FIRE Middle East 2024

Bushra Ahmed is a highly accomplished and experienced barrister with over 20 years of experience in commercial litigation and international arbitration. She is currently a Partner at KBH, a law firm with offices in the DIFC (Dubai), Bahrain and Kuwait, where she is the Head of Dispute Resolution since 2014, specialising in a wide range of complex commercial, corporate, employment, financial services, and regulatory matters in the United Kingdom and the Middle East. Bushra was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2001 and has since established herself as a reputable and skilled advocate and litigator in the legal community.

Bushra has also been appointed as a presider and co-arbitrator under various arbitration rules and forums, including the ICC, LCIA, DIFC-LCIA, and DIAC, and has handled a wide range of international commercial and construction disputes. She is also a CEDR accredited mediator since 2005.

James is a partner specialising in dispute resolution in the Middle East, with a focus on commercial litigation, insolvency, international arbitration, ADR, regulatory matters, and internal and external investigations, often involving cross-border elements. He boasts 27 years of experience in cross-border dispute resolution and arbitration, with involvement in cases under ICC, UNCITRAL, DIAC, LCIA, ICSID, SIAC, and ADCCAC in locations such as London, Paris, Greece, and the GCC, encompassing infrastructure and financial services disputes.

Licensed as an advocate to handle court proceedings before the DIFC Court, he sits as an arbitrator and is recognised as a leading individual in dispute resolution and corporate investigations in Chambers Global and the Legal 500.

Christian P. Alberti is the Chief of ADR and General Counsel of the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA) and based in Riyadh and Dubai. Prior to joining the SCCA in 2019, he was the Assistant Vice President of the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (AAA-ICDR). He taught as Adjunct Professor at New York University School of Law (NYU) on International Arbitration and International Sales Law between 2017 and 2019. He is a Member of the Global Advisory Board of the New York International Arbitration Center (NYIAC), a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators as well as a member of various international ADR associations. He is certified to practice law in Germany and New York State.

Dr. Habib is one of the UAE’s most highly respected legal authorities. He has over 40 years’ experience in UAE laws. He is a frequent commentator on the legislation and economy of the UAE and is often consulted to draft and advise on Federal and Emirate level laws.

Dr. Habib focuses his practice on litigation and arbitration. He was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC). He is also a member of the Board of the Dubai International Chamber.

He was the architect of the legal framework establishing the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the first financial free zone in the UAE. Dr. Habib was the first Chairman of the Board of the Dubai Financial Services Authority, which is the regulator of the DIFC and also served as Chairman of its Legislative Committee.

Dr. Habib has held numerous government positions over the years, including being a member of the UAE Federal National Council, the federal parliament of the UAE, member of the Legislative Committee, in charge of reviewing federal legislation, member of the Economic Committee, Director and board member of the Supreme Institute of Advanced Legal and Judicial Studies, in charge of training judges and prosecutors in the Emirate of Dubai and Chairman of the UAE Jurists Association.

He has published many books and articles on the UAE law and economy, including a two parts book on his life’s work titled “Life’s Harvest”, a definitive selection of his writings on the laws, politics, and economy of the UAE over the last 26 years. He is also a regular commentator in the media and a prominent speaker at many events and conferences within the UAE and internationally.

In recognition of his achievements Chambers awarded him the status of UAE Lifetime Achievement award at Chambers Middle East Awards in 2022

And has been given the title of Senior Statesperson for UAE: Dispute Resolution by Chambers & Partners in 2022

Dr. Habib holds an LL.B. in Shari’a and Law from the UAE University, a Master of Law from Harvard Law School, and a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge. He is fluent in Arabic and English.

Hana Al Khatib is a highly accomplished Partner with a strong legal background. She became a member of the Jordanian Bar Association in 2012. Hana’s expertise also extends to Legal Project Management, earning her certification through the IILPM in Australia in 2022. Throughout her career, she has excelled in litigation, arbitration, and general advisory services, skillfully guiding clients through various civil and commercial litigation matters and has acted on several high-profile, high-value cases in the UAE.

Hana is highly experienced in employment related matters, and helps clients from various sectors with their day to day issues arising in the workplace, including onboarding processes, Emiratization rules, applicability and interpretation of employment laws and regulations, termination procedures, non-compete and non-disclosure agreements, pensions, end of service, and arbitrary dismissals, in addition to supporting HR and legal departments in developing policies and handbooks in line with the applicable laws.

Hana has extensive experience in bankruptcy and insolvency, working on high level complex cases in the Middle East.

Hana is also the MENA Regional Coordinator at the International Association for Young Lawyers (AIJA) and delivered several trainings and seminars in UAE and outside UAE on Labor laws, MeToo movement, unlawful competition by employees, UAE Labor law amendments in 2022, and discrimination in the workplace.

Ahmad is a Saudi qualified lawyer, certified arbitrator, and a former judge in Riyadh's General Court.

He holds a B.A in Shari'ah law, Master in Comparative Jurisprudence, LLM in Advance Legal Studies and a PhD in the area of Islamic Finance and Financial Regulation from University of Warwick. He has extensive experience in litigation, arbitration, family business, capital market, Islamic finance, construction and real state law. He has various publications, most important of which is his recent book titled "Creative Compliance in the Islamic finance industry, and "Disputes between Stockbrokers and Investors in The Saudi Capital Market".

Walid is a Partner in the Dispute Resolution department in Dubai. He specialises in complex Commercial and Corporate arbitration and litigation, often with cross-border elements.

Walid joined Hadef & Partners in 2005. During that time, he has developed specialist knowledge of managing large scale, multi-jurisdictional disputes and has acted on a number of high-profile banking and real estate matters. Walid advises a diverse group of clients; including publicly traded and multi-national companies, as well as high net worth individuals on various contentious matters.

Walid also specialises in local and international asset tracings and recovery, advises on financial crimes as well as on anti-corruption and anti-bribery issues. He further advises on extradition and mutual legal assistance as well as on sanctions and anti-money laundering matters.

Walid has a Juris Doctorate and is admitted to the Massachusetts State Bar. Prior to joining Hadef & Partners, he practiced in the US, in both Chicago and Boston. He routinely lectures, and sits on various panels that deal with a variety of issues relating to regional legal trends and developments. Walid is fluent in English, Arabic and French.

Amr is a founding partner at NHB Legal. Having navigated both common law and civil law systems due to his education in the United Kingdom, he was admitted as an attorney in New York and has amassed 17 years of practice in the UAE. Amr was deeply involved in litigation and arbitration across diverse sectors, encompassing real estate development, banking, construction, and family offices. He has led high-stakes disputes involving shareholders, intricate jurisdictional matters, cross-border whitecollar investigations, and asset recovery. He is a trusted advisor to numerous international law firms, both in Dubai and abroad. He frequently serves as a UAE law expert in arbitration and court proceedings spanning Dubai, the United Kingdom, Canada, and France.

Fatima Balfaqeeh is a UAE-certified lawyer specializing in arbitration, mediation, and business consulting. Her critical thinking skills and ability to provide innovative solutions are matched by her commitment to building strong and trustworthy relationships with clients on a personal level.

Fatima is an Adjunct Lecturer in Law in Middlesex University Dubai and has over 20 years of experience working in government and semi-government entities in Abu Dhabi, where she led contract and procurement functions with a focus on dispute avoidance and corporate governance. She has extensive experience in commercial, legal, and operational matters across various sectors, including construction, finance, and banking.

After pursuing a law degree, Fatima became a certified independent arbitrator and commercial mediator. She is a Chartered Arbitrator of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), a member and Chartered Facilities Management Surveyor of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply Chain (CIPS). Fatima is a highly respected advisor in the ADR, legal, and governance fields and holds many posts with national and international organizations.

In 2018, Fatima founded her consultancy, which later evolved into a law firm. Her goal was to establish a trusted practice known for transparency, reliability, and honest advice. As an advocate for Green Arbitration, she is a signatory to the UN Global Compact and promotes sustainability across all areas of her business. Today, as one of the few independent female arbitrators and mediators in the UAE, Fatima is a role model for young women seeking to enter this field.

Charlotte is head of the dubai office and the Middle East Dispute Resolution team.

Charlotte specialises in complex international arbitration and commercial litigation across all of our sector areas including aviation, energy, infrastructure and maritime. She has full rights of audience before both the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) courts and the higher courts of England and Wales.

As part of her practice, Charlotte also regularly assists clients in relation to mediation, expert determinations and managing dispute risk and avoidance. She also has extensive expertise in data protection laws and regulations.

Charlotte regularly sits as an arbitrator (sole, co-arbitrator and Chair) in ad hoc, ICC, LCIA and DIFC-LCIA arbitrations.

She is recognised as a leading dispute resolution and international arbitration lawyer in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by legal directories Legal 500 EMEA and Chambers Global. In 2022, Legal 500 said that she is “a star of the commercial disputes scene in Dubai and the UAE” and Chambers Global described her as an “outstanding lawyer”.

Antonia Birt acts as counsel and advocate in commercial and construction arbitrations for state, national and multi-national clients, with a focus on commercial, distribution, corporate, energy, oil and gas, infrastructure, and engineering disputes. She advises on the full cycle of complex, high-value disputes, from settlement negotiations, mediations, and other alternative dispute resolution methods, to formal dispute resolution proceedings and enforcement. Antonia has represented clients under the major arbitral rules, including the ICC, LCIA, DIFC-LCIA, DIAC, ADCCAC, ICDR and UNCITRAL Rules.

Antonia also acts as arbitrator, having previously sat as sole, presiding or co-arbitrator in ICC, LCIA, DIFC-LCIA and DIAC arbitrations.

Since 2019, Antonia teaches the International Arbitration Practicum to LLM students at the Pantheon Assas University Paris II, UAE. Antonia is a member of the IBA Commercial Arbitration Case Law Sub-Committee responsible for the UAE, having previously co-authored the original and updated editions of the IBA Guide on Arbitration, UAE law chapter. She also acts as co-chair for the Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge MENA committee.

Antonia completed an LLM at the University of Cambridge, and is admitted as a Solicitor of England and Wales, Part I and II practitioner of the DIFC Courts, and a foreign practitioner in Dubai, having been based in Dubai for 14 years.

Seema is a Commercial Dispute Resolution Partner in Pinsent Masons’ Dubai office, and moved from London to Dubai in 2014. 

Seema was awarded ‘Next Generation Partner of the Year’ at the Legal 500 MENA Awards earlier this year and ‘Private Practice Lawyer of the Year’ at the LexisNexis Women in Law Awards 2023. Seema has extensive experience of advising clients on complex, multi-jurisdictional commercial litigation and international arbitration proceedings in various sectors, including technology, real estate, energy, hospitality and financial services. In addition, she advises clients on cross-border investigations arising from bribery and corruption, fraud and compliance issues.

Seema is ranked as “Next Generation Partner” for Dispute Resolution by The Legal 500 and is individually ranked in Chambers & Partners’ Global Guide.  These directories describe Seema as “very intelligent”, “meticulous on detail”, “certainly one to watch for the future, and is heading straight to the top”, “an outstanding practitioner. She is thoughtful, considered and outcome-focused. She is a pleasure to deal with” and “fantastic with clients; she is really hard-working and has brilliant expertise in the DIFC”. Seema is recognised by Who’s Who Legal as an “Arbitration Future Leader”.

She is admitted as a Solicitor of England and Wales. She is an elected member of the DIFC Courts’ Users’ Committee and sits on the MENA Sub-Committee of the Campaign for Greener Arbitrations. She is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and ArbitralWomen.  Seema regularly speaks at conferences in the region as well as being a guest speaker at Cornell Law School in New York.

Aakash is a Principal for Dispute Support, with responsibility to lead, manage and develop our practice across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Based in London, Aakash has more than 15 years of experience leading investigative mandates focussed on fraud, white collar crime and arbitral award enforcement. He also has extensive experience in managing international asset recovery assignments including sovereign asset traces, litigation support on complex multinational disputes and internal fraud investigations. 

Aakash has been recognised in the Who’s Who Legal’s Asset Recovery Guide for 2024. The listing recognises the foremost asset recovery lawyers and experts from both onshore and offshore jurisdictions.

Aakash is also the host of Control Risks’ Podcast series, Dispute Diaries which explores the world of disputes and investigations.

Richard Clarke is an English barrister focused on resolving international commercial disputes, typically involving cross-border claims, civil fraud and insolvency. He advises multinational corporations, investors and individuals on the monetization and defence of claims, financial instruments, judgments and arbitral awards. Mr. Clarke often assists clients facing atypical events with the potential to impact the future course their business, including in M&A, joint venture and shareholder disputes.

Mr. Clarke has acted in complex litigation in the High Court and Court of Appeal in London, DIFC Courts, ADGM Courts and Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). His arbitration portfolio includes awards rendered in accordance with major institutions and rules, including ICC, LCIA, DIAC, ICSID, HKIAC, UNCITRAL and LMAA.

He has been based in the Middle East for over eight years, and has been recognized by Chambers & Partners as "a star of the future," and the Legal 500 as having “made a major impact in the region.”

Martin Cubasch has over 10 years’ experience in legal practice, covering Banking and Finance, Derivatives, Asset Management, Financial Services and Digital Assets. After a law degree in London and several years there in private practice and in-house, he moved to Dubai in May 2022 to join Binance and immerse himself in the world of Digital Assets. 

Initially in a global, product-focussed role at Binance, he gained in-depth experience of the legal issues affecting the full product suite of Digital Asset exchanges, including Spot, Margin, Derivatives and Custody. Since April 2023, Martin has been Head of Legal MENA for Binance, overseeing all legal matters across the Middle East and Africa, including in particular the successful application for a VASP licence from VARA in Dubai.

Rebecca is a partner based in the Dubai office. She is the Head of both the Litigation and Dispute Management team and the Corporate Crime and Investigations/Financial Services Disputes and Investigations team in the Middle East. She is described by Legal 500 as "exceptionally astute", "reassuringly commercial" and a "noted name".

She is experienced in both common and local civil law systems, managing high profile and high value claims in the English, UAE, Bahraini and Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) courts. She was recently appointed to the DIFC Court Rules Committee, responsible for drafting the DIFC’s common law procedural rules and protocols. She supports clients on the entire cycle of litigation work including advisory work, injunctive relief, asset tracing and enforcement action. She has also managed numerous complex jurisdictional challenges both in the UAE and across the globe. She is commended by Chambers & Partners for her work on “financial disputes” being described as a lawyer who “focuses on understanding the business and devises tailored strategies to maximise prospects of recovery and minimise costs."

Max specialises in complex disputes involving claims of civil fraud and asset recovery for high net worth individuals, entrepreneurs, liquidators and corporates. His practice has a particular focus on digital assets.

He was part of the team that acted for the Claimants, at first instance and on appeal, in what the Chief Justice of the DIFC Court described as “one of the first cryptocurrency litigation disputes in the region and one of the few reported cases anywhere in the world which addresses issues such as safe transfer of cryptocurrency between buyer and seller and the obligations owed by a custodian of cryptocurrency”. That case focuses on the misappropriation of 300 Bitcoin and the client’s attempts to recover them. The case also considers interesting questions as to the legal status of different digital assets and the rights that attach to them, the rights and obligations of intermediaries, and the practical differences between the way the modern court system (and the professionals who operate within it) deals with these types of fraud claims. The Court of Appeal heard the case in January this year over three days and judgment is expected later this year.

Max is a founder member of the Middle East chapter of the Crypto Fraud and Asset Recovery (CFAAR) network and co-author of the UAE chapter of the Law Review’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Review. He regularly speaks and writes on all aspects of digital asset law and regulation across the Middle East

Ammar is the Managing Partner of the award-winning and Legal 500 and Chambers recognised firm Khodeir and Partners (“KP”). He joined KP’s senior partnership as part of the firm’s strategy to grow and strengthen the brand in the Middle East. The Founder Partner of KP and the former CEO of GAFI 
(https://www.gafi.gov.eg/English/Pages/default.aspx) said: “… We are very pleased that this expansion is led by Ammar who has vast UAE experience and well known regionally and internationally for his outstanding legal capabilities.”
Ammar brings 16 years of outstanding legal experience in the Middle East. Before joining KP’s senior partnership, Ammar worked at Stephenson Harwood (“SH”), and have advised and acted for multinational corporate clients and high-net-worth clients across contentious and non-contentious matters including clients in management consultancy, oil and gas, insurance, health and pharmaceutical, real estate development, government bodies, industrial, hospitality, media, entertainments, banks, payment solutions and finance.
Before joining SH, Ammar worked over nine years with Hadef & Partners (“Hadef”). Hadef is a tier one litigation firm recognised by both Legal 500 and Chambers Global.
Ammar is an approved legal trainer for the Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department, delivering training to other law practitioners in both English and Arabic. Ammar provided legal training on topics including damages in focus, civil procedural law, enforcement of arbitral awards, legal project management, and empathy. Ammar’s sessions have been received very well by peers in the UAE. Examples of the feedback received include: "Honestly - the best session I have had in 3 years!" "Engaging and informative. Well versed in relevant experience. Well done!" "Thanks a lot for such an informative course.".

James is Managing Partner of Dubai and Head of Dispute Resolution in the Middle East. He joined DWF in 2017 from a Band 1 listed firms Abu Dhabi office where he was Head of Dispute Resolution.

Jennifer is the head of the dispute resolution team in the Cayman Islands office. She is recognised in all the leading directories and has been practising in the Cayman Islands since 2009 (and in the BVI since 2008) and has substantial experience of all contentious issues coming before the Cayman Islands courts. Her practice spans all aspects of complex commercial litigation, fraud and asset tracing including crypto disputes, contentious insolvency and restructuring, and contentious private client work

Marijn Flinterman is responsible for the recovery and work-out of non-performing loans (NPLs) in connection with the EMEA focused Distressed Asset Recovery Program (DARP). In addition, Marijn works with insolvency practitioners, liquidators and creditors to help them unlock value captured in insolvent companies, by funding the pursuit of claims globally, by funding the estate and/or by purchasing complex claims.

Marijn has extensive expertise in the recovery of complex NPLs across the globe, including in bankruptcy scenarios, court-sanctioned restructurings, wind-downs and fraud cases. He holds a combined experience of more than 15 years as international debt and recovery specialist, both as lawyer (private practice and in-house) and as banker.

Marijn is an officer of the International Bar Association’s Asset Recovery Committee. He regularly speaks on recovery, funding and purchase of complex, cross-border claims, as well as on the application of litigation funding in insolvency scenarios.

Marijn holds an MBA degree from INSEAD France & Singapore (Dean’s List) and a Master’s degree in civil law from Erasmus University Rotterdam. He is fluent in Dutch and English and he understands German, Spanish, as well as basic French.

Majed Mohammed Garoub is a distinguished legal expert with extensive experience in sports law. He has served as a former member of the Legal Committee for the International Federation for Football Association (FIFA) and has been actively involved in various prestigious legal and sports organizations, including the International Association of Sports Law (IASL), the International Association of Lawyers (UIA), and the International Athlete Rights Association (IARA). He is also a former member of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee (SOAC) and the Paralympic Committee of Saudi Arabia (PCSA).

Garoub has held prominent positions as a legal consultant for the Football Association and the Professional League and has chaired the Legal Committee of the Football Association and the Saudi Automobile Association. With a remarkable career, he has participated in handling over 400 cases at both local and international levels before FIFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). His contributions have been instrumental in the adoption of the first constitutional system for the football federation and sports judiciary.

Patrick is Head of Charles Russell Speechlys LLP's Middle East practice (conducted from offices in Bahrain, Dubai and Qatar). Patrick is also Chair of the Global Markets Group, which co-ordinates the firm's international activities.

He specialises in all areas of dispute resolution with particular emphasis on banking, intellectual property, insolvency, professional negligence and company disputes.

Patrick has conducted litigation and arbitration in Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Italy, France, Ukraine, the USA and in all the GCC states as well as in all the courts within the English jurisdiction.

Patrick leads the award-winning Middle East Disputes team which won the ‘Bahrain Dispute Resolution Law Firm of The Year’ award at the Chambers Middle East Awards 2019. He is also a leading partner in the firm's International Arbitration Group which won the ‘International Arbitration Team of the Year’ award at the Legal Business Awards 2018.

Additionally, Patrick leads the Firm’s successful Bahrain office which won the ‘Bahrain Law Firm of The Year’ award at The Oath Legal Awards in 2018, 2019 and 2022 as well as the Firm’s UAE office which won the ‘UAE Law Firm of The Year’ award at The Oath Legal Awards in 2022 and the Firm’s Qatar office which was awarded ‘Qatar Law Firm of The Year’ at The Oath Legal Awards in 2023.

Patrick is one of the lead partners acting in the administration of Awal Bank B.S.C. which has involved over 75 different litigation and arbitration cases in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the USA and the Cayman Islands.

In addition to acting as Counsel in Arbitrations Patrick also sits as an Arbitrator and is included in the Legal 500 Middle East Arbitration Powerlists 2022 and 2023.

Patrick is admitted to practice in England and Wales and was awarded a CIArb Diploma in International Arbitration in July 2018.

He became a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in September 2018.

Peter is an experienced lawyer and adviser. With over two decades’ experience in resolving complex disputes and advising on white-collar crime matters, Peter is also frequently asked to advise on non-conentious matters. Peter also provides assistance for projects in a number of sectors across Africa.

After graduating from the University of Cambridge, Peter trained at the Bar. In 2000, he commenced his practicing career at LeBoeuf Lamb (later Dewey & LeBoeuf) in the City of London. In 2010 Peter moved to Dubai, where he headed up the regional disputes departments at two international firms, before establishing Kingsgrove Partners in 2015. Seeking to combine deep regional knowledge with an international mindset and provide clients with exceptional UAE legal services, he established ADG with Mohammed Al Dahbashi in 2017.

Much of Peter’s career has been focused on the Middle East and Africa. Whilst a firm believer in using the latest technology to improve processes and communication, Peter recognises that personal relationships are the foundation of business in the region. As such, Peter spends a great deal of time traveling throughout the Middle East and Africa to help clients achieve their goals. Always seeking innovative and proactive solutions for clients, Peter has a reputation for taking the time to understand his clients’ businesses and for being “commercially minded and cost sensitive”.

Peter has served on various committees, including the DIFC Courts Users Committee, Dubai Conservatives (Chairman), CIArb YMG Committee and the British-ChinaLaw Association. He is a long-standing committee member of the Oxford and Cambridge Society in the UAE. He has been published in leading journals and is often a keynote speaker at international conferences (including C5 and the Cambridge Symposium on Economic Crime).

In 2012, Peter helped found the HTC Advice Clinic in Dubai, a free service providing legal, careers and other advice. Together with Mohammed Al Dahbashi, he ensures that ADG remains committed to pro bono work. 

Dr. Mahmood Hussain, Founding Partner at M&CO Legal, has over 20 years of legal experience. He teaches UAE Sharia Law and Islamic Arbitration at the University of East Anglia, and UAE Labour and Employment Law at Pantheon-Assas University Paris II. A prominent litigator in Dubai Courts, he has secured numerous high-profile judgments and leads M&CO Legal’s corporate team on DIFC financial agreements. 

With rights of audience before the DIFC Courts and the UAE Federal Supreme Court, Dr. Mahmood is also an accredited International Arbitrator by DIAC and the Abu Dhabi Commercial Conciliation and Arbitration Center. He has overseen over 50 international arbitration cases and is a member of the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration. He chairs the ICC-UAE Commission on Arbitration and ADR and contributes to the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR in Paris. Dr. Mahmood was instrumental in establishing the DIFC Courts, serving as its first Deputy Registrar. 

Robin Hickman is the Head of Region in Addleshaw Goddard for the Middle East.  He has been based in the region for over 15 years and specialises in conventional and Sharia compliant finance and debt restructuring matters and advises local and international banks, government / semi-government entities and blue-chip enterprises across a full spectrum of industries, including construction, infrastructure, energy and utilities, renewables and TMT. Robin has worked on many of the region's largest and most complex financings and high profile debt restructurings and is consistently ranked as a leading lawyer in the Middle East.

Sophia has a broad commercial and chancery practice, encompassing a range of commercial litigation, fraud and asset recovery, banking and financial services, company, insolvency, and contentious trusts litigation.

Much of Sophia’s work has an international dimension; she is called to the bar in BVI and registered in DIFC and has a substantial practice before the courts of offshore jurisdictions and arbitral tribunals. She frequently advises on issues of jurisdiction and enforcement raised in cross-border disputes.

Sophia’s current and recent work includes acting in a complex cross-border banking fraud, and as part of the claimant team in Toucan Energy Holdings Ltd & Anr v Wirsol Energy Ltd & Ors [2021] EWHC 895 (Comm), a substantial Commercial Court dispute in the renewable energy sector.

Sophia is a contributing author to Gough on Company Charges and has delivered seminars and appeared on panels on a variety of topics, including at the ICC FraudNet 33rd conference, and the Private Client Global Elite Rising Leaders’ Forum 2021.

Rita Jaballah is a Partner in Al Tamimi & Company’s Dispute Resolution practice and leads its International Litigation Group.

Rita has extensive experience of handling complex, high value local and international disputes. Prior to joining Al Tamimi & Company, Rita practised in a leading law firm in Melbourne and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London, where she specialised in large scale and multi-jurisdictional litigation with a particular focus on financial services, regulatory disputes as well as general commercial litigation in the English Courts.

At Al Tamimi & Company, Rita specialises in advising and representing clients with respect to a wide range of commercial and DIFC related disputes and claims with a particular focus on DIFC Courts litigation and regulatory proceedings in the banking and financial services sector. In this regard, Rita has acted for prominent investment banks and financial institutions in a number of high profile and significant disputes in the banking and regulatory arena. She has been involved in the development of the DIFC Courts and currently sits as a member of the DIFC Courts’ Rules Sub-Committee. In addition, Rita advises and represents local and foreign businesses and financial institutions in a wide range of commercial, property, company and banking disputes under UAE, DIFC, English and International law.

Counselor Dr. Marian is the first Executive Director of the Egyptian Centre for Arbitration and Settlement of NonBanking Financial Disputes – ECAS.
Dr. Marian is recognized for her legal excellence having held several positions throughout her career at the Egyptian Administrative Prosecution Authority and the Ministry of Justice including being a Counselor at the General Department for Arbitration and International Disputes. Dr. Kaldas is also a registered arbitrator at the Ministry of Justice and served as member of the Legislative Committee at the National Council for Women.

She is the first Egyptian woman featured on the University of Montreal’s website in recognition of her successful and inspiring career. Dr. Kaldas is also a lecturer at the National Anti-Corruption Academy in Egypt, the Egyptian Institute of Directors (EIOD) as well as the Financial Services Institute (FSI) at the Financial Regulatory Authority.

She holds a Ph.D. in Law from the University of Montreal in Canada with the highest distinction “Exceptional”, a Master's degree in Law from Indiana University, a Bachelor's degree in business administration from the American University in Cairo and a Bachelor's degree in Law from Cairo University.

Dr. Kaldas is the recipient of The Law Award for the most influential women of the year 2023.

Ali is a founding associate of AS Legal Consultants, a boutique firm with full rights of audience in all courts of the UAE, and with multiple sector focusses. Called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2015, and now a solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales, Ali leads on web3, AI and cybersecurity matters – both contentious and non-contentious – across the firm and operates the corporate governance offering through their partner firm, Senebria. His regulatory focus is on emerging technologies across the UK, Europe and the UAE, and he sat on the focus groups for the development of VARA in December 2022.

Robert is the Regional Head of Disputes and Government Investigations Legal (Africa & Middle East) at Standard Chartered Bank. He studied law at the London School of Economics (2003, LLB Hons first class), was called to the Bar of England & Wales in 2004, and practised in London before moving to Dubai in 2009. He spent seven years in the disputes team at Al Tamimi & Co., and during his time in private practice handled a number of complex commercial disputes and contentious regulatory matters, appearing regularly before the DIFC Courts and arbitral tribunals as an advocate. He joined Standard Chartered Bank in 2017 and regularly speaks on topics concerning investigations, dispute resolution, and sanctions.

Marcelo Lucidi is a partner of DFA (Brazil), specialising in cross-border insolvency, asset recovery and distressed M&A. He has experience both in the transactional area, in projects of reorganisation and purchase of publicly and closely held companies, and in commercial litigation with a focus on insolvency. He has advised investors in the purchase of assets of companies in judicial reorganisation or bankruptcy. In the area of international recovery of assets, he advises financial institutions, trustees and a variety of creditors in identifying and recovering assets diverted as a result of bankruptcy fraud as well as fraud in the capital markets.

Dr Amel Makhlouf is an independent counsel and arbitrator (Paris/London), specialising in international arbitration, banking and finance, Islamic law and finance, and laws of the Arab Middle East. She has gained extensive experience in cross-border disputes and arbitral proceedings based in the MENA region.

She has acted in arbitral proceedings conducted under the auspices of the ICC, HKIAC, DIAC, BCDR-AAA, as well as ad-hoc proceedings under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules across a wide range of sectors. She has experience of international arbitrations governed by various laws, notably those of Algeria, Bahrain, France, England and Wales, Hong Kong, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

Her diverse expertise encompasses mediating disputes involving consumers and traders in various sectors, including telecommunications and e-commerce. She has served as mediator in over 350 mediation proceedings.

Dr Amel Makhlouf is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb since 2019), a research associate at the Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law (CIMEL) of SOAS University of London and belongs to the Management Committee of the SOAS Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Centre (SADRC). She is also a lecturer in both, international arbitration and banking and finance, at the Paris Bar School (EFB).

Dr Amel Makhlouf holds a PhD in Islamic law and finance from the Sorbonne Law School and was a Visiting Researcher at the Islamic Finance Project at Harvard University. She is the former Managing Editor for the Country Surveys of the Yearbook of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law (Vol. 21 & 22), the leading English language journal covering contemporary Islamic laws and laws of the Middle East.

In June 2023, she submitted a report to the Qatar Financial Centre addressing the challenges faced by the rise of FinTech and cryptocurrency in the MENA region. She is a national of Algeria and France.

Sarah Malik is an award-winning lawyer who achieved Litigator of the Year (2022) at the first GCC Women in Law Awards and received an honourable mention as the Law Firm Leader of the Year category at the same awards. She set up SOL, a boutique legal practice in the UAE in 2018. SOL has since become a household name both in the UAE and worldwide, and has been listed as a ‘Firm to Watch in Dispute Resolution’ by Legal 500 EMEA. Sarah is a published author of two legal texts, a visiting lecturer in law, an arbitrator, acts as Counsel in multi-jurisdictional disputes and is an international public speaker who trains governments and judiciaries worldwide. 

Sarah is also retained as personal advisor to UHNW, acts as external GC, and undertakes sports, fashion, and entertainment law.

Sebina graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) Degree in 2006 and holds a Postgraduate Qualification from BPP University Law School, in which she attained her Legal Practice Certificate. She began her career at a city law firm in the UK and now works as a Consultant Solicitor in the UAE. 

Sebina has experience in negotiating deals, drafting commercial contracts, litigation, anti-money laundering, data privacy, supports inclusion, diversity and equity, advocates for climate change and regularly speaks on international stages. In her spare time, Sebina undertakes Pro Bono work for The DIFC Courts. One of the highlights of her career was in October 2013 when she was one of the first overseas lawyers to receive the DIFC Pro Bono Access to Justice Award for her contributions to the initiative and received recognition of her charitable work at a time when Pro Bono services were not given much consideration in the Middle East. This created an impact and encouraged hundreds of lawyers in the region to begin contributing a proportion of their time towards charitable work such as this.

Alex is the head of Enforcement and Asset Recovery at Deminor Litigation Funding, where he helps clients monetise judgments and arbitral awards. Alex has close to 20-years’ experience in tracing and recovering assets misappropriated through economic crime, pursuing recalcitrant debtors, such as high-net-worth individuals and nation states, legal finance and complex cross-border investigations. Alex started his career as a case manager for the UK’s Revenue & Customs Prosecutions Office, Asset Forfeiture Division. In 2006, he was called to the Bar of England & Wales and then worked for leading City of London law firms specialising in complex cross-border commercial disputes. Immediately before joining Deminor, Alex led the disputes practice at a global risk consultancy.

Patrick Meaney joined the DFSA in January 2018 and has 30 years of experience in regulating financial markets and services.

Prior to joining the DFSA, Mr. Meaney was a Manager in the Wholesale Enforcement Department of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) for almost seven years focusing on misconduct on listed and OTC financial markets.

Prior to the FCA, Mr. Patrick worked in senior legal, regulatory enforcement and forensic investigation roles in Australia, Hong Kong, and Japan. This included serving as General Counsel and Head of Enforcement at the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority and Head of Listing Enforcement at Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited.

He is admitted to practice Law in Australia and has postgraduate qualifications in Law and Applied Finance.

Richard Millett KC has a broad commercial practice covering a variety of different specialist areas, with an emphasis on advocacy in court and in arbitration and other tribunals. He specialises in banking and financial markets, hedge fund and private equity disputes, insurance and reinsurance, insolvency, energy, and media and entertainment. He regularly appears in the Chancery Division, Commercial Court, the Court of Appeal and numerous arbitrations, both in London and overseas.

Aysha is a Partner at Mena Chambers Bahrain.  She has right of audience before the Cassation and Constitutional Courts of Bahrain.  She is an international arbitration practitioner and a litigation lawyer with 15 years of experience.  Ms. Mutaywea has been a member of the ICC Court of Arbitration (2018-2024).  She is the Chairperson of the ICC ADR and Arbitration Commission of Bahrain.  She is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of ICC Bahrain and is listed on the ICSID Panel for arbitrators and conciliators.  She is currently representing Bahrain in UNCITRAL Working Group 3 (Investor State Dispute Settlement Reform).  She sat as arbitrator in more than 20 cases and works as counsel in arbitration with a special focus on the Middle East region.a

Zoe O’Sullivan KC is a highly experienced litigation and arbitration practitioner who is regularly instructed in the DIFC Court. She appeared in the recent leading DIFC Court cases of Neal v Nadir (concerning the grant of a freezing order in support of a foreign arbitration), Punjab National Bank v Shetty (holding that the recent amendments to the guarantee provisions of the UAE Banking Code do not apply in the DIFC) and Lateef v Liela (establishing, until reversed by Sandra Holding, that the DIFC Court can grant freezing orders in support of foreign proceedings).  Zoe is recommended in Dispute Resolution (The English Bar - United Arab Emirates) by Chambers Global.   She is also regularly appointed as sole, presiding and co-arbitrator in DIAC, SIAC, LCIA, ICC and HKIAC arbitrations.

Formerly Chancery Junior of the Year in London, he has a strong reputation as an advocate and arbitrator in both London and Dubai, with a working knowledge of Arabic and significant experience of UAE and Saudi law. Rupert’s work focuses on high-value disputes in property, commercial, banking, trusts and fraud matters. He has acted in many of the leading DIFC cases since 2010 including FAL Oil v SEWA, Corinth v Barclays, Bocimar v ETA, Vannin v Khorafi, DAMAC v Ward, WCT v Meydan, Sunteck v Grand Valley, Orion Holdings v Al Haj, YYY v ZZZ. He recently led the counsel team that obtained at trial a USD 22 million fraud judgment in favour of the State Bank of Mauritius. Now in silk for 8 years, he has a strong reputation as an advocate and arbitrator in both London and Dubai, with a working knowledge of Arabic and significant experience of UAE and Saudi law. In recent years, Rupert has sat in a number of long-running DIFC-LCIA, LCIA and DIAC arbitrations, with the sums in issue ranging from USD 6 million to 2.5 billion. Rupert is identified in Legal 500 2023 as a leading silk in Commercial Litigation, Banking and Finance and Property Litigation and in Chambers Global and UK 2022 as a leader at the Bar in Commercial, Chancery Commercial and Real Estate Litigation. He is also ranked in Chambers Global as one of the top 3 UK silks working in UAE disputes and by Legal 500 Middle East in Band 1 English Bar. Who’s Who Legal identifies him as a leading global practitioner in Real Estate and Civil Fraud. Legal 500 2021 shared client comments that he was ‘a go to QC for international complex fraud and dispute resolution’, ‘our go to silk for DIFC Court matters – he is pre-eminent in the UAE and DIFC’.

Sara has over 18 years of experience as a commercial disputes, white collar crime and regulatory disputes lawyer between Australia, England & Wales and the UAE, and has been permanently based in the region since 2013.

Sara acts in complex, usually cross border, commercial litigation in the DIFC, ADGM and English Courts and onshore UAE Courts, as well as arbitration matters before local and international centres, with a focus on shareholder and partnership, financial service, fraud asset tracing and recovery, contentious insolvency and enforcement matters.

Sara was previously a senior Federal Prosecutor for the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions office in Australia and also worked for the Serious Fraud Office in the UK.

Sara is one of the few lawyers listed in Who’s Who Legal: Asset recovery consecutively from 2018 to 2024, is a founding member of the Dubai network of the International Women in Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation and is the current Co-Chair of the International Bar Association Asset Recovery Committee.

Sara has co authored the UAE chapter for CDR on Fraud, Asset Tracing & Recovery and regularly attends and speaks at global flagship fraud, asset tracing and recovery events and conferences globally.

Sara was named the Lexis Nexis Women in Law GCC Private Practice Lawyer of the Year in 2024 and ranked as a Next Generation Partner by Legal 500 EMEA 2024.

Nicholas Sharratt leads the firm's dispute resolution practice in the Middle East where he has been permanently based for over a decade. Nick’s practice focuses on asset recovery, enforcement, arbitration and litigation across EMEA.

Nick services clients across the region, including extensively in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, acting as strategic counsel to some of the region's leading GCs and UHNWI. His practice covers banking and finance, commodities, construction, energy and hospitality. Widely regarded for his exceptional client service and project management skills, Nick is ranked as a leading lawyer in the Legal 500 EMEA and Chambers & Partners Global publications.

Having completed successful spells in the public sector with the Financial Markets Authority of Tunisia, and the legal department of BNP Paribas Tunisia, Dr. Souhayel moved to Paris to be part of the in-house legal team in charge of derivatives transactions of BNP Paribas Corporate and Investment Banking (while simultaneously completing a Ph.D.) in Paris.

Following more than 10 years spent in Paris, Dr. Souhayel Tayeb felt the need to diversify his experience by doing corporate finance and project finance banking transactions and decided that moving to the Middle East in-house legal community would be the best opportunity for this; he therefore moved there in 2012. After one year as Senior Legal Counsel with Mashreqbank, he has been in place at Commercial Bank of Dubai since December 2013.

He has a number of notable project and corporate finance transactions to look back on fondly. He has also successfully managed and completed multiple hedging deals, complex restructuring transactions and recovery actions, all while taking care of the company secretariat and corporate governance aspects.

Alastair Tomson is a barrister with 20 years of experience specialising in complex cross-border commercial litigation and international arbitration (ICC, LCIA, ICSID, DIAC and UNCITRAL rules), practising from 4 Stone Buildings in Lincoln’s Inn, London. He has expertise in banking, financial services, cryptocurrency, company, and natural resources disputes. His international work encompasses the Middle East, Africa and European jurisdictions including Greece, Malta, and Cyprus.

Alastair appears as a court advocate in London and the DIFC, is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and a member of the Bar Council’s International Committee.  He is recognised as a leading practitioner in his areas of specialism by Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500.

Prior to joining Fichte & Co., she has worked for few major investment conglomerates in the region and gained valuable experience while heading the corporate and commercial practice of several law firms in Dubai. In her over 17 years career span, she acted across various jurisdictions in the European Union, having a recognized experience in advising high net worth individuals or working at the crossroads of multiple systems of Law. In addition, she has worked for governmental institutions and for intergovernmental organizations as well.

She holds a master’s and a PhD in International Law and has studied in prestigious institutions across Europe and Asia. Laura has a keen interest in niche areas of Law, such as the Law of the Sea, Outer Space Law or in the legal aspects of disruptive technologies such as blockchain or technology, where she is currently specializing.

She is a book author and university lecturer in the field of Law. She is also a habitual contributor to various legal publications and legal training programs.

She is fluent in English, French, Spanish & Romanian.

David is Head of Dispute Resolution in the Middle East and Practice Partner of Ogier's Dubai office. He is a barrister with broad experience of commercial and financial disputes, with a focus on cross-border company, trusts, insolvency and restructuring matters. He has extensive advocacy experience at first instance and on appeal

Natalie is an English law qualified solicitor with over 16 years of private practice, in-house and advisory experience. Natalie has extensive experience in multi-jurisdictional disputes specialising in multi-billion dollar contract, fraud, investigative and unwinding disputes across the UAE, the BVI, the Channel Islands, England, Europe, Singapore and the United States. As part of her practice, she regularly advises on managing dispute risk and avoidance. Natalie also has experience as strategic counsel to a wide array of clients, from regional and multi-national corporates to start-ups, advising on implementing and documenting internal policies, investments and operations documentation, governance and regulatory compliance.

Matt is a Partner in the Finance and Restructuring team in London. Matt specialises in loan trading, portfolio sales (both performing and non-performing), and balance sheet transactions for financial institutions as well as buy-side participants and loan servicers in the secondary loan market and other types of debt purchase transactions.

Before his role at DWF, Matt was a corporate banker at a UK bank and was responsible for the design and execution of balance sheet deleveraging activities and regulatory capital solutions, and latterly the commercial lead for loan distribution.
Matt has acted on some of Europe's largest NPE/NPL transactions (buy and sell side) in both a commercial and legal capacity to an aggregate gross book value of over £50bn. These transactions include the strategic withdrawal by a UK bank from Ireland, Portugal, and Spain and the first-ever Cypriot NPE loan portfolio sale.
Matt has represented many other UK banks in multiple jurisdictions across a wide range of asset class disposals (in both debt and equity), driven by deleveraging and regulatory capital considerations, such as shipping, CRE, infrastructure, and corporate lending.

Commercial arbitrator, mediator and lawyer

• Dr Aseel Zimmo is the managing partner a dispute avoidance and resolution consultancy. She brings a wealth of experience in navigating complex dispute resolution mechanisms. She is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and served as an arbitrator in many proceedings both institutional and ad hoc proceedings under the UNITRAL rules and issued awards in Arabic and in English. She is also on the LCIA, DIAC, SCCA, CRCICA, Oman Arbitration Centre and ICADRP arbitrator panels as well as she registered arbitrator at the Bahraini Ministry of Justice.
• She also an experienced commercial mediator. She registered mediator at the Bahraini Ministry of Justice and a member of the advisory committee of the Mediation Hub. She was involved in the drafting of Bahraini mediation law and regulations.
• As the former senior advisor to the Bahraini Chief Justice and Minister of Justice, she has extensive experience in drafting laws and regulations.
• She has conducted professional training for lawyers and practitioners in negotiation, arbitration and mediation. She also sat on many panels at various arbitration events.

• Dr Zimmo is experienced in both Civil and Common law jurisdictions as she graduated with a PhD from the LSE in international commercial arbitration and with an LLM from Kings College, London. She is also a qualified lawyer in New York and Jordan. She also practiced law in London, New York and Amman, through which appeared before arbitration tribunal and worked as tribunal secretary. She has deep understanding of Bahraini law.
• She taught civil and commercial law at the London School of Economics, University of Bahrain, the Royal University for Women and American University of Bahrain. She also conducted many workshops and training for judges and lawyers.