Baker Botts L.L.P. > Dubai, United Arab Emirates > Firm Profile
Baker Botts L.L.P. Offices
EMAAR SQUARE BUILDING NO 6
7TH FLOOR, PO BOX 23425
DUBAI
United Arab Emirates
Baker Botts L.L.P. > The Legal 500 Rankings
United Arab Emirates > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 3
The corporate team at Baker Botts L.L.P. is recognised for its strength in advising overseas investors seeking to expand into the UAE and wider Middle East region. It also has particular expertise in the franchising space, with the team advising on a number of high-profile corporations. The group is co-headed by Haitham Hawashin, who has extensive experience in cross-border public and private M&A deals, and Mark Bisch, who focuses on joint ventures, contracting, corporate governance, and regulatory compliance matters.Practice head(s):
Mark Bisch; Haitham Hawashin
Other key lawyers:
Hassan Elsayed; Stephen Matthews; Shakir Mabrur
Testimonials
‘The Baker Botts team has the mentality of helping clients solve problems, whether through pure legal analysis and more often than not, business guidance. They don’t just look at issues through the legal lens, but offer a comprehensive view of overall risk to your business.’
‘Mark Bisch stands out because of his dedication to being a sounding board and sparring partner for the client. His responsiveness is astounding.’
‘Hassan Elsayed has very deep knowledge and understanding of local law, and the practical viewpoint for how to actually get things done.’
‘Very good team, always available, and very diversified resources.’
‘Haitham Hawashin and Shakir Mabrur are excellent in supporting clients. They are very professional and look to the best of the interest of their client.’
‘What makes this practice unique is the combination of Mark Bisch and Hassan Elsayed who have been practicing together in Dubai since the mid-1990s. They have seen it all in Dubai and they are able to provide extremely practical, relevant, local practice advice.’
‘Very personalised approach with a lot of attention to the client experience.’
‘Very proactive approach to instructions, dealt with very swiftly and concisely. Particularly good experience with Mark Bisch.’
Key clients
Derayah Financial
Eshraq Investments
Halliburton
McDermott International
Shuaa Capital psc
Black & Veatch
Oxford Nanopore Technologies
Yas Holding LLC
GFH Financial Group BSC
United Arab Emirates > Dispute resolution: arbitration and international litigation Tier 4
Baker Botts L.L.P. is particularly active in real estate, commercial and investor-state arbitration and DIFC court proceedings. The team is led by Philip Punwar from Dubai, who has extensive experience handling cross-border disputes, with particular expertise acting in disputes involving private and governmental entities, real-estate developments, foreign investment, and commercial arrangements.Practice head(s):
Philip Punwar
Other key lawyers:
Dorine Farah; Dustin Appel
Key clients
Pinsent Mason LLP
SKAT
Republic of Iraq
Saudi Arabia > Commercial, corporate and M&A
Law Office of Mohanned bin Saud Al-Rasheed in association with Baker Botts L.L.P. continues to handle a steady stream of high-end corporate mandates. Shadi Haroon leads the team from Riyadh, and is sought after by international clients for his expertise in complex multi-jurisdictional matters. The team is supported from Dubai by Haitham Hawashin, who is very experienced in private equity work, joint venture transactions and cross-border securities matters. Hanan Easa and Rakan Alyusuf are key names to note, and the practice was bolstered by the arrival of Omar Iqbal in September 2022.Practice head(s):
Shadi Haroon
Other key lawyers:
Baker Botts L.L.P. > Firm Profile
Baker Botts is a leading international law firm with 11 offices located in the US, Europe, and the Middle East. Based on its experience and knowledge of its clients’ industries, the firm is recognized as a leading firm in the energy, technology and life sciences sectors. Baker Botts lawyers work on a range of complex legal issues, including global energy and renewables projects, intellectual property, commercial litigation, corporate transactions, environmental compliance challenges and tax disputes. The firm has worked on behalf of clients in more than 100 countries, and the firm regularly consults on matters that have a local, regional and global impact.
Main areas of practice
Corporate department: Corporate lawyers handle complex matters, advising clients on a full range of corporate, securities and financing matters, including public offerings and private placements of equity and debt for both issuers and underwriters or placement agents. In addition, the firm’s corporate lawyers have extensive experience in private equity and venture capital fund transactions and specialised financing in domestic and international contexts.
Global projects department: Global projects lawyers provide clients with in-depth legal advice in the world’s major energy-producing regions. Areas include: oil and gas, project development and finance, real estate, energy regulatory and international trade. These focus on energy and infrastructure projects in both development and operational stages, as well as advisement in respect to regulatory, import/export, finance and commercial business transactions often required after these projects commence.
Intellectual property department: The firm offers a national and international practice including patent litigation, patent procurement, patent licensing and due diligence. Other areas of practice include strategic IP counselling, trademark acquisition, trademark and copyright litigation, franchise and distribution and other intellectual property transactions. With the skill set to protect and advance clients goals, combined with technical knowledge and industry experience, firm lawyers are able to work with clients facing complex technology issues.
Litigation department: Litigators handle commercial, securities, professional liability, product liability, patent, white-collar, antitrust, international arbitration, environment and energy litigation, as well as the appellate issues that arise from these matters. The firm’s representations reflect the broad litigation practice, with matters ranging from wins in high-profile cases to precedent setting victories. The firm has one of the legal industry’s largest and most diverse environmental practices. The firm’s lawyers excel in courtrooms across the United States and internationally, helping resolve clients’ legal problems in a variety of industries.
Tax department: Comprised of four sections, including income tax, state tax, employee benefits and executive compensation and private clients services, the tax department provides advice to clients across the spectrum of business activities and investments. Lawyers develop plans and structures to achieve clients’ objectives while minimizing the impact of federal, state and international taxes. The firm also features a substantial employee benefits and executive compensation practice, and provides counselling to individuals, families and entrepreneurs on wealth transfer and succession planning tax issues.
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate | Mike Bengtson (Chair) | mike.bengtson@bakerbotts.com | +1 512 322 2604 |
| Corporate | Samantha Hale Crispin (Chair) | samantha.crispin@bakerbotts.com | +1 214 953 6497 |
| Global Projects | Jason Bennett (Chair) | jason.bennett@bakerbotts.com | +1 713 229 1403 |
| Intellectual Property | Robert Scheinfeld (Chair) | robert.scheinfeld@bakerbotts.com | +1 212 408 2512 |
| Litigation | Danny David (Chair) | danny.david@bakerbotts.com | +1 713 229 4055 |
| Litigation | Bridget Moore (Chair) | bridget.moore@bakerbotts.com | +1 202 639 7740 |
| Tax | Stephen Marcus (Chair) | steve.marcus@bakerbotts.com | +1 214 953 6533 |