Guide to Doing Business in the United Arab Emirates 2019

Habib Al Mulla is the chairman of Baker McKenzie's Habib Al Mulla, has over 32 years’ experience in UAE law and has drafted many of Dubai’s modern legislative structures. His practice focuses on litigation and arbitration. He has been lead counsel on numerous UAE and international arbitrations across a variety of sectors including construction, finance, commerce and maritime, as both counselor or expert witness. He is experienced in many arbitration rules including the DIAC, the Abu Dhabi Conciliation and Commercial Arbitration Centre (ADCCAC), the ICC, the LCIA and the ICSID.

Mazen has over 22 years’ experience in banking and finance law in the Middle East and has practiced in the UAE for more than nine years. He is a certified Professional Director from the Mudara-Institute of Directors and is a member of the UK Securities Industry Management Association (SIMA). He has also been awarded the CISI Level 3 Certificate in Derivatives, Securities and Financial Regulations, and Financial Regulations, and the Islamic Finance Qualifications (IFQ) and is a certified Basel III professional (2011) and DIAC qualified arbitrator as well as a registered practitioner before the DIFC courts. In 2012, Mazen was appointed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) as a short term consultant to advise on UAE legislative matters in relation to security laws.

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Borys Dackiw has been a partner of Baker McKenzie since 1995. In 2008 Mr. Dackiw was appointed managing partner of the Gulf offices (including Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh and Bahrain), coordinating the opening of the Abu Dhabi and Doha offices and the merger in the UAE with Habib Al Mulla in July 2013. Mr. Dackiw is head of the Compliance practice in the Gulf and also advises on mergers & acquisitions (including privatizations), private equity and general corporate and commercial law. Borys regularly advises clients across various industries on their compliance and anti-bribery policies and programs and has participated in whistleblower interviews relating to allegations of bribery and other bribery-related investigations. He also works with in house legal teams of multi-national clients to deliver tailored trainings on anti-corruption issues, including legal developments and enforcement trends in the UAE. Prior to this appointment Borys, held the position of managing partner in the Prague (Czech Republic) and Kyiv (Ukraine) offices of Baker McKenzie.

Pietro de Libero is a member of the Corporate Practice Group in the Firm's Dubai office and leads the UAE competition law practice.

Mohamed El Khatib has been practicing in the UAE for over 17 years. He has extensive experience in litigation and dispute resolution across a variety of industries and areas of UAE law. Mr. El Khatib was recommended for insurance disputes by the Legal 500 in 2014.

Steven Henderson heads Baker McKenzie’s real estate and hospitality practice in the UAE. Prior to joining the Firm in January 2014, Steven led the real estate practice of a magic circle firm in the region. Steven is ranked Tier 1 by Chambers and is highly recommended by PLC Which Lawyer.

Andrew is a partner and Head of Baker McKenzie Habib Al Mulla's Arbitration and Construction practice. He has been based in Dubai since 2009. He is a solicitor advocate and arbitration law specialist. He works extensively across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, acting for governments and international corporations on complex commercial disputes under a variety of civil and common law systems. He is ranked in Chambers Global, Legal 500 and is listed in Who’s Who Legal as one of the world’s leading construction lawyers. Andrew has a commercial focus and is particularly adept at partnering with his clients and understanding their business. Clients state that he “impresses with his command of potential issues” and he has "relentless tenacity and absolute client focus" (Chambers Global). Who's Who Legal says: "Rising star" Andrew Mackenzie has "an exceptional knowledge" and "a strong commitment to his clients."

Omar Momany is a partner in Baker McKenzie Habib Al Mulla and is the is head of the UAE Corporate/M&A practice and focuses his practice on public and private mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, corporate governance, joint ventures, commercial matters and corporate/shareholders' disputes in the UAE and throughout the region. Omar has over 15 years of experience in the Middle East and has acted for local and regional corporates and financial institutions, governments and regulatory bodies, multinationals, family businesses and royal houses. He is bilingual in Arabic and English.

Hani has been practicing since 2007 with a focus on M&A, reorganizations and post-acquisition integration as well as corporate structuring in the Middle East with a particular focus on the UAE and Qatar. His experience also covers general commercial contracts and advice on corporate governance and compliance. Hani holds an MBA degree and a Master's in Management alongside his law degree. He is fully trilingual and practices in English, French and Arabic, all three at a professional level. Prior to joining Baker McKenzie’s UAE offices in April 2012, Hani worked as a corporate associate at an international law firm in both Dubai and Doha between 2008 and 2012 and prior to that worked at an FMCG company and a private equity group in Kuwait.

Gordon Prestige is a partner in Baker & McKenzie Habib Al Mulla. He focuses on project finance transactions, public/private partnerships and renewables projects.

Sandeep Puri is a partner and head of the UAE banking and finance team at Baker McKenzie Habib Al Mulla. Based in the UAE since 2003, Sandeep has extensive experience advising on banking and capital market transactions across the Middle East.

Tarek Saad is a partner in the Dubai office and is seasoned in maritime and insurance law. He has over 22 years’ experience in general litigation in the Middle East, and has been practicing in the UAE for more than ten years.

Mohammad Al Rasheed is a partner in Baker & McKenzie Habib Al Mulla. Prior to joining the Firm, he spent over eight years in the Dubai office of another international law firm and also practiced in one of Jordan's leading law firms.

Amir Alkhaja is a Senior Associate in Baker McKenzie's Dubai office.

Kellie is is based in the Dubai office of Habib Al Mulla & Partners, a member firm of Baker & McKenzie International. An experienced technology and privacy lawyer, she has been advising local and multinational businesses and public institutions in the UAE since 2012.

Wael El Tounsy is the Head of Litigation Real Estate in Baker McKenzie Habib Al Mulla’s Dispute Resolution Practice Group and a member of Baker McKenzie Real Estate Global Practice Group. He has been practicing law in the Middle East for over 30 years, focusing on real estate and construction litigation. He has been involved in many high-profile and complex real estate, construction and criminal cases in the UAE. Mr. El Tounsy lectures at the Dubai Legal Affairs Department under the Continuing Legal Professional Development program.

Joanna Matthews-Taylor is a partner in the Dubai office of Baker McKenzie and head of the employment practice. Joanna advises on employment law and immigration matters, working with clients based in the UAE and wider Middle East region. Prior to joining the Firm, she worked as a senior legal consultant for an international law firm’s Middle East office, and as a qualified assistant for a leading Scottish law firm. From 2016 – 2020 Joanna has been recognised by Legal 500 as a "Next Generation Lawyer" and as an "Associate to watch" by Chambers Global with clients and peers commenting "client service is her strength" and that she is "technically excellent" and "has been in the region a long time and has the local knowledge."

Reggie Mezu is a senior special counsel in Habib Al Mulla & Partners, a member firm of Baker & McKenzie International. He focuses on corporate tax and has practiced tax for nearly 30 years, including in the UAE for 15 years. He has multijurisdictional and multidisciplinary professional qualifications in law, accountancy and taxation. Reggie is a chartered accountant, a UK chartered tax adviser and a solicitor admitted in the UK. He has lived and worked in the UK, Nigeria, Singapore, the Netherlands and the UAE. He is recognised as a leading tax adviser by Euromoney’s World Tax and a world leading tax adviser in Euromoney's Expert Guides.