The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance, Al Tamimi & Company is a third tier firm,

Al Tamimi & Company’s broad team of international and Arabic lawyers provides ‘great commercial experience and understanding, as well as industry knowledge’, giving it a firm following among international and local banks and financial institutions. In 2011 it acted as UAE legal counsel to a syndicate of lenders in a $634m syndicated loan provided to Shams Power Company for construction of a solar power plant in Abu Dhabi. Husam Hourani is highly recommended.

Within Construction, Al Tamimi & Company is a second tier firm,

Al Tamimi & Company’s construction practice provides ‘thorough analysis and appropriate advice’, and has ‘an excellent understanding of the issues governing the local market’. There is a strong contentious bent to the practice, and the team recently recently acted for a Chinese contractor in a $1bn construction dispute arising from the Makkah rail project, Saudi Arabia’s first rail project. Steven Hunt heads the team, in which senior associate Eric Teo impresses with his ‘in-depth knowledge and high level of competency combined with his prompt care, personal touch and attention to complex legal issues’.

Within Corporate and M&A, Al Tamimi & Company is a third tier firm,

Al Tamimi & Company mixes local capability and regional footprint, and regularly leads on major M&A in the region. It has the size to advise on the full complement of corporate and commercial matters, from transactional to day-to-day advisory including issues such as employment. Highlights for Gary Watts’ corporate team included advising the Dubai Financial Market on its $121m acquisition of a controlling interest in NASDAQ Dubai, and advising a UAE-listed client on purchasing a 65% stake in Drake & Scull Saudi WLL, a major MEP contracting company in Saudi Arabia.

Within Dispute resolution, Al Tamimi & Company is a first tier firm,

Few firms can match Al Tamimi & Company’s local court knowledge, which it complements with international dispute resolution expertise; it strengthened that capability further by recruiting Paul Turner from Clyde & Co LLP to head the arbitration practice regionally. Highlights for Hassan Arab’s litigation team included representing Tamweel in the Dubai courts in a dispute relating to an ijara agreement, which was the first time the emirate’s secular courts had issued such a judgement. On the arbitration front, the team acted in one of the highest-value arbitrations in the region over claims following termination of a major construction contract.

Within Intellectual property, Al Tamimi & Company is a first tier firm,

Al Tamimi & Company’s ‘very accessible’, ‘very experienced’ intellectual property team has ‘high levels of knowledge’, and, with offices across the GCC, it has a breadth of coverage that few local firms can match. The team’s expertise encompasses enforcement and litigation as well as trade mark prosecution, which grew steadily in 2011. It acted for clients such as Nokia, Burberry and Samsung. Omar Obeidat demonstrates ‘excellent knowledge and leadership’ at the head of a team that includes ten trade mark and patent administrators, and which provides ‘excellent service’.

Within Investment funds, Al Tamimi & Company is a second tier firm,

Despite a shrinking market for new fund formations, Al Tamimi & Company retained its visibility on high-profile regional mandates. Reflecting its strengths in shari’ah-compliant REITs and fund formation, banking and finance partner Lynette Brown acted for Dubai Islamic Bank in setting up Emirates Real Estate Investment Trust, a shari’ah-compliant property investment fund, which was the first such REIT to be set up in the Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC). It also advised Energy City on structuring and formation of a $200m fund for land development investments in Qatar.

Within Legal market overview,

While there were no major new entrants into the market in 2011, some did add new offices to existing resources: Wragge & Co LLP opened a Dubai office in September following its Abu Dhabi launch in 2010, and Linklaters opened an office in Abu Dhabi. Eversheds LLP also made a significant step by merging with a consortium of Middle East law firms, including Dubai-based Khasawneh & Associates Legal Consultants; Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer appointed Dubai-based Pervez Akhtar as managing partner for the MENA region after he joined from Allen & Overy LLP; Al Tamimi & Company enhanced its regional capability with significant recruitment in Dubai and Qatar; and Habib Al Mulla & Company enhanced its international credentials by hiring Rob Morris, formerly global head of procurement at Clifford Chance.

Within Real estate, Al Tamimi & Company is a first tier firm,

Al Tamimi & Company’s clients are quick to highlight the real estate practice’s ‘strong local connections and depth of resources’, with regional property head Lisa Dale leading a team of dedicated specialists with experience across the full range of contentious and non-contentious property matters. It also has a dedicated strata specialist in Jeremy Scott, who recently acted for Zabeel Investments LLC in providing strata structuring advice for a potential volumetric subdivision project situated on Palm Jumeirah. Hospitality and leisure expert Tara Marlow has ‘a great depth of knowledge’.

Within Shipping, Al Tamimi & Company is a first tier firm,

Al Tamimi & Company’s shipping practice is widely praised for its ability to ‘translate local laws and customs into comprehensive and pragmatic advice’. Practice head Yazan Saoudi combines ‘strong local expertise with a strong dedication to the client’. He acted alongside newly promoted partner Omar Omar on registering a new fleet of vessels for Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, a transaction that included the restructuring of its existing fleet. The team also strengthened its shipping arbitration capability through Paul Turner’s arrival and appointment as head of the arbitration department.

Within TMT, Al Tamimi & Company is a first tier firm,

Al Tamimi & Company is particularly valued for its ‘local contacts and experience dealing with government entities’. David Yates heads the TMT group, within which team Philip Brazeau takes the lead on telecoms matters, providing ‘excellent cross-jurisdictional knowledge’. The practice recently advised Comba Telecom on creating a major in-building infrastructure agreement with Etisalat. It is primary UAE legal counsel to Yahoo! Maktoob.