Over View
International Counsel Bureau
We are a firm
of leading Lawyers and Legal Consultants incorporated in the State of Kuwait.
The International Counsel Bureau (formerly known as ‘International Law Bureau’)
was founded in 1994 by Mr. Abdul Rahman R. Al-Haroun, the former Manager of the
Corporate Legal Department of the Kuwait National Petroleum Company. ICB was
formed to provide clients with specialized international legal services.
ICB offers a full range of professional and integrated legal services including advising on commercial, corporate and company law, international trade in goods and services and various types of contracts and agreements. ICB is especially noted for its specialization in drafting and negotiating international agreements and contracts including commercial and construction contracts such as engineering construction contracts, mechanical and electrical maintenance contracts, joint venture projects, technology transfer plant and capacity expansion projects, design engineering, procurement and construction of turnkey projects. We also extend expert service in the field of multi-source Islamic debt financing of projects in the oil, power and telecommunications sectors operating with export credit facilities and/or with interaction and exposure to financing institutions such as Exim Bank of US, Hermes of Germany and SACE of Italy.
Unique Features and Global Facilities:
ICB boasts being the only Kuwaiti law firm specialized and exclusively devoted to dealing with international legal issues and offering multilingual intercontinental services. The firm operates to its advantage, the specialized services of a unique team of experts capable of handling legal problems on the international trade and commercial scene. ICB’s well-trained and experienced professional litigation lawyers advise on, as well as handle, arbitrations around the globe. To that end, the firm keeps an operational core group specialized in the area of international transactions with global backup facilities. ICB has the requisite expertise in developing high profile skills and techniques in Islamic financing and investment.
In order to serve our clients on a global basis, the firm maintains regular contacts and dealings with major US and UK law firms. We also extend our expert service to advising on international tenders, real estate financing, leasing and rental agreements with back-up facilities from highly successful litigation departments in the State of Kuwait and the U.A.E. in the Middle East, U.S.A, the U.K. and Italy in Europe, and India, China and Pakistan in Asia. Our firm enjoys a special orientation towards perfecting risk management practices for corporate clients with built-in checks and balances system while drafting agreements and contracts using modern documentation techniques combined with advance planning. A cautionary method is incorporated that includes appropriate legal checklists to prevent potential disputes, resultant delays, losses or damages.
ICB exhibits yet another important specialty–that of advising clients on all practical aspects of Kuwaiti Law in its interactions with the laws of the U.S.A., Europe, Asia and the Middle East, as well as its applications in international contracts. In this respect, the firm represents clients in arbitration proceedings in Kuwait and in other international arbitration centers around the globe.
Our services are conducted in a strictly confidential fashion during negotiation and finalization of our clients’ transactions with ministries and government authorities in the State of Kuwait.
Experience:
ICB’s experience and exposure are well demonstrated in the formation of joint venture companies both in Kuwait and abroad covering all types of bilateral and multinational agreements including engineering, construction and maintenance contracts, multi-source debt financing, shipping and international mercantile law. The team leader, Mr. Abdul Rahman R. Al-Haroun, after a decade-long experience of successful management of all the legal affairs of the Kuwait National Petroleum Company during its most crucial years of expansion, modernization and capacity augmentation, is currently representing the Petrochemical Industries Company (a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation) as its Special Counsel in one of its biggest-ever Joint Venture projects with a cost of nearly US$ 2.2 billion: the partnership between Petrochemical Industries Company of Kuwait and Union Carbide Corporation of U.S.A. ICB also advised and participated in the incorporation of the multinational Joint Venture Company, EQUATE, formed by the Petrochemical Industries Company and Boubyan Petrochemical Company in 1995.
Mr. Ghazi Al Qahtani joined the firm in 1998 after spending almost 23 years with the Kuwait Oil Company (“KOC”), 17 years of which as the head of the Legal Affairs Group. After the liberation of Kuwait in 1991, Mr. Al Qahtani was in charge of all the legal work relating to the drafting and negotiation of all the contracts needed for the Fire Fighting Operations and the Rehabilitation and Re-construction of KOC’s facilities, such as Oil Gathering Centers, Booster Stations, Oil Wells and Flow Lines, with a total value in excess of US$2 Billion.