Fenwick Elliott LLP

United Arab Emirates

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Gilbert Hakim

Gilbert provides advice in relation to complex and high value disputes throughout the construction, real estate and oil & gas sectors. He has experience in acting for various members of the construction and engineering supply chain including Main Contractors, Subcontractors and Engineers/Designers where he has particular expertise. Gilbert is frequently instructed to advise on high-value disputes related to major construction and energy projects. He has significant experience representing employers, main contractors, subcontractors, and designers across a wide range of projects in the Middle East and Africa, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and various countries in East Africa. Gilbert has represented clients in arbitrations governed by the rules of leading institutions such as the ADGM, DIAC, ICC, LCIA, SCCA, and the European Development Fund. He has comprehensive knowledge of all major international standard form construction contracts, including FIDIC and NEC, and he regularly provides training on these contracts to clients and industry professionals. Legal 500 recognises Gilbert as “a very practical construction specialist” (Legal 500 EMEA, 2024) with “in-depth knowledge” (Legal 500 EMEA, 2025).

Leonie Sellers

Leonie is a dual qualified lawyer specialising in international arbitration, with a particular focus on contentious construction, energy, and infrastructure projects. Based in the Middle East for over 10 years, Leonie has acted for and advised both local and international companies on a range of complex construction and infrastructure disputes and has extensive experience in advancing and defending claims under the ICC, LCIA, DIAC, ADCCAC and UNCITRAL rules, as well as in the enforcement of arbitral awards in the local courts. In addition to her experience in construction disputes, Leonie has broad experience in non-contentious construction, infrastructure, and energy related matters. In addition to her years spent in private practice, Leonie has also spent time as in-house counsel for a leading developer of water and power projects, and most recently as a seconded interim general counsel for a multinational conglomerate. Leonie has been described in Legal 500 EMEA as showcasing a “solid mastery of construction and commercial law” (Dispute Resolution: Arbitration and International Litigation, 2022) and as “excellent, with a strong work ethic, excellent with clients, good on detail and not afraid to be firm with experts and opponents when the occasion calls for it. An excellent lawyer and a star for the future: one to watch” (Construction, 2021).