Baqar Palavandishvili

Baqar Palavandishvili is a Senior Associate at Galadari Advocates & Legal Consultants. With more than fifteen years of legal practice, he advises governments, multinational corporations and financial institutions on corporate and commercial matters, with a focus on upstream oil & gas, energy projects, M&A and cross-border transactions.

His recent work sits at the centre of the UAE’s energy sector. He has advised the government entity in UAE on the negotiation of an Exploration and Production Sharing Agreement and Joint Operating Agreement with a multinational energy supermajor, covering key fiscal, commercial and legal terms under UAE and English law, and supported the establishment of the national oil company. His energy practice further includes the negotiated exit from an offshore concession agreement, a subsea pipeline agreement between state-owned entities, a government entity’s participation in a desalination plant project, and the design of a legislative framework for carbon capture, utilisation and storage.

On the transactional side, Baqar has acted as lead counsel on the sale of a controlling stake in an international tour operator across the UAE, France and several African jurisdictions; coordinated a multi-jurisdictional acquisition for a US private equity buyer spanning the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Tunisia and Bahrain; advised a US-based conglomerate on cross-border joint ventures, including in relation to setting up the Abu Dhabi production facility; guided an ADX-listed space technology company through the reorganisation of its subsidiaries; and represented an international investment group on the acquisition of a CBUAE-regulated insurance brokerage.

Baqar’s experience spans clients from the EU, U.S., CIS and Middle East, across sectors including energy, aviation, hospitality, technology, oil & gas, financial services and pharmaceuticals. Earlier in his career, he led the sale and acquisition of hydro and thermal power plants, advised on major port and infrastructure developments, and structured cross-border joint ventures, alongside guiding multinationals through regulatory clearances, government inspections and dispute resolution. In recognition of his work, Legal 500 named him a Next Generation Lawyer in 2019.

Baqar is dual-qualified as a Solicitor in England & Wales and as an Advocate in Georgia, and is a registered legal consultant with the Dubai Legal Affairs Department. He lectures on Exploration and Production Sharing Agreements under UAE law as part of the Department’s Continuing Legal Professional Development programme and is an active member of the Association of International Energy Negotiators. His academic background is multidisciplinary: he holds three master’s degrees – an MA in International Political Economy from King’s College London, an MBA from the Free University of Tbilisi and an LL.M from Tbilisi State University – and completed the Law and Economics of Mergers and Acquisitions programme at the London School of Economics.

Bars and Courts

• Solicitor, England & Wales
• Legal Consultant, Dubai Legal Affairs Department
• Advocate, Georgian Bar Association

Academic Profile

• The Law and Economics of Mergers and Acquisitions – London School of Economics and Political Science
• MA, International Political Economy – King’s College London
• MBA – Free University of Tbilisi
• LL.M – Tbilisi State University
• LL.B – Caucasus University
• Certificate in English Law (Exchange Programme) – University of Chester

Languages

• English
• Russian
• Georgian

Practice Focus

• Energy
• Upstream Oil & Gas
• Cross-border M&A and Joint Ventures
• Due dilligence
• Commercial Transactions
• Corporate Advisory and Governance

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