Global law firm Clyde & Co has advised Orbital Education on its joint venture agreement with United Development Co. (UDC) for the founding and operation of United School International, a British-style international school on the Pearl development in Doha (Qatar).
With an opening planned for 2021, the school will be the first to be built on the Pearl and will have capacity to accommodate 2,500 students.
Orbital Education is the owner and operator of a growing group of international British schools across four continents with schools in Hungary, Slovenia, Spain, Russia, China and Ecuador.
Clyde & Co's corporate team supported Orbital Education on all legal aspects of the deal, including drafting and negotiating the key transactional documents, as well as dealing with the intellectual property rights.
Lee Keane, Corporate Partner at Clyde & Co in Doha, comments: "We were delighted to work with Orbital on the expansion of its presence in Qatar, which shows that global education providers are continuing to invest in the Middle East as demand for top class teaching and educational facilities remains robust."
Kevin McNeany, Executive Chairman of Orbital Education, says: "United School International will enhance Orbital's presence in Doha and provide another model or developing quality schools in the region. The school will cater for children from 3 to 18 years of age, addressing the growing demand for education based on the English National curriculum in Qatar."
The Clyde & Co team consisted of Lee Keane and Katy Thomson (Associate, Corporate) with intellectual property support provided by Joycia Young (Partner, Commercial & IP) and Samin Raihan (Associate, Commercial & IP).
Clyde & Co is one of the only law firms in the Middle East with a dedicated education team capable of creating education deals, with particular strength in advising UK independent schools and universities on their arrangements with investors and local partners to establish branded campuses in Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the wider region. The firm's global education practice spans its network of more than 50 offices across 6 continents and provides commercial and pragmatic advice to education sector clients on all aspects of their business, including in relation to investments, structuring, M&A, regulatory and strategic matters.