ADG Legal

Partner Francesco Bulleri discusses how ADG Legal combines local expertise with international transactional experience to support businesses operating in the UAE and across the wider region.   What do you see as the main points that differentiate ADG Legal from your competitors? What distinguishes ADG Legal is the way we combine strong local foundations with international experience. In the UAE legal market, many firms tend to sit at one end of the spectrum. Some are international firms operating through regional offices, while others are domestic firms focused primarily on local mandates. Our model sits somewhere between those two approaches. We are a UAE‑headquartered firm with Emirati partners and lawyers who understand the legal and regulatory environment here in a very practical way. At the same time, a number of our lawyers trained and worked in international law firms or multinational organisations across Europe, Asia and Africa. That combination allows us to support businesses both locally and on cross‑border matters. It means we understand the regulatory and commercial realities of the UAE while also being familiar with how international transactions are structured. In practice, we often act as a bridge between the local regulatory framework and the expectations of international investors entering the region. A significant part of our work involves supporting international businesses establishing or expanding their operations in the UAE. Our Corporate team reflects that international perspective. The team spans more than 11 jurisdictions and collectively speaks more than 11 languages, which is particularly helpful when advising on regional investments and cross‑border transactions. Across the wider firm we also bring together lawyers and professionals from 25 nationalities, collectively speaking more than 20 languages, with varied cultural and legal backgrounds allowing us to better serve our clients, particularly in the UAE’s multicultural environment, which hosts so many nationalities. Clients also value the way our services are organised internally. Our corporate lawyers work closely with our notary and corporate services teams, allowing us to assist clients from the initial structuring stage through to company formation and project implementation. Having those capabilities working closely together tends to make transactions easier to manage and more efficient overall. Our focus is always on advice that works in practice for the client’s business.   Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that? The UAE continues to attract international investment, and that is reflected in the type of work we are seeing. Venture capital and technology transactions remain particularly active. The country has become increasingly attractive to founders, venture funds and technology companies, particularly in sectors such as fintech, artificial intelligence and digital platforms. This is creating steady demand for advice on investment structuring, shareholder arrangements and regional expansion. Cross‑border mergers and acquisitions are also continuing to grow. Many investors from Europe and Asia are using the UAE as a base for entering markets across the Middle East and Africa. More broadly, we are seeing investors increasingly view the UAE as a stable platform for regional expansion. This is leading to more sophisticated transactions that involve multiple jurisdictions and regulatory considerations. We are also seeing a rise in regulatory advisory work in developing sectors such as consumer products, hospitality concepts and digital services. As these industries expand, companies often need guidance on navigating evolving regulatory frameworks. Much of this activity reflects the continued internationalisation of the UAE economy and the increasing complexity of transactions taking place in the region.   What's the main change you've made in the firm that will benefit clients?  In recent years we have focused on strengthening the senior leadership within our corporate practice. We have expanded the team with senior lawyers who bring experience from leading international law firms and multinational corporations. This has broadened our capabilities in areas such as cross‑border M&A, venture capital transactions and infrastructure and energy projects. For businesses operating in the region, the ability to access that level of international transactional experience within a locally embedded firm can be very valuable. We have also worked to improve coordination across the firm. Our corporate lawyers collaborate closely with colleagues in dispute resolution, regulatory advisory and corporate services. This allows us to support clients more effectively across the full lifecycle of a transaction or investment.   Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them? Technology is certainly changing the way law firms interact with clients and manage legal work. We have implemented cloud‑based practice management systems and secure client portals that allow clients to access documents, monitor the progress of matters and communicate with the team in real time. For businesses operating across multiple jurisdictions, this level of accessibility can be very helpful. We are also exploring the use of artificial intelligence tools to support certain internal processes such as document review, knowledge management and legal research. These technologies can improve efficiency and allow lawyers to focus more of their time on analysis and client advice. At the same time, we approach the use of AI carefully, ensuring that any tools used by the firm are implemented responsibly and always under appropriate legal supervision. Virtual collaboration tools have also become a standard part of how transactions are managed. They make it easier for lawyers and clients in different locations to work together efficiently, particularly on cross‑border matters. At the same time, technology supports the delivery of legal services rather than replacing the human element. Legal judgement, experience and commercial understanding remain central to the value that lawyers provide.   Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?  A recent example involved advising an international investor entering the UAE through a joint venture with a regional partner. Our role went beyond drafting the agreements. We worked closely with the investor to structure the joint venture in a way that balanced regulatory compliance, operational control and long‑term flexibility. This included designing the governance framework, setting out shareholder rights and decision‑making processes, and considering potential exit options from the outset. We also guided the client through the regulatory process and coordinated with our corporate services team to ensure that the operational structure could be implemented smoothly. By approaching the transaction from a broader commercial perspective, we were able to establish a structure that mitigated potential risks while supporting the investor’s long‑term plans in the region.   Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms – where do you see the firm in three years’ time? Many clients are looking for advisers who can offer stability and clear judgement. Businesses today operate in an environment shaped by rapid technological change, evolving regulation and geopolitical uncertainty. In this context, clients increasingly value lawyers who can add far more than a strict interpretation of the law. They seek advisers who understand the commercial landscape and can help them navigate decisions in a structured, pragmatic way, particularly when operating across multiple jurisdictions. Over the next three years, I see ADG Legal further strengthening its position as a leading UAE‑headquartered firm with an international outlook. Our focus will remain on developing exceptional legal talent, deepening our expertise in areas such as technology, venture capital and international investment, and continuing to enhance the way we deliver our services through improved systems and stronger internal coordination. At the same time, we remain committed to the principles that have shaped the firm: strong local foundations, diverse leadership, and practical legal advice aligned with the commercial objectives of the businesses we assist.

What do you see as the main points that differentiate ADG Legal from your competitors? The world is shrinking, and UAE law firms need to evolve and adapt. clients, rightfully, expect to receive commercial advice, tailored to the relevant region(s), mindful of international factors and delivered with speed, accuracy, and professionalism. Speaking other languages and having a London office is a start, but we believe that our merge (of MAD Advocates and Kingsgrove Partners) has enabled us to take our UAE law firm even further. By successfully melding our extensive international and local experience (in the UAE and beyond), we provide our clients with a full local service, delivered to our exceptionally high international standards. Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that? The UAE has been increasingly applying pressure on financial fraud, other white-collar crimes, and money laundering which will, in parallel, increase the work in this area. We have seen the demand for our services in this area increase dramatically in recent months, and our Partner, Peter Gray, and I are regularly asked to speak at international conferences on this very subject. The fact that we are a local UAE firm with such broad international experience in this area makes us stand out from the crowd. Tax will of course be a growing practice in the coming years because the GCC countries are all implementing new tax regimes. For example, VAT tax has now been introduced in the UAE and all companies now need to consider its implications. With so much experience of VAT in other jurisdictions, we are well-placed to allay fears and provide practical advice and assistance. Disputes and debt collection issues continue to increase. There is no special formula to this – certain markets are in difficulty and businesses are struggling to collect payments from customers. We make sure that our dispute resolution advice is commercial, and our corporate team always encourages clients to implement dispute avoidance strategies. Really interesting is the significant growth in requests from Middle Eastern/ African governments for our advice and guidance. Our recent merger has brought together so much experience in this area, not just of our own lawyers, but from their extensive (and carefully curated) global network of trusted partners. Together with our strong academic and practical grasp of international best practices, we are well-placed to advise and assist. What's the main change you've made in the firm that will benefit clients? ADG Legal is committed to providing a responsive, international-standard, service to all clients. By providing our team with new systems and appropriate technology, we ensure that our newly merged team is always easily accessible. When a lawyer anticipates that they will be going “offline”, there will always be a backup lawyer to handle their matters. Responsiveness is key. Separately, away from paying clients, we have made a significant commitment to pro bono work. While some international firms have joined that commitment, there is a long way to go for the rest to go in matching the commitment seen in the UK and US. We hope to lead the way in that and demonstrate that we can give back to the community in a real way. Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients and the services you can provide them? Yes, and to a point, it can be difficult to take a breath! We believe that it’s important to remove communication barriers with our clients, and we must meet with them as they use WhatsApp instead of email and so on. That of course does not require much innovation on our part, but we try to show flexibility by using our clients’ preferred means of communicating. More importantly, we now have access to sensibly priced document management systems, meaning we can use powerful tools to help in most litigation which was formerly restricted to only the larger cases. As our use of technology has broadened, we have also implemented systems to ensure that our staff can enjoy all-important downtime without affecting our clients and their businesses. There is a balance, and we hope we are achieving it. Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business? One example is a client who contacted me requesting 10 different types of commercial and corporate contracts that they thought they required for their new business. After listening carefully, my initial response was to take everything one step at a time and only focus on the contracts that they truly needed. We reduced the contracts to just three, which were then drafted in different stages. This minimalized their legal costs and in return helped them run a successful and profitable start-up business in their very first year. They were thankful because some lawyers would have added to the list of contracts to charge higher fees. Another example is more general - relating to understanding the real market and not just what is written in books. When a client comes to us with a dispute, we always investigate commercial solutions rather than just going down the lengthy and expensive litigation route. Mindful of sensitivities involved in each situation, we always explore whether we should directly contact counterparties and look for an amicable settlement/resolution. With our broad experience, we can navigate clients through this process, but can also easily recognize when a counterparty is playing games, and so advise of the need to take a more aggressive route right the from start. Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms - where do you see the firm in three years’ time? Clients usually approach law firms to stabilize their businesses, so going to an unstable firm will not really make sense. We are committed to growing the ADG Legal team, both locally and internationally. We want to connect international clients and partners seamlessly with the region and promote a better understanding of the Middle East internationally. I hope that includes more international offices – we are in talks with various potential partners in the region, but we are not rushing – if the fit is not right, we will wait. Where do I see the firm in three years? At the top, In Sha’Allah!