contacts in the health care and infrastructure sectors.

Hamid also has extensive experience in the creation of innovative structures for global joint ventures, public-private partnerships (PPP), and related funding arrangements. His experience spans Europe, the U.S., the MENA region, Asia Pacific, China and Africa.

Hamid’s global client base comprises both public and private health care organizations, including major health care systems from the U.S. and Europe. Hamid also has a particular interest in advising sovereign wealth funds on their governance and related downstream investments.

Representative Experience

Advised Varian Medical Systems on a number of transactions in the UK, Europe and Asia. In particular, acted for Varian on the negotiation and financial close of the arrangements relating to the major supply of proton beam therapy equipment and the supply of associated services in the UK (UCLH and The Christie). This was the largest health care transaction in the UK at the time.
Advised C&C Alpha Group on various investor funding rounds and on the proposed sale of London International Hospital.
Advised Johns Hopkins Medical International on forming a joint venture in China.

Corporate/Health Care
- Advised Affidea BV on various matters including its subsidiary, Fortius Clinic, on the acquisition of two major clinics in London.
- Advised IVI RMA Global, the world’s largest assisted reproduction company, in its acquisition of Create Health. Acted for both in relation to certain aspects of the sale of IVI RMA to KKR.
- Advised IV RMA Global on the sale of its GCC business to Gulf Capital.
- Acted for one of the largest private physician-led health care networks in relation to various international acquisitions and developments.
- Acted for UPMC on various global ventures and proposed collaborations.
- Acted for Stoke Mandeville Hospital NHS Trust on a substantial PFI transaction for the DBFO of a hospital and related services.
- Acted for Circle Holdings Plc in relation to an investment from a leading PE house and the establishment of various hospital developments and on an investment structure with Lehmans.
- Acted for Sandbox Industries on various tech investments.
- Acted on various health and hospital development transactions in the USA, Russia, UAE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, India, Singapore, Malaysia, China, India, Pakistan, CEE, Egypt, Australia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Libya and South Africa.

Infrastructure
- Advising on a gas utilization agreement between British Gas and the Trinidad and Tobago Oil Company, transaction value approximately £100 million.
- Advising on the contractual structure, including the use of offshore vehicles, for the installation of an energy plant in the Middle East by a German company.
- Acting for a sovereign client on a politically sensitive transaction for the funding and development of a $12 billion industrial park in Asia.
- Advising on the consortium arrangements between five UK paper fabrication companies and the joint venture with an American company.
- Advised various sovereign wealth funds in the U.S. on the regulatory aspects of investing in media and sports targets in the U.S. and Europe.
- Advised United Utilities Plc on a number of water and wastewater transactions, including Tay Wastewater Project (capital value approximately £100 million); Moray Firth Wastewater Project; and advising on Prague and Mexico City water transactions.
- Acting for Terpel SA in the sale by Terpel of gas station assets in Latin America.
- Acted for Bouygues SA on the Barking Schools transaction.
- Advised South Manchester Healthcare on the successful South Manchester Healthcare consortium which financially closed the South Manchester Wythenshawe PFI Healthcare Scheme.
- Advised EBRD in relation to various debt and equity investments in the CEE.
- Advised (as part of an advisory body) on the export of PPP principles from the UK to Holland, Scandinavia, Spain, Japan and Eastern Europe.
- Acting on behalf of the Hard FM Provider (related to Hereford Hospitals).
- Acted on behalf of a bidding consortium led by Vinci for the Portsmouth highways maintenance PFI contract, proposed value approximately £500 million.
- Acted on the provision of energy services to MCC (related to MECO).
- Acting in relation to the provision of building and vehicle services, deal value approximately £120 million (related to Nottinghamshire Police PFI Project).
- Acting on behalf of the Leasing Group plc (part of the Lattice Group plc) on the £314 million vehicle procurement and maintenance project (related to LFEPA).

Middle East (and Islamic Finance)
- Advised the sponsors of the City of Arabia and Mall of Arabia projects in relation to AED 1.35 billion syndicated Islamic facility.
- Advised a listed entity on its move from a minor exchange to the main market of the London Stock Exchange. The company’s assets total circa $1.5 billion real estate parcels based in high-profile areas of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (including the holy cities of Mecca and Medina) and dealing with extensive due diligence and disclosure exercises based on limited registered information being available, interpretation of Saudi business practices and custom, many involved with family related transfers, and preparing information memoranda in connection with the same.
- Advised in certain distressed/default Islamically compliant transactions.
- Advised Investment Dar (Kuwait) on investments into the UK.
- Advised London International Hospital on a potential UK-issued sukuk under the Finance Act 2009, working with Kuwait- and Bahrain-based investors and sponsors.
- Advised Guidance Financial Group and Shaza Hotels on investments throughout the Middle East region, including Cairo, Tehran, Muscat, Marrakech, Dubai, Saudi Arabia (Mecca and Medina), etc.
- Advised the Government of Dubai (Support Fund) in relation to multicurrency syndicated ijarah facility of $635 million to refinance the Department of Civil Aviation’s $1 billion ijarah facility.
- Advised the Government of Dubai (Dept of Finance) in relation to a bond offering consisting of a $2 billion sukuk and a $4.5 billion conventional offering.
- Advised and was part of the Islamic Financial Services Board (a “best practice” governing body for the global Islamic finances industry), on the creation of best practice corporate governance standards.
- Advising clients on the formation of a CMA-regulated entity relating to the holding of Saudi Arabian assets through participation rights and the use of a private nominated structure.
- Acting for a number of European banks (Lloyds, Deutsche Postbank, HSH, RBS, &UBS and others) on real estate financings using ijarah (lease) structures including elements of sale and leaseback and murabaha (purchase and sale at markup). The transactions involved leading Islamic global property funds/developers.
- Assisting a Dubai-based bank on the development of a Shari’a-compliant investment fund for investment in commercial property in Europe.
- Acting on a series of sukuk issues based around property development and investment, including one of the first corporate issues for Dubai-based developer, Emaar.
- Advising the sponsors of the first fully Shari’a-compliant property development fund, Invicta.
- Acting for Conundrum Capital in relation to the formation of a Shari’a-compliant fund and subsequent investment. The investors included GCC companies from Saudi and Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait sponsors.
- Acting for a multinational bank on the creation of a commodity hedge product.
- Acting for well-known trading company on the private equity subscription for shares based on a musharaka arrangement.

Professional Highlights

Recognized by The Best Lawyers in the United Kingdom, Healthcare Law (2023 – 2025)
The Legal 500 UK, Recommended (2022 – 2025)
Recognized by Chambers UK, Healthcare: Corporate/Commercial (2022 – 2025)

Recognized by The Lawyer, Hot 100 (2023)

Recognized by Who’s Who Legal, Healthcare (2021)

Recognized by Chambers UK, Banking & Finance: Islamic Finance (2021)

Recognized by Chambers Europe, UK: Banking & Finance: Islamic Finance (2020)

Recognized by Chambers Global, UK: Banking & Finance: Islamic Finance (2018)

Education

LL.B. (Hons), The College of Law, Chester, 1986

Admissions

England and Wales

Areas of Focus

Practices

Representative Experience

Professional Highlights

Hamid's Insights

Pillsbury to Add High-Profile Corporate Partner Hamid Yunis as London Expansion Continues