Joanna Maria El-Khoury

Joanna’s experience also includes advising banks, asset managers, and investment funds in structuring and documenting structured complex financial product transactions including securities offerings by collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) and real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMICs). She has also advised US and non-US companies including financial institutions, technology companies, investment funds, and multilateral institutions on matters relating to compliance with US and international sanctions and export controls regulations.

Prior to moving to Dubai, Joanna worked in the Washington, DC and Paris offices of a top-tier US law firm. She speaks English, French, and Arabic.

Note: This list includes engagements completed prior to joining Morgan Lewis.  

Capital Markets

• Advised the underwriters in an SEC-registered offering by Sanofi S.A., a leading global healthcare company, of $2 billion of debt securities.
• Advised Loxam S.A.S., France’s largest equipment rental company, in connection with its €810 offering of high-yield bonds to fund its acquisition of the Lavendon group plc in the equipment rental industry.
• Advised Vallourec S.A., a world leader in premium tubular solutions, in connection with its €400 million offering of high-yield bonds.
• Advised BNP Paribas in multiple issuances of Fixed Rate Resettable Additional Tier 1 Notes for a total aggregate amount of over $3 billion.
• Advised BNP Paribas and Banque Fédérative du Crédit Mutuel in relation to several Rule 144A/Reg.S offerings of debt securities under their US MTN programs.
• Advised Crédit Agricole Assurances S.A. in a Reg. S offering of €1 billion Subordinated Resettable Notes in a transaction managed by a syndicate of 13 banks.
• Advised the New York branch of Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank in establishing its $15 million U.S. commercial paper program.
• Advised ArcelorMittal S.A. in various debt tender offers.
• Advised the Republics of Senegal and Côte d’Ivoirein international bond offerings and concurrent debt tender offers.
• Advised a syndicate of banks led by BNP Paribas and Credit Suisse and including 7 other banks as joint lead managers in connection with the €350 million offering of new shares by CGG, a global provider of a wide range of geoscience services, geophysical equipment and marine, land and airborne data acquisition services.
• Advised Gecina S.A., one of France’s largest real estate companies, in connection with its €1 billion share capital increase with preferential subscription rights for existing shareholders and concurrent private placement of over 2 million preferential subscription rights allocated to it in respect of its treasury shares in an accelerated book-building conducted by a syndicate of three banks as joint bookrunners. The transaction was intended to finance Gecina’s friendly takeover of Eurosic.
• Advised Tikehau Capital, an asset management and investment group, in connection with its €700 million share capital increase with preferential subscription rights for existing shareholders involving an international private placement to institutional investors pursuant to Reg. S.

M&A

• Advised Natixis as presenting bank in a tender offer by an affiliate of Silver Lake Partners and AltaOne for all outstanding shares in CEGID Group not already owned by the offeror and its affiliates pursuant to French mandatory tender offer rules. CEGID is a leading French enterprise management software and cloud services provider.
• Advised Iraq’s South Oil Company, an affiliate of the Iraqi Ministry of Oil, in its acquisition of Occidental Petroleum’s 29.69% interest in the Zubair Oil Field near Basra in Southern Iraq.

Structured Finance

• Represented underwriters and asset managers in more than 12 collateralized loan obligation (CLO) transactions.
• Advised Goldman Sachs as underwriter in monthly offerings of securities issued by Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMICs).

Compliance

• Advised clients in the financial, technology and industrial sectors on US sanctions-related compliance matters.