The Legal 500 > Europe, Middle East & Africa > United Arab Emirates > Commercial, corporate and M&A

‘Good knowledge of local law.‘

‘Abdullah Matawi is outstanding.‘

‘DLA Piper Corporate team is very cooperative and responsive. I can contact them at anytime and they would be available. They understand the nature of their clients very well.‘

‘The team is highly experienced and excels in giving pragmatic advice without complicating the issues.‘

‘Will Seivewright is outstanding. He gets what foreign investors’ concerns are and goes straight to the crux of the issue.‘

‘Natalia Tombs is very sharp and has high attention to detail. She is very prompt and her work is of high quality.‘

‘The team here really enjoy working with Richard Hughes.‘

‘The team has deep knowledge about the laws and regulations of the country. Moreover, they know the norm and practice of the authorities. They met all deadlines with reasonable fees.‘

‘Ahmad Sergieh is efficient, proactive and understands the business needs.‘

‘Victoria Woods is extremely knowledgeable, commercial and astute.‘

‘The team blends regional experience with international first-class standards. They are committed to the region and employ the right calibres.‘

‘Smaller team in the Middle East than some peers (especially UK firms), but high quality team with excellent experience, knowledge of the region and seniority.‘

‘Well connected with the broader platform (UK and US in particular in my experience).‘

‘Seniority, breadth of experience and understanding of the region of the key partners I dealt with was second to none.‘

‘The team was very attentive, quick to respond and incredibly thorough. They knew the industry, the region, and the investors quite well. The senior partners were involved in every aspect.‘

‘Rodney Cannon and incredible associate Alice Gunn: Their attention to detail, ability to come up with creative and practical solutions to issues and responsiveness was appreciated by all parties at the table.‘

‘Marwan Elaraby is a hands-on partner with extensive experience in the MENA region. He is very dynamic and results-oriented.‘

‘Marwan Elaraby is always available and understands the cultural dynamics of the region.‘

‘Very strong and experienced team. Fully committed and dedicated. Look both at legal and commercial aspects hand in hand.‘

‘Availability, dedication, experience, professionalism, giving the right advice and being very pleasant to work with.‘

‘Very approachable and commercial team. Understand local and international law very well.‘

‘Had excellent experiences with Jonathan Langley, who has been outstanding in every respect.‘

‘I feel like I’m getting a very “London” type service when I use W&C in the UAE. The service is very smooth, responsive and the quality of advice is high.‘

‘Marcus Booth is available wherever and whenever and is everything that you would want in a relationship partner.‘

‘Ali Shaikley (partner) and Vasi Papadopoulos (associate). Both are very hard working, always available and approachable as well as commercially minded.‘

‘Afridi delivers international quality advice on local law matters. The team meets deadlines and bring a commercial understanding to their work product. They are also responsive and personable in their dealings.‘

‘James Bowden and Danielle Lobo are always available to answer queries. They provide advice of the highest quality which is also commercial and practical in its application.‘

‘Eversheds’ corporate team delivers on big-ticket transactions, punching with the biggest magic circle firms, but with more competitive pricing. For that reason their offering is a no-brainer.‘

‘Very professional team and highly experienced.‘

‘Commercial and experienced team. One of the best teams to work with in the MENA region for any deal size.‘

‘Professional yet friendly and humble. Highly reputable team including partners and associates. Hard working and attentive to details.‘

‘Zeid Hanania is technically outstanding. He’s the partner you want when you have the biggest complicated M&A transactions.‘

‘Zeid Hanania is extremely intelligent and has very good interpersonal skills and manners. He is able to be commercial when needed.‘

‘Hani Nassef and Zeid Hanania have been working together for a while and make a great team. Hani is very thorough and detailed and can lead negotiations very well.‘

‘Hani Nassef is a great guy, a strong corporate lawyer and one of the few truly bilingual Arabic / English lawyers in the market.‘

‘The HL team members have a deep understanding of the region’s legal and cultural environment. I felt that this experience was accumulated by years of experience serving local and multinational customers in the region.‘

‘They have very good response times and availability.‘

‘Imtiaz Shah is capable of explaining the unique legal atmosphere of the Middle East to clients from outside the region in a way that is clear and easy to understand.‘

‘Imtiaz Shah’s experience also allows him to propose solutions that are creative and not easy to spot.‘

‘Charles Fuller is a rockstar in our eyes. Charles is always attentive, provides legal advice and services beyond what is requested, and in a timely manner.‘

‘The team is knowledgeable and provides advice quickly and efficiently.‘

‘Adjou Ait Ben Idir is very responsive and knowledgeable. She was able to understand the query and identify the risk in a brilliant manner! I highly appreciated working with her.‘

‘The team is very client- and issue-focused in delivering precise and succinct advice.‘

‘Christopher Lester is a very responsive and responsible trusted advisor.‘

‘I have found ML to have a broad array of lawyers who can help us as clients across a spectrum of legal issues.‘

‘I would have to commend Mark Gilligan for his tremendous interpersonal skills. He takes the time to really understand our requirements.‘

‘Mark Gilligan is a straight talker and will give his professional opinion which is what you want from your lawyer.‘

‘Strong on-the-ground team, highly responsive and very commercial, with excellent UAE experience in particular. High degree of partner involvement and team cohesion.‘

‘International law firm with strong local expertise; wide spectrum of deal experience; accessibility of the partners at all times; quick turnaround of documents; reasonable fee structure.‘

‘The team is multicultural so it has the power to mix knowledge of local law and attention to international customers.‘

‘Marco De Leo, provided guidance through the entire process by advising us on the best solutions.‘

‘Riccardo Denaro is client oriented and mindful of details in helping the client save costs when engaging local firms.‘

‘Personal attention to matters. Humility. They are always available and respond fast. They provide reliable expert legal opinions.‘

‘The team is highly proactive. It is knowledgeable in the DIFC and DFSA rules and can also provide guidance on the onshore laws.‘

‘PwC’s Commercial, Corporate and M&A team places clients front and centre at all times. They are recognised as a “highly-regarded” business in the local UAE community and wider-GCC/Middle East region.‘

‘The atmosphere is relaxed yet highly professional.‘

‘Pleasant to work with, a sense of humour (which was necessary given difficulty of the other side) and provided commercial and practicable advice.‘

‘The team’s commitment to deliver the best proposition to its client was evident in the enthusiasm and fervour with which all the members of the team worked on our project.‘

‘The in-depth knowledge and expertise on legal, financial and commercial nuances of the deal was truly remarkable. The team’s ability to keep all the parties on the table and negotiate through various differences made the deal possible.‘

‘The integrated services offering from the professional services areas within PwC makes it a “one-stop shop” for clients, which is of exceptional benefit to a client.‘

‘Client relationship management, personality, social skills, pragmatic thinkers and solution finders.‘

‘Darren Harris and Amun Bashir are always available, not driven/motivated by time/fees and willing to support at all hours, even on matters slightly off-topic from the terms of original engagement.‘

‘I would recommend Darren Harris and Amun Bashir to any appropriate client without second thoughts – first class.‘

‘Dina Fares’ insight into the commercial aspects was truly amazing. Her inputs and advice made a world of a difference to the deal.‘

‘Ben Simms deftly handled the legal nitty gritty and was able to negotiate a win win solution for both the parties.‘

‘Nadine Wilson was always on top of the situation and made sure the paperwork was always current and comprehensive.‘

‘Darren Harris and Zubin Chiba were always available and made sure that the team delivered outstanding results.‘

‘Robert Kennedy was great and very commercial in his thinking.‘

‘A fantastic network and deep knowledge of the business and political landscape across the continent.‘

‘Ability to act as trusted advisors with all types of clients from large multinationals to local governments in frontier markets, still providing the same quality of service.‘

‘There is always a high level of partner involvement, and the associates are strong as well, which makes for a powerful combination in advising us.‘

‘James Coleman has been very helpful to us in particular at the partner level, and Alexandra Wilson is also strong at the associate level.‘

‘James Coleman is very diligent, always calm and composed. I like to work with him.‘

‘Paul Bugingo remains without a doubt the secret weapon in their African Network.‘

‘Professional, straightforward and engaging.‘

‘My interactions with Curtis as a firm have always given me comfort that I am supported by a top law firm which gives each matter adequate attention.‘

‘Pro-business, no-nonsense, result-oriented approach.‘

‘I have felt confident in the team as a result of their attention to detail, understanding and explanations of each issue and their genuine desire to assist and resolve our issues professionally.‘

‘It has also been a big comfort to have the support of Jeremy Miocevic and all the team over the years.‘

‘Jeremy Miocevic embraces the same “deliver result = good business” ethos, while being unusually available and fun to work with.‘

‘High level of commerciality and partner engagement. Practical advice.‘

‘I find the Ince team to be responsive, practical in their recommendations (and less legalistic), knowledgeable of the subjects they assist with and cost-efficient in terms of fees.‘

‘Their approach, level and quality of expertise and responsiveness.‘

‘Friendly. They build close relationships with their clients.‘

‘Charbel Fadel is very responsive, very knowledgeable, practical and straight to the point. I also appreciate how Charbel manages clients’ expectations in terms of deliverables.‘

‘Charbel Fadel is an outstanding lawyer. He is very knowledgeable in UAE laws and is very efficient in his responses. He has become our go-to lawyer in the UAE.‘