Commercial, corporate and M&A in United Arab Emirates

‘Good solid knowledge of the local legal environment in practice and not just in theory.’

‘Overall good response times.‘

‘Good and timely client engagement and response, particularly from the managing partner, Samer Qudah.‘

‘The team is very innovative and willing to find solutions for their customers.‘

‘Al Tamimi are always on top of their peers in terms both understanding our business, the law & market.‘

‘They are responsive and most importantly business oriented.‘

‘They understand the business and have an economical thinking on top of the legal one.’

‘I can easily rely on every member in the team from partner to the paralegal.‘

‘Strong capabilities in M&A and debt restructuring and very good support from partners, as well as associate teams. Partner availability always excellent.’

‘Strong regional experience and cohesive team. Good local partner in Saudi Arabia, with strong connections.’

‘Mike Taylor is an experienced partner who’s seen a lot in the region and is alive to potential issues and local contingencies.’

‘Rizwan Butt is hard and was very knowledgeable on all legal documentation, responsive and precise.’

‘Jack Hardman has a strong knowledge of local regulators and was very helpful in helping think through the transaction structure and constraints likely to be faced by each buyer.’

‘Excellent knowledge and experience in all sectors of corporate work in both KSA and UAE’

‘High degree of expertise, state-of-the-art technology and capable of handling complex transactions’

‘Will Seivewright – responsive, clear and concise, commercially minded, and pleasant to deal with.’

‘They are an excellent support for our corporate transactions and helped us solve several matters.’

‘They are an excellent partner, trying to understand our business and needs and seeking practical solutions.’

‘The client service is excellent with transparency and visibility over the fees.’

‘Thérèse Abu-Zeid is an excellent and dynamic lawyer and a problem solver.’

‘Richard Hughes is an excellent common law lawyer who brought us his expertise and negotiation skills in M&A.’

‘I would like to point out the outstanding legal support received at all times by Thérèse Abou-Zeid having a deep knowledge of corporate law. She has been giving support even during PTO times.’

‘Thérèse Abou-Zeid: Good knowledge. Great lawyer. Stands her ground.’

‘Fast, responsive and experts in all the fields we contact them for.’

‘Simon Rahimzada in particular is a standout partner at K&S, he has been supporting me for the past 5 years and has always delivered.’

‘The matters are generally partner led which differentiates K&S Middle East from their competitors.’

‘The firm is able to involve lawyers with extensive Saudi and UAE law experience and industry experts in one team.’

‘They are able to quickly involve lawyers outside of the region in a seamless manner.’

‘The firm is able to come up with creative yet practical solutions.’

‘The team members are responsive, professional, practice and sector experts.’

‘They are extensively strong and truly capable and innovative in breaking and solving complex matters, and sometimes deal with unprecedented matters in the region.’

‘Great team of experts for the region, for us a one stop shop.’

‘Chris Lester is a great partner of the firm and uses his associates wisely. Like the rest of the team, he is solution orientated, not ego driven at all and very helpful.’

‘The most responsive legal team we have ever worked with.’

‘Very quick turn around and diligent work.’

‘They truly understand the VC space and the requirements, which is a major plus.’

‘Eyad Latif – Extremely knowledgeable and diligent; very trustworthy and completely adapted to our firm’s needs and approach.’

‘The team combines the best of London skills with the flexibility and innovative approach that you would typically find in a smaller Law firm. You are getting a high calibre team with all the commercial experience you would need.’

‘Marcus Booth is outstanding – you know you are in the hands of a trusted adviser. The fact that the law is right is a given – he combines this with charm and a cut through no-nonsense approach to reach commercial decisions that everyone can live by.’

‘Marcus Booth does not create needless deal friction (and therefore costs) that you find some partners create in their wake. A top professional that is liked by clients and opposing counsel and their clients too.’

‘The team is very knowledgeable and diverse. They are always available and try to come up with commercial solutions to problems. Also, the international network of the firm means that global solutions are offered.’

‘Ali Shaikley is my main contact. Despite being an international lawyer, he is very locally aware and this mix of international and local is what makes the difference.’

‘The team has been incredibly responsive, very professional and extremely competent. They are also business minded and creative with solutions to get the deal done.’

‘Solid independent firm.’

‘Amjad Ali Khan – most helpful and competent.’

‘Akin Gump has a strong team of specialist corporate lawyers who know the ins and outs of multimarket and single market businesses and the factors which affect their legal status.’

‘The team has extensive experience in protecting company’s risk, making appropriate arrangements to suit the needs of companies and handling takeovers, mergers and acquisition.’

‘By working closely with Akin Gump’s team of skilled professionals with expertise in the corporate field, you can be certain that your company remains compliant at all times and that all legal matters are handled appropriately with minimal risk and maximum protection, both financially and legally.’

‘Wael Jabsheh is one of the outstanding lawyers in the region. Thoroughness and proficiency on all types of corporate, commercials and M&A issues.’

‘Wael Jabsheh is always accessible to answer the many questions we have and ensures we are kept informed of any regulatory updates related to our business.’

‘Wael Jabsheh is without a doubt, reliable and very expeditious.’

‘Wael Jabsheh is a top-notch attorney who is highly respected in the legal community.’

‘I have worked with the M&A team at Dechert on a number of occasions and they are always very professional and very much “on the ball”. They are clearly very experienced M&A lawyers and clients respond very well to them.’

‘Chris Sioufi and Rodolphe Pellerin – Available, business oriented and competent lawyers.’

‘Chris Sioufi is a great lawyer, one of the best I worked with in the MENA region.’

‘Rodolphe Pellerin is an excellent professional and hard worker.’

‘The Dentons Corporate team in Dubai have been great partners on various transactions, providing not only sound legal advice, but great commercial guidance.’

‘Iain Black has been an excellent partner working with us on various transactions.’

‘Adjou Ait Ben Idir has phenomenal interpersonal skills and project leadership. She spots her client’s needs and translates it to the stakeholders and provides business-oriented legal support.’

‘Zaid Al-Rizzo has great negotiation skills to reach a concurrence between different stakeholders/parties.’

‘Luke Aylett ticks all the boxes. He clearly gets the commercials, has the legal experience to implement them and handles the client very professionally. His manner and expertise breed enormous confidence.’

‘Luke Aylett – thorough and highly responsive.’

‘Lowri Lloyd – always available and finds a workable solution. Proactive and commercial minded.’

‘We have worked with AG on a couple of acquisitions this year and what makes them stand out is the approach of their team.’

‘They have great sector and regulatory knowledge, the team is very approachable and feel like an extension of our own in-house M&A team.’

‘They are commercial in their approach and are solutions focused.’

‘Their reports are clear and easy to read and tell me exactly what I want to know. They are also extremely responsive, available day and night in order to get a transaction over the line.’

‘Lowri Llwyd is fantastic, very client focused and able to explain complex legal problems and the solution in a clear and efficient way. She has excellent sector and regional knowledge.’

‘Very professional and experts in their field. Always supportive and available for their clients. They are very pro-active compared to any other law firm.’

‘Eddie Chiu is the legal advisor we worked with and he is very knowledgeable, very responsive and always available. Our need was about franchise law and Eddie Chiu is an expert in this field, for any territory. He was involved during the meetings with our clients and delivered a great job.’

‘Good working knowledge of local requirements and reasonable value. Very responsive and easy to work with.’

‘Our key relationship is with associate Surabhi Singhi who again has excellent knowledge of local process, is very responsive and is a stand-out associate for us in the region.’

‘Practical advice, managed timeline well. Well-rounded team.’

‘Anders Nilsson gave us practical advice with a strong commercial awareness.’

‘A very responsive, collaborative team with real technology experience. Above all, they understand the client’s business and commercial drivers.’

‘Melissa Murray is an excellent IP lawyer and really goes out of her way to understand commercial drivers. Johannes Eisser appreciates the details and intricacies of a deal and goes the extra mile to service the client. Always calm and collected.’

‘Chris Williams is a consummate professional.  In any situation Chris finds the core issues and brings order and calm to often contentious situations.’

‘Finally having a group of professionals working together that can easily understand a client’s business, needs and provide a suitable practical solution. Having a partner that can deal with UK, UAE and KSA law is an amazing USP for this law firm.’

‘Chris Williams is an extraordinary professional that takes seriously his oath to do the best for his clients. He gives amazing advice that is easily understood and applied.’

‘Ibrahim Sidikki is the partner that is fluent in KSA law, along with UAE and UK law. This broad legal knowledge, with both English and Arabic, makes him a unique and invaluable professional to deal with.’

‘Practical, pragmatic and business acumen to understand the needs of the client and why the transaction is being made.‘

‘Malack has huge experience in M&A.‘

‘The team is supportive and responsive, as well as knowledgeable and experienced in the market. They are also cost effective and flexible, in addition to having a US tax specialist in Abu Dhabi.’

‘Joanna El Khoury is an experienced associate on VC deals. She is quick and to the point.’

‘Mark Gilligan – very responsive and solution orientated. His team act as an extension of our internal legal team.‘

‘Atiq Anjarwalla & Ian Gaitta – Great knowledge, attention to detail and negotiating ability.’

‘They are very prompt, responsive, smart and caring and very practical.’

‘AC&H under the leadership of Mr. Atiq Anjarwalla has always set new and higher standards for legal practice.’

‘Their dynamic approach to business expansion without compromising on the quality of legal services is inspiring.’

‘Their focus on their lawyers through internal and external training programs and collaborative associations with other law firms is testament to their values and ethos as an organization which is rooted in shared knowledge and growth.’

‘In addition to a strong legal understanding, Adil Shafi’s commercial acumen sets him apart from his peers. His responsiveness, round the clock availability and constant thirst for learning is reflective of his solid work ethic.’

‘Great skills and availability.’

‘Jeremy Miocevic, intellect and his ability for big picture/strategic thinking.’

‘Ibrahim Elsadig, years of GCC experience, and a very calm demeanor.’

‘Good knowledge of local law and business practices. Able to provide a common sense approach to transactions’

‘Jeremy Miocevic – practical approach and good knowledge of the law and business.’

‘Hazem Hebaishi – always available associate, good knowledge of the law and always willing to put maximum effort in.’

‘We have direct access to Jeremy Miocevic and speed of response and turnaround time for work is very good. Jeremy pulls in support from other Partners and Associates as the nature of the work dictates.’

‘Jeremy Miocevic is a stand-out lawyer and individual. He applies sound legal experience in a practical and realistic manner, bearing in mind the MENA markets in which we operate.’

‘There is no substitute for hands-on practical experience which Jeremy Miocevic has in abundance.’

‘The team is very professional and understands the requirements of the client and provides legal opinions in a timely manner.’

‘Abdullah Galadari goes the extra mile to under the business requirements of the client.’

‘The care and attention to detail from all of the staff helps them stand out.’

‘They are always available to help and will get things done properly and promptly.’

‘They are very business focussed which is invaluable.’

‘They come up with solutions to problems rather than more questions, which is the opposite of all other law firms I have worked with.’

‘Exceptional team, very knowledgeable, great client service mentality.’