I
Core pages
10 pages- HomeThe firm, and the work it is known for.
- AboutWho we are, our values, and how we work.
- PracticeThe three pillars the firm's work is organised under.
- IndustriesThe sectors we regularly advise across.
- JurisdictionsThe markets and legal systems we operate across.
- InsightsCommentary, analysis, and updates from the firm.
- CareersWorking at the firm, and how to apply.
- ContactGet in touch with the firm.
- Privacy PolicyHow the firm handles information collected in connection with this site.
- Terms of UseThe terms on which this website is made available.
II
Practice areas
21 pagesCorporate & Transactions
- Corporate CommercialFormation, governance and day to day advisory for companies operating across the UAE mainland, ADGM and DIFC. We handle incorporation and shareholder arrangements at the outset, then restructuring and complex commercial work as the business grows.
- Cross-Border M&AWe run the diligence, structure the deal and see it through to completion on acquisitions, disposals and secondary transactions involving UAE targets and counterparties elsewhere in the GCC or further afield. That includes deals that complete in stages, turn on an earn-out, or run through a platform.
- Free Zone StructuringEstablishment, licensing, structuring and ongoing governance for entities across ADGM, DIFC, DAFZA, JAFZA, DDA, DMCC, DWTCA and other UAE free zones. We also build the combined mainland and free-zone structures that most operating groups end up needing.
- Banking and FinanceLoan documentation, security structuring and facility advisory for lenders and borrowers across the UAE, bilateral and syndicated, conventional and Islamic, with security packages built for the realities of UAE enforcement.
- Islamic FinanceSharia-compliant structures including murabaha, ijara, mudaraba, wakala, sukuk, foundation-based wealth structures and tokenised asset arrangements. We take each of them from initial design through Sharia-board engagement to documentation and execution.
- Real EstateAcquisition, disposal, development structuring and leasehold advisory for commercial and residential real estate across the UAE. We act on freehold and leasehold, for developers and occupiers, and on tenancy disputes when they arise.
- Intellectual PropertyRegistration, protection, licensing and enforcement of trade marks, patents and copyright for businesses operating across the UAE and the wider GCC and MENA region, with coordination across jurisdictions where a brand needs it.
Disputes
- LitigationRepresentation before the onshore courts in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and before the Federal Supreme Court. We act in commercial, corporate, employment, tax and enforcement disputes at every level, from first instance to cassation.
- ArbitrationArbitration clause strategy, advisory and representation in UAE-seated and offshore proceedings. That runs from drafting the clause in the underlying contract through to enforcing the award before the UAE courts.
- MediationAdvice and representation in mediation, formal and informal, across UAE and international forums. The aim is a settlement the parties will stick to, which usually means dealing with the commercial relationship as well as the claim.
- Dispute ResolutionAdvice on where and how to run a complex commercial dispute. We assess the merits, weigh the procedural options, and say which route we would take: the courts, arbitration or a negotiated settlement.
Regulatory & Compliance
- Corporate ComplianceCompliance, governance and regulatory reporting under the UAE Commercial Companies Law, for onshore and free-zone entities. We handle it across multinational entity portfolios as well as standalone groups, keeping to the annual cycle each registry works to.
- Data Protection (PDPL)Compliance advisory, gap analysis, contract drafting and implementation support under the UAE Personal Data Protection Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021), covering employment data, healthcare data, platform data and cross-border transfers.
- Export ControlWe advise companies subject to UAE, US, EU and UK export controls and sanctions. Licensing, restricted-party screening, ownership and control analysis, and the compliance programme behind it.
- Tax Advisory / FTACorporate-tax compliance, VAT advisory and dealings with the FTA. We also run tax disputes through the UAE courts, from first instance to appeal and cassation.
- Healthcare RegulatoryWe take healthcare operators, diagnostics laboratories, telemedicine providers and life-sciences businesses through UAE licensing and approvals, under DOH, DHA, MOHAP or a free-zone health regime. The compliance advice continues after the licence is granted.
- Employment and PensionWe draft employment contracts and advise under the UAE Labour Law and the separate DIFC and ADGM regimes. We enforce restrictive covenants and run labour claims to Federal Supreme Court cassation.
- Legislative DraftingWe draft and advise on legislation, regulations and policy frameworks for government entities and regulators.
III
Industries
6 pages- Space and AviationThe law governing space in this region is still being written. We have worked on both sides of it.
- Engineering and ConstructionConstruction work in this market is usually run in English, through arbitration. A great deal of it is decided in Arabic, in the onshore courts. We practice in both.
- Oil and GasWe came to energy from inside it. The practice is corporate and transactional, informed by years spent in a national oil company's legal function.
- Technology, Data and Artificial IntelligenceMost technology questions in this market resolve into data questions. We handle the data obligations and the commercial agreements they live in, which are not two jobs.
- Healthcare and Life SciencesOpening a healthcare facility here means satisfying several authorities that do not answer to each other. We handle the licensing, the contracts and the data as one piece of work.
- Family Office and Private WealthFamily wealth in the United Arab Emirates is rarely held under a single legal system. We advise across the mainland, the ADGM and the DIFC, so that a structure is built with all three in contemplation.
IV
Jurisdictions
3 pages- UAE MainlandThe federal civil law system on which the substantial majority of commercial activity in the country rests. Proceedings are conducted in Arabic before the emirate-level courts, with cassation review at the Federal Supreme Court.
- Abu Dhabi Global MarketA financial free zone on Al Maryah Island in which English common law applies of its own force. Legislation is enacted independently; the bench is drawn from the senior English and Commonwealth judiciary; financial services are supervised by the FSRA.
- Dubai International Financial CentreA federally-established financial free zone operating under a body of law modelled on English common law principles. Its courts are independent of the federal judiciary; its financial regulator, the DFSA, maintains recognition arrangements with the principal international counterparts.
V
Insights
8 pages- All InsightsEvery piece the firm has published, newest first.
- Corporate archiveEverything filed under this pillar.
- Regulatory archiveEverything filed under this pillar.
- Disputes archiveEverything filed under this pillar.
- The new Civil Transactions Law: a first read on the pre-contractual duties19 September 2026 · 2 min read · Corporate & Transactions
- Structuring investment funds in ADGM: key considerations for 202518 March 2026 · 6 min read · Regulatory & Compliance
- UAE PDPL: a practical compliance roadmap4 February 2026 · 8 min read · Regulatory & Compliance
- Cross-border M&A in the GCC: due diligence priorities9 January 2026 · 7 min read · Corporate & Transactions
VI