Sadiq Jafar, Managing Partner
Sadiq Jafar, Managing Partner of Hadef & Partners, shares insights on the firm's unique market position, growth areas, talent development initiatives, and strategic vision in this exclusive interview.
What do you see as the main points that differentiate Hadef & Partners from your competitors?
Our distinctive strength lies in seamlessly blending authentic Emirati heritage with international legal expertise. As one of the UAE's longest-established law firms, we offer unparalleled local knowledge combined with global standards of practice. The unique combination of deep local roots, international-calibre expertise, and comprehensive service offerings allows us to navigate the UAE's legal landscape in an optimal and effective manner for our governmental and private sector clients.
We are extremely proud of our diversity, allied with very high overall retention rates. At the senior end, more than 35% of our team of 180 people have served more than 10 years with the firm. This commitment and continuity helps ensure consistent, relationship-based client service and preserves deep institutional knowledge for the benefit of our clients.
Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?
We continue to experience growth and strong demand across all our practice areas, from Corporate and M&A, through to litigation across the range of UAE courts and tribunals.
We are proud of our preeminent Government & Regulatory Practice that currently serves as trusted advisor to numerous federal, governmental and quasi-governmental entities on complex legislative and regulatory frameworks across diverse sectors. Our unparalleled expertise has positioned us at the forefront of legal innovation in the region, having successfully drafted and implemented over 250 laws throughout the UAE. This remarkable achievement underscores our deep understanding of the local legal environment, our technical proficiency, and our ability to align regulatory solutions with national strategic objectives. As regulatory demands continue to evolve across the Emirates, our practice remains the preferred partner for government entities seeking sophisticated legal counsel on matters of national importance. This expertise and experience is also highly sought by private sector clients seeking to navigate the laws and regulations of the UAE and obtain expert legal opinions and support.
As might be expected, there has been a high emphasis on sectors such as technology, media and telecommunications (TMT), transportation, education, healthcare, family business structuring, real estate, corporate tax and financial services. The UAE's digital transformation initiatives and focus on innovation have significantly increased the need for our TMT expertise, while generational transition drives substantial work with family businesses seeking advice on governance structures and succession planning. Corporate tax is a relatively new, and vital, area, with strong and increasing market demand.
The real estate sector continues to show remarkable resilience and growth, generating consistent demand for our comprehensive property-related services.
To meet these needs, we have strategically expanded our specialist teams in these high-growth areas while providing sector-focused solutions. Our integrated approach combines technical legal expertise with deep industry knowledge, ensuring we provide commercially relevant advice to address the unique challenges and opportunities these sectors present in the UAE's evolving economic landscape.
What's the main change you've made in the firm that will benefit clients?
The most significant change we've implemented is our comprehensive talent development program, representing a substantial investment in our people that directly benefits our clients.
We've established a structured career progression framework that combines technical legal training with business development skills and industry-specific knowledge. This investment ensures our legal teams possess not just exceptional legal expertise, but also deep understanding of our clients' sectors and commercial realities.
Our commitment extends to recruiting and developing Emirati legal talent, creating pathways for UAE nationals to excel in the legal profession. This strategic focus strengthens our local insights and connections while enhancing our ability to navigate the unique aspects of UAE law and business culture on behalf of clients.
We've also embraced technological advancement by implementing new practice management systems and knowledge-sharing platforms that facilitate collaboration across our offices and practice groups. This infrastructure allows us to deliver more efficient, responsive service while maintaining the highest standards of quality.
The results of this people-centric approach are evident in our improved client satisfaction metrics, increased matter efficiency, and our ability to handle increasingly complex, multi-jurisdictional matters with our home-grown talent. By investing in our people, we're achieving superior outcomes for our clients.
Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?
The essence of our client relationships remains unchanged - built on trust, understanding, and personal connection. Technology isn't fundamentally altering these interactions, but rather enhancing our service delivery in meaningful ways. Our implementation of AI-powered tools for legal research, contract analysis, and due diligence has streamlined processes and improved accuracy, allowing us to deliver more value within tighter timeframes.
We're embracing this evolution with a mindset of continuous learning, investing in our team's technical capabilities while maintaining our focus on practical legal solutions. As we look to the future, we're excited about the potential of emerging technologies to further strengthen our service offering, whilst remaining committed to the principle that technology serves to augment rather than replace the human expertise and judgment that our clients value in their legal advisors.
Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms - where do you see the firm in three years’ time?
Hadef & Partners is the epitome of stability and permanence within the UAE: our specialist jurisdiction, our home.
We are focused on strategic expansion of our service capabilities to address emerging legal challenges in the UAE's rapidly evolving regulatory landscape. We continue to focus on developing specialized tax, AI regulatory and data protection practices — areas that will be critical as the UAE continues its economic transformation while aligning with global regulatory standards.
Investment in our people remains a key focus and this will continue to evolve through expanded professional development programs and leadership initiatives. This includes a continued focus on diversity, as well as nurturing our Emirati talent, which is fundamental to our identity and success.
We are accelerating our digital transformation program to improve client service delivery while maintaining the personal approach that distinguishes our firm. By embracing legal technology solutions alongside our deep market knowledge, we aim to continually set new standards for legal service excellence in the UAE market while preserving the relationship-based culture that has defined our firm for 45 years.