Melissa Forbes-Miranda > Stephenson Harwood Middle East LLP > Dubai, United Arab Emirates > Lawyer Profile
Stephenson Harwood Middle East LLP Offices
LEVEL 13
BURJ DAMAN BUILDING
DIFC, P.O. BOX 482017
United Arab Emirates
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Melissa Forbes-Miranda
Work Department
Corporate, Commercial and M&A, Technology
Position
Partner
Personal
Melissa is a corporate and commercial partner based in Dubai. She has extensive experience in advising on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, foreign direct investment, restructuring and insolvency, shareholder disputes, private equity and venture capital, as well as general corporate and commercial advisory matters throughout the Middle East. She has a reputation for providing legal advice that is commercially relevant, on-point, adds value and is strategic to the needs of her clients.
Having been based in the UAE for over 15 years, Melissa has established herself as a trusted advisor and key point of contact for numerous multinational and regional clients seeking legal counsel throughout the Middle East region.
Melissa’s practice focuses primarily on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, foreign direct investment, restructuring and insolvency, shareholder disputes, private equity and venture capital. She specialises in supporting clients through local and cross-border transactions, as well as advising on a wide spectrum of corporate and commercial legal issues.
Her practice extends to commercial, outsourcing and technology mandates such as distribution and agency arrangements, franchising and licensing, regulatory issues (particularly licensing, competition law and corporate governance issues), hotel management agreements, supply and service agreements and commercial disputes.
Melissa has a particularly strong reputation for her expertise in the technology sector, having worked on various matters relating to data centres, cybersecurity, defence technology, healthcare technology, technology product manufacturing and distribution, software licensing and development, fintech, e-commerce, online advertising and media, internet of things (IOT), blockchain / cryptocurrency and cleantech.
Melissa also has clients that span across a broad range of other sectors, including financial services, insurance, life sciences, healthcare, industrials and manufacturing, consumer, real estate and construction, professional services (particularly education), and hotels and leisure.
Lawyer Rankings
United Arab Emirates > Commercial, corporate and M&A
(Next Generation Partners)Stephenson Harwood Middle East LLP remains a key adviser to a diverse client base, including industry players, multinationals, and government-backed entities, while increasingly acting for family offices and US corporates and funds on a growing range of mandates. Diwakar Agarwal is praised for his ‘deep understanding of the legal and regulatory framework in the region’ and is particularly active in the tech, education, healthcare, and e-commerce industries. Melissa Forbes-Miranda is recognised for her expertise in cross-border transactions and distressed deals, while also advising on business-critical commercial agreements for regional corporates. Sandeep Dhama is sought after for market entry guidance and a variety of M&A and private equity transactions. Toufic Safie remains a crucial supporting presence.
United Arab Emirates > TMT
The multidisciplinary TMT practice at Stephenson Harwood Middle East LLP is reputed for its data protection, digital asset regulation, and fintech expertise. Well regarded in the technology sector, practice head Melissa Forbes-Miranda is skilled at software licensing and development work. Philip Clarke and Sandeep Dhama are often engaged in virtual asset matters, while Diwakar Agarwal is another key team member for corporate and commercial transactions.
Lawyer Rankings
- Next Generation Partners United Arab Emirates > Commercial, corporate and M&A
- TMT United Arab Emirates
- Commercial, corporate and M&A United Arab Emirates