Bird & Bird > Dubai, United Arab Emirates > Firm Profile

Bird & Bird > The Legal 500 Rankings

United Arab Emirates > Intellectual property Tier 2

Praised for its ‘practical and commercially insightful advice’, Bird & Bird maintains a strong IP offering, encompassing expertise in trade secrets, product design, data privacy and trademarks. The team is additionally well placed to assist with a range of strategic work connected to the management of IP portfolios. ‘Standout partner’ Melissa Murray spearheads the practice and is highlighted for her ‘real expertise, network and client management’. Sahar Tarhini regularly advises clients on brand protection mandates and global brand clearance strategies.

United Arab Emirates > Banking and finance: Financial services regulation Tier 3

Bird & Bird has notable strength in digital assets, cryptocurrency, and blockchain, where it is sought out by fintech clients. The team also advises sovereign and government-backed asset management funds on high-stakes financial matters and also assists clients with navigating regulations. Practice head Gregory Man has been active in instructions pertaining to e-wallet and mobile payments, cross-border token transfers, and the development of secondary trading platforms - among others work. Associate Jessica White is also noted.

United Arab Emirates > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 3

Bird & Bird is regularly entrusted by public and private bodies and government entities on some of the largest developments and projects in the region, utilising formidable commercial capabilities to act on a range of contractual, regulatory, compliance and technological instructions - among others. On the corporate side, the firm has a strong track record in M&A, corporate restructuring, and joint ventures. The practice is jointly led by Anders Nilsson, who handles the corporate side, and Melissa Murray, who oversees commercial matters. Both partners have considerable market experience and act for a range of premium domestic and international clients. Senior associate Surabhi Singhi is another figure of note, and supported on a range of departmental mandates.  

United Arab Emirates > Dispute resolution: arbitration and international litigation Tier 3

Bird & Bird's wide-ranging practice covers the full gamut of litigation and arbitration work, with specific expertise in the energy, manufacturing and technology sectors, and strong engagement with complex fraud investigations. The group acts for a strong roster of clients including multinationals, government and public bodies - both domestic and foreign. Lucas Pitts is chiefly recognised for handling aviation, finance and fraud matters, and has a wealth of experience acting across the ADGM and DIFC courts as well as the DIAC. Senior associate Yannick Hefti provides support on international litigation, arbitration and investigations.

United Arab Emirates > TMT Tier 3

Bird & Bird continue to maintain its reputable contentious and non-contentious TMT offering in the UAE, with areas such as media, telecoms, data privacy, fintech and cybersecurity considered key areas of expertise. The team has a strong reputation for privacy and data protection work, regularly providing tailored advice concerning data retention, international data transfers, policy drafting and data protection compliance. Data privacy is also a specialism for associate Nootash Keyhani, as well as technology and digital transformation. David Bintliff left the firm at the end of 2023.

United Arab Emirates > Employment Tier 4

Praised for its ‘specialised knowledge of labour law matters across several jurisdictions’, Bird & Bird handles employment contracts, investigations, exits and transfers. Johannes Eisser oversees the team, his recent caseload featuring a number of employee terminations, while Surabhi Singhi is knowledgeable of post-termination restrictions and obligations.

United Arab Emirates > Banking and finance: Corporate finance (including Islamic lending) Tier 5

Widely praised for their ‘remarkable experience’, ‘dedication to excellence‘ and ‘client-centered approach’, Bird & Bird acts on complex financing deals that are often first-of-their-kind for the respective jurisdiction and client, including a wide range of Islamic financings. Financial regulatory expertise is fully integrated into the team, allowing the experienced practitioners to advise across all aspects of multi-layered transactions, routinely cross-border. Gregory Man has ‘profound knowledge of the field’ and provides ‘meticulous attention to detail’, active across project finance, asset finance, securitisation and structured projects – amongst others. Jessica White, who joined from Allen & Overy LLP in October 2022, has been highly active on a range of matters, often working closely with a number of top domestic banks and financial services providers.