Gofran Abaoub
Associate

Gofran is an associate at Eltumi Partners. With previous career experience at major sovereign wealth funds, Gofran brings a well-versed knowledge of cross-jurisdictional issues to her work. Her capabilities are bolstered by her work and training across civil and common law legal systems (in Libya and the UK, respectively), which enables her to unwind the legal intricacies of both Libyan corporate and energy laws, as well as major international transactions.

In her previous role as in-house counsel at both the Libyan Investment Authority and the Libya Africa Investment Portfolio, Gofran applied her keen legal intellect and multi-dimensional approach to complex international matters including advising on UN and EU sanctions law, drafting and negotiating investment management agreements and handling day-to-day legal issues such as employment disputes, compliance monitoring and vendor due diligence. Building on her academic focus on international commercial arbitration in her LLM degree, Gofran acted on a number of ICC arbitrations, including a significant Libyan law governed dispute involving two international upstream majors, as well as a number of high profile English law governed commercial and public law disputes heard before the High Court of England and Wales.

Gofran’s work at the firm has seen her advise on a range of Libyan and international matters, including legal, tax and cross-border issues in the restructuring of a Dutch downstream project vehicle and acting for the buyer in a major M&A transaction that spanned jurisdictions in Africa, Asia and the US. With unfailing persistence and patience, she has tackled highly complex questions of Libyan, international and cross-jurisdictional law and produced comprehensive, clear and acutely thought-through solutions for our clients. These skills support her growing specialisations in, among others, corporate law, energy law and cross-border matters.

Bringing a solution-oriented and practical approach to even the most challenging of matters, Gofran focuses always on our clients’ short and long-term objectives. A clear and concise communicator, her approach to legal drafting and issue spotting means she always seeks to achieve the best outcome for our clients.

Based in our Tripoli office, Gofran is fluent in English and Arabic.

• A major oil company in relation to the drafting of legal agreements for the implementation of its corporate social responsibility commitments in Libya.
• A major foreign investment project in relation to advising on corporate restructuring issues.
• A major European energy company in relation to the negotiation of a drilling contract with an international drilling contractor.
• A major European energy company in relation to the acquisition of a drilling company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, through a Bahraini structure with operations in Libya.
• A major Libyan national oil company in relation to EU anti-dumping rules and the application of international and EU sanctions related to Libya.
• A major Libyan national oil company in relation to the restructuring of a Dutch corporate structure of a major downstream investment project.
• A major multilateral lending agency in relation to regulatory analysis of Libyan laws affecting the structuring of PPP projects in various energy and infrastructure sectors.
• A major Gulf-based energy company in relation to the acquisition of an EPSA IV interest.
• A major US energy company in relation to abandonment of it EPSA IV interests on grounds of force majeure.
• A major international power company in relation to several litigations brought before the Libyan labour courts.
• A major British bank in relation in relation to advice on the assignment of debts under Libyan law.
• Assisting in advising on various corporate, labour and immigration law matters.