Ms Melissa Murray > Bird & Bird > Dubai, United Arab Emirates > Lawyer Profile
Bird & Bird Offices
LEVEL 14, BURJ DAMAN
DUBAI INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL CENTRE
PO BOX 507110
United Arab Emirates
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Ms Melissa Murray
Work Department
Intellectual Property
Position
Melissa is the head of the Intellectual Property Group for the Middle East, global co-head of the Franchise Group and a partner in the International Commercial Group.
Career
Melissa has practised in the UAE since 2006 and has been recognised and ranked in many of the legal directories for her commercial and intellectual property experience.
She advises our clients on intellectual property, commercial, corporate and general litigation matters relating to their operations in the UAE and the wider Middle East region. This covers matters such as IT, IP, trademark protection, franchising, and commercial licensing of intellectual property, media, healthcare, consumer protection and regulatory issues. She particularly specialises in franchising, distribution and supply agreements having acted for some of the world largest brands when licensing their intellectual property in the Middle East.
I also regularly write chapters for legal text books such as the Franchise Law Review, the Life Sciences Reviews, the Franchise Law Journal, the IBA’s newsletters and Middle East journals and I’m regularly invited to speak at events throughout the GCC.
Languages
English
Memberships
Melissa is a member of Chartered Secretaries Australia (Australian Division of ICSA), is the Middle East representative for the Leisure Industries section of the IBA Legal Practice Division and is a member of a number of UAE, UK, USA and Australian business associations.
Her professional memberships also include INTA, the American Bar Association and she is a member the Franchising Committee of the International Bar Association.
Education
Melissa is admitted to the Supreme Court of Queensland and holds an LLB from the Queensland University of Technology, Australia and a Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance.
Lawyer Rankings
United Arab Emirates > Intellectual property
(Leading individuals)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 > Commercial, corporate and M&A
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.
Lawyer Rankings
- Leading individuals United Arab Emirates > Intellectual property
- Intellectual property United Arab Emirates
- Commercial, corporate and M&A United Arab Emirates