Firm Profile > Afridi & Angell > Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Afridi & Angell Offices
JUMEIRAH EMIRATES TOWERS, OFFICE TOWER, LEVEL 35
SHEIKH ZAYED ROAD
PO BOX 9371, DUBAI
United Arab Emirates
Afridi & Angell > The Legal 500 Rankings
Dispute resolution: arbitration and international litigation Tier 2
Afridi & Angell covers a very broad range of commercial litigation and other disputes work, spanning from arbitration through to DIFC courts disputes and advising on broader issues in "onshore" UAE cases. Chatura Randeniya and senior associate Mevan Bandara, both of whom have experience at Sri Lanka's independent Bar, are key names, as is the English solicitor Stuart Walker. Practice head Haider Afridi is another key name in the practice, which also works with local advocates on Arabic-language court litigation.
Practice head(s):
Testimonials
‘Excellent individuals and team with great technical skills and well-able to hold their own against top firms from London and elsewhere.’
‘Haider Afridi is enormously experienced in international arbitration arising out of GCC states, with a calm, measured and authoritative approach.’
‘Chatura Randeniya is a very able lawyer with excellent analytical skills and very quick to see the weaknesses in the opposition’s case.’
‘Mevan Bandara is charming, massively hard-working and very clever.’
‘Both Stuart Walker and Sulakshana Senanayake work extremely hard – often at short notice and under considerable time pressure – and are prepared to go the extra mile for the client and the team. They also had a very good feel for the way that the DIFC court would receive submissions – whether a point is likely to fall flat or engage the court.’
Key clients
ED&F Man Capital Markets
Employment Tier 2
The employment group at Afridi & Angell comprises lawyers with multidisciplinary expertise across labour law, dispute resolution, M&A and finance. It is particularly notable for its ability to handle high-value and highly sensitive employment disputes. One recent example was its representation of ED&F Man Capital Markets in highly contested employment proceedings concerning breach of restrictive covenants and breach of confidence by an employee and conspiracy by a competitor which the employee planned to join; the case was unique because it was the first time a “springboard injunction” had been sought from the DIFC Courts; Stuart Walker and dispute resolution partner Haider Afridi led the team. Sulakshana Senanayake is a key associate in the department.
Practice head(s):
Testimonials
‘The team had strength in depth, and a real understanding of the practice and procedure of the DIFC courts, as well as the instinctive feel for the approach of the judges in the Court.‘
‘The team at Afridi was a pleasure to work with.‘
‘Both Stuart Walker and Sulakshana Senanayake worked extremely hard – often at short notice and under considerable time pressure – and were prepared to go the extra mile for the client and the team. They also had a very good feel for the way that the DIFC Court would receive submissions – whether a point was likely to fall flat or engage the Court.‘
Key clients
ED&F Man Capital Markets Ltd.
Eastman Kodak Company
BGRS
CFA Institute
Real estate Tier 2
Afridi & Angell's well-established real estate team has experience across all stage of property developments and transactions. It is a popular choice for developers, with clients including Saba Real Estate and new client Green Yard Properties. Practice head Shahram Safai's expertise covers sale and purchase agreements, lease agreements and negotiations, construction agreements and contractor liability, among other areas. Associate Anna White is another key contact, and often takes a significant role on the department's projects.
Practice head(s):
Key clients
Eagle Hills
Dubai Silicon Oasis
Saba Real Estate
HDS Group
Forum Group
Green Yard Properties
Ishraqah for Development
International Business Consultants DMCC
Bluestone Fund Managers Ltd
Banking and finance: Corporate finance (including Islamic lending) Tier 3
Local and international banks turn to Afridi & Angell for advice on a range of financing transactions, including real estate, acquisition, trade and project finance, as well as regulatory matters. Citibank is a key client; recently, the team has advised it on numerous financial and lending projects and on the establishment of a new presence in the Abu Dhabi Global Market. Key names in the sizeable department include co-heads Bashir Ahmed and Amjad Ali Khan, project finance leader Masood Afridi and senior associate Rahat Dar.
Practice head(s):
Testimonials
‘Responsive and good value.‘
‘Rahat Dar is great.‘
Key clients
Bank of Ras Al Khaimah
Citibank
National Bank of Fujairah
United Bank Limited
Dunia Finance
Ajman Bank
Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
Commercial Bank of Dubai
United Arab Bank
JPMorgan Chase Bank
Sharjah Islamic Bank
Mashreq Bank
Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 3
Afridi & Angell 'delivers international quality advice on local law matters'; in addition to M&A, the team is also well versed in restructurings, reorganisations and antitrust matters. Highlights included its advice to French insurance brokerage group Siaci Saint Honoré on the acquisition of Driesassur Insurance Brokers; although a global deal, the UAE target business was structured separately from the broader Dreisassur Group. Charles Laubach and Bashir Ahmed jointly head the department. Danielle Lobo, who was promoted to partner in 2018, James Bowden, and senior associate Abdus Samad are also noted.
Practice head(s):
Testimonials
‘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.‘
Key clients
Data Hub Integrated Solutions LLC (MORO)
Al Nabooda
Yoox Net-a-Porter Group
Emirates District Cooling LLC (Emicool)
Dubai Investments
Gulf Business Machines
Det Norske Veritas AS
DUBAL Holding LLC
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Weaves UAE Trading LLC
Infrastructure and projects (including project finance) Tier 3
Afridi & Angell excels in energy projects in Pakistan, where the firm has an impressive track record. The firm also stands out for its experience in local projects in the UAE; recent highlights include advising the Commercial Bank of Dubai on a non-recourse term-loan facility to Emirates RDF LLC to part-finance the development, construction and operation of a Refuse Derived Fuel facility in the Emirate of Umm Al Quwain. Masood Afridi heads the infrastructure and project finance team; lawyers across the corporate, banking and dispute resolution practices are also involved in the firm's projects work.
Practice head(s):
Key clients
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA)
Hawa Holding
Jhimpir Power Limited
Azad Pattan Power Private Limited (APPP)
ACWA Power
Al Etihad Energy Services (Etihad ESCO)
The Regulatory and Supervisory Bureau (RSB)
Shipping Tier 3
As part of its broader practices, litigators and deal lawyers in Afridi & Angell handle complex shipping work. Bashir Ahmed's transactional practice includes some shipping work, and for disputes work Chatura Randeniya's practice includes complex and cross-border work, often concerning vessel arrests.
Testimonials
‘Afridi & Angell have a very qualified team who are well versed with the local laws and provide correct advice to their clients. They are very prompt and efficient and always well researched.’
Key clients
Hyundai Heavy Industries
Steamship Mutual
Transworld Group of Companies
American President Lines
Orient Express Lines
West of England Ship Owners Mutual Insurance Assocation
Orient Overseas Container Line
National Bank of Fujairah
Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank
Emirates NBD
Afridi & Angell > Firm Profile
The firm: Afridi & Angell is a leading full-service law firm in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The firm was set up in 1975. Its lawyers are trained in international jurisdictions and bring with them international experience and the world’s business languages. The firm’s clients range in size and sophistication from start-ups to some of the region’s largest public and private companies and government institutions.
Afridi & Angell is the exclusive member firm for the UAE of a number of the top legal networks and associations, most notably Lex Mundi, the world’s leading network of independent law firms with preferred access to more than 21,000 lawyers in 100+ countries worldwide. Afridi & Angell is also a member of World Services Group (WSG). The WSG network brings together more than 19,000 professionals in almost 400 offices spanning 100 countries globally.
Areas of practice: Banking and finance: Afridi & Angell’s banking and finance practice is recognised as one of the strongest and most experienced in the region. Clients include domestic and international banks, financial institutions, borrowers and investors. The firm regularly advises on project finance transactions, structured finance, capital markets, investment products, acquisition finance, Islamic finance, asset finance and structuring, trade, consumer and treasury products.
Commercial, corporate and M&A: Afridi & Angell’s full-service corporate/commercial practice covers the full range of matters from M&A, joint ventures, private equity transactions, funds and corporate restructurings to general day-to-day corporate matters. The team has been involved in transactions of every size and scope in various industry sectors and is renowned for handling first-time and innovative transactions.
Energy, infrastructure and project finance: The infrastructure and project finance team sets the pace for the energy industry in the region. The firm has successfully advised stakeholders on all aspects of infrastructure projects from inception to financing and implementation, often in challenging circumstances. Many of the projects on which the team has advised have been groundbreaking in terms of the particular type of infrastructure in question and the financing backing the project.
Dispute resolution: Afridi & Angell’s dispute resolution team is recognised as one of the strongest in the UAE. It represents clients in civil and criminal matters with a number of lawyers having advocacy rights to appear before the DIFC Courts. In the local courts, the team assists and coordinates litigations with local advocates to develop strategies, evaluate facts and formulate legal positions for clients in the enforcement of awards and judgments. The firm also represents clients in international and ad hoc arbitrations.
Real estate: The real estate team’s in-depth understanding of the legal and business environments in the UAE and the region, combined with its strong relationships with government authorities, enables it to provide commercially astute and trusted advice to clients. The team regularly represents master developers, sub-developers, property owners, architects, engineers, contractors and government entities in all stages of the real estate and construction processes.
Shipping: Afridi & Angell’s shipping practice is one of the most established and reputable practices in the region. It represents and advises ship owners, P&I Clubs, dry docks, freight forwarders, courier companies, and banks. The firm advises on arrest of vessels, shipbuilding contracts, cargo claims, and regulation including environmental regulation relating to or affecting transportation.
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banking and finance | Amjad Ali Khan | akhan@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Banking and finance | Bashir Ahmed | bahmed@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Capital markets | Stuart Walker | swalker@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Corporate and M&A | Amjad Ali Khan | akhan@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Corporate and M&A | Charles S Laubach | claubach@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Corporate and M&A | Bashir Ahmed | bahmed@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Corporate and M&A | James Bowden | jbowden@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Corporate and M&A | Danielle Lobo | dlobo@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Employment | Charles S Laubach | claubach@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Employment | Stuart Walker | swalker@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Energy | Masood K Afridi | mafridi@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Financial services regulation | Stuart Walker | swalker@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Financial services regulation | Amjad Ali Khan | akhan@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Infrastructure and project finance | Charles S Laubach | claubach@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Infrastructure and project finance | Masood K Afridi | mafridi@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Insurance | Amjad Ali Khan | akhan@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Insurance | Bashir Ahmed | bahmed@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Litigation support and arbitration | Haider K Afridi | hafridi@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Litigation support and arbitration | Chatura Randeniya | crandeniya@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Maritime and transport | Bashir Ahmed | bahmed@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Maritime and transport | Chatura Randeniya | crandeniya@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Private equity | Danielle Lobo | dlobo@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Privatisation | Charles S Laubach | claubach@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Privatisation | Masood K Afridi | mafridi@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Real estate, venture capital | Shahram Safai | ssafai@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Restructuring | Charles S Laubach | claubach@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Restructuring | Bashir Ahmed | bahmed@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Restructuring | James Bowden | jbowden@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
| Sports, entertainment and media | Masood K Afridi | mafridi@afridi-angell.com | +971 4 330 3900 |
Staff Figures
Number of lawyers : 30 at this office : 26Languages
Afrikaans Arabic English Farsi French Hindi Japanese Sinhalese UrduMemberships
Lex Mundi World Services GroupOther
Other offices : Abu Dhabi Other offices : Sharjah Other offices : Dubai International Financial CentrePress Releases
Afridi & Angell Announces New Partners
4th February 2019DUBAI - Monday 14 January 2019 - Afridi & Angell is pleased to announce that Chatura Randeniya and Danielle Lobo have been admitted to the partnership, effective 1 November 2018.
Afridi & Angell receives honourable mentions at The Oath Middle East Legal Awards 2018
3rd January 2019DUBAI - Sunday 16 December 2018 - At The Oath Middle East Legal Awards on Wednesday 5 December 2018, Afridi & Angell received multiple honourable mentions including Regional Law Firm of the Year, Banking & Finance Team of the Year, and Employment Team of the Year.
Significant Precedents from the DIFC Courts
12th November 2018Historic precedents from the DIFC Courts after Afridi & Angell successfully defended an anti-suit injunction, an application to exclude evidence and obtained a document production order.
Legal Developments
DIFC Workplace Savings Scheme (with effect from 1 February 2020)
17th January 2020 On 14 January 2020, the Employment Law Amendment Law (DIFC Law 4 of 2020) and the Employment Regulations (the Amendment) were enacted. The Amendment introduces a new mandatory workplace savings scheme, which replaces the current end-of-service gratuity regime. The new scheme commences on 1 February 2020. Read more...Slightly more clarity: Economic Substance Regulations in the DIFC
23rd December 2019 The DIFC has provided slightly more clarity as to how UAE Cabinet Decision 31 of 2019 (the Economic Substance Regulations, or ESR) will apply within Dubai's financial free zone. Helpful as the guidance is, significant questions remain.The use of experts in the UAE municipal courts: Seven things you need to know
13th December 2019 1. There is a high possibility that you will have to present your case to an expert: Although the appointment of experts is more likely in technical disputes (e.g. maritime disputes, construction disputes, etc.), it is increasingly common for the UAE courts to refer disputes which, on the face of it do not require expert assistance, to experts.Regulatory Authorities of UAE Economic Substance Regulations announced
12th November 2019 Further to our previous inBrief dated 7 July 2019, which disucssed UAE Cabinet Resolution 31 of 2019 Concerning Economic Substance Regulations (the UAE Economic Substance Regulations or the Regulations), and inBrief dated 10 October 2019, which discussed the Guidance on UAE Economic Substance Regulations issued by the UAE Ministry of Finance, Cabinet Decision No. 58 of 2019 has now designated the regulatory authorities (the Regulatory Authorities) to regulate compliance with the UAE Economic Substance Regulations.UAE Ministry of Finance Issues Guidance on Economic Substance Regulations
12th November 2019 A previous inBrief dated 7 July 2019 discussed UAE Cabinet Resolution 31 of 2019 Concerning Economic Substance Regulations (the UAE Economic Substance Regulations or the Regulations).Emirates Development Bank appointed to maintain Register of Finance Leases
12th November 2019 Pursuant to UAE Federal Cabinet Resolution No. 56 of 2019, Emirates Development Bank has been appointed to maintain the register of finance lease contracts created pursuant to UAE Federal Law No. 8 of 2018 on Finance Lease (the Finance Lease Law or the Law).New Administrative Fines Imposed by the UAE Insurance Authority
11th March 2019On 6 January 2019, UAE Cabinet Resolution No. 7 of 2019 Concerning the Administrative Fines Imposed by the Insurance Authority was published in the UAE Official Gazette, which lists a total of 204 items that are considered to be violations by the Insurance Authority and their corresponding penalties. This resolution will come into force on 6 April 2019 and will apply to any person, company or insurance-related professional that commits any of the violations listed in the resolution.
New Long Term Residency Visas
19th February 2019After much media coverage, Cabinet Decision 56 of 2018 (the Decision) has been gazetted which introduces new long term residency visas to, amongst others, four categories of persons in the UAE.
Significant Changes to Civil Procedure Code
19th February 2019Significant changes to Federal Law No 11 of 1992 (the Civil Procedure Code) will soon be coming into effect. These changes are introduced through regulations (the Regulations ) issued under the Civil Procedure Code and will come into effect on 16 February 2019.
Merger Clearance Matters
19th February 2019The United Arab Emirates (the UAE) promulgated legislation to specifically address the regulation of competition (being Federal Law 4 of 2012, or the Competition Law) several years ago but until recently, it has been the case that the requisite implementing regulations and processes were not in place. This is no longer the case. Not only have the much anticipated implementing regulations been issued, the UAE Ministry of Economy (the Ministry) (being the regulator in charge of administering the UAE competition regime) has now formed the required committee and issued the anticipated guidance and forms to allow concerned parties to make merger clearance submissions to the Ministry where required to do so pursuant to the Competition Law.
New Promotion Regime for Domestic Funds
4th February 2019In late November 2018, the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) announced that they had reached agreement on facilitating the licensing of domestic funds by each authority for promotion across the UAE.
Federal Penal Code Amendments
3rd January 2019In the latest development in an eventful year, Federal Decree-Law 24 of 2018 introduces amendments to the Federal Penal Code, originally enacted as Federal Law 3 of 1987.
The amendments are designed to make the Penal Code consistent with other recent federal legislation and current federal enforcement policies. Only ten provisions of the statute have been affected, out of the more than 400 total articles contained in the statute.
Click here for more information.
New Anti-Money Laundering Law
10th December 2018The new anti-money laundering (AML) law of the UAE took effect at the end of October 2018. Containing features recommended by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the new law introduces subtle but important changes to the AML landscape in the UAE.
Confidentiality Under Renewed Focus
10th December 2018The UAE federal government has recently issued a raft of important legislation, addressing and in many ways updating areas of law that are key to businesses in the jurisdiction. Amongst this legislation is Federal Decree-Law 14 of 2018 concerning the central bank and the organisation of financial institutions and activities (the New Banking Law) and Federal Decree-Law 20 of 2018 concerning anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism financing (the New AML Law). Both the New Banking Law and the New AML Law repeal and replace the previous legislation on their respective subjects. Importantly, the New Banking Law and the New AML Law have together enhanced the protection afforded to confidential information under UAE law, in particular where financial and legal service providers and their customers and clients are concerned.
Read more...The New Foreign Direct Investment Law
14th November 2018News on the new federal law on foreign direct investment in the UAE has many people asking: Does this mean I can now form a new company with majority foreign ownership?
The answer is the same as previously, "No, not yet". Read more...
ADGM Announces Tech Start-Up Licensing Regime
13th November 2018The Abu Dhabi Global Market (the ADGM) recently announced the launch of a commercial license specifically catered towards tech start-ups that allows entrepreneurs to obtain an operational license in the ADGM and access to a Professional Services Support Program aimed at allowing entrepreneurs entry to a community of businesses, financial services and professional advisors. Read more...
Application for an Anti-Suit Injunction: Dismissed
13th November 2018Legal update on the dismissal of the anti-suit injunction in the groundbreaking DIFC case of ED&F Man Capital Markets MENA Ltd v RJ O'Brien MENA Capital Ltd (and others). Read more...
New Services by Dubai Rental Disputes Centre
13th November 2018On 8 October, the Rental Disputes Centre in Dubai launched the Rental Good Conduct Certificate service.
Netting arrangements in Qualified Financial Contracts made enforceable
12th November 2018Federal Decree-Law 10 of 2018 on Netting (the Netting Law) was published in the UAE Federal Gazette on 30 September 2018 and will take effect on 30 October 2018 (the Effective Date). It is a significant development to the derivatives framework in the UAE, in terms of both the legal enforceability of such arrangements and the ability to implement close-out netting (i.e., netting of obligations following an event of default or termination event), particularly following the bankruptcy of one of the parties.
Dubai relaxes rules on filing appeals before the Court of Cassation
10th October 2018
On 19 September 2018,
H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai, issued Decree
No. 28 of 2018 concerning the Acceptance of the Civil Petitions before Dubai
Courts (the Decree). The Decree was
issued by His Highness to address the procedures in filing appeals to the Court
of Cassation. The Court of Cassation is the highest court in Dubai. 
Read more...
Cautious Optimism on 100 per cent Foreign Ownership
31st July 2018
Recent media reports have suggested that 100 per cent foreign ownership of companies in the UAE will now be permitted. The reports are based on a government press release regarding a UAE Federal Cabinet (Cabinet) meeting held on 20 May 2018. Read more...