K&L Gates > Dubai, United Arab Emirates > Firm Profile

K&L Gates
CURRENCY HOUSE, LEVEL 4
DUBAI INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CENTRE, P.O. BOX 506826
DUBAI
United Arab Emirates

Email firm Visit website 971 4 427 2700 971 4 447 5225

United Arab Emirates > Construction Tier 4

Lauded for its ‘exceptionally pragmatic approach’, K&L Gates represents local and international corporations and individuals on international arbitration matters. Jonathan Sutcliffe co-leads the team with Jennifer Paterson, who is ‘superb at analysing a legal problem and coming up with the solutions a client needs'.

Practice head(s):

Jonathan Sutcliffe; Jennifer Paterson

Testimonials

‘Extremely knowledgeable, yet exceptionally pragmatic in its approach.’

‘The team quickly identifies complex issues and facilitate pragmatic solutions. Its knowledge of the area of construction law is state-of-the-art.’

‘The K&L Gates Dubai disputes team is very experienced in construction and infrastructure matters. They are professional, efficient, easy to work with, and deliver practical advice.’

‘The KLG construction team in the UAE is outstanding, the skills from different areas are drawn together in a collegiate and highly effective way.’

‘Jonathan Sutcliffe is a good strategist and well-versed in the intricacies of UAE construction work.’

‘Jonathan Sutcliffe brings a great deal knowledge to the table. He is a very technically capable lawyer who is very intelligent and insightful.’

‘Jennifer Patterson is a superb at analysing legal problems and coming up with the solutions a client needs.’

‘Jennifer Paterson and Jonathan Sutcliffe are impressive lawyers with a real eye for detail.’

Work highlights

United Arab Emirates > Dispute resolution: arbitration and international litigation Tier 4

K&L Gates is able to leverage expertise from the firm's offices across Europe, US and Asia to handle complex and multi-faceted cases. The group receives a considerable number of instructions from clients interested in ADR, including mediation, as well as acting in onshore courts as part of major litigation matters. Jonathan Sutcliffe 'brings a great deal of experience and knowledge to bear' on a range of disputes, specialising in the energy and infrastructure, construction, real estate, and hospitality sectors and Nazanin Aleyaseen is the key figure for arbitration in the group. Jennifer Paterson has been kept busy handling commercial contracts and employment disputes; she has a wealth of experience in both local and international arbitration and litigation proceedings.

Practice head(s):

Jonathan Sutcliffe; Nazanin Aleyaseen

Other key lawyers:

Jennifer Paterson

Testimonials

‘Jennifer Patterson is a superb at analysing a legal problem and coming up with the solutions a client needs.’

‘Jennifer Paterson and Jonathan Sutcliffe: impressive lawyers with a real eye for detail and knowledge of both the industry in the construction sector in the UAE and wider region but also of the law of the UAE and other gulf states that impact the industry. The 2 partners and their teams are adept at managing large client and expert teams covering large numbers of technical issues, making them understandable and persuasive for arbitration tribunals.’

‘K&L Gates became a part of our team. They have an excellent client-centric approach, K&L Gates prioritized understanding our unique needs, goals, and challenges and tailored their legal strategies accordingly.’

‘Jonathan Sutcliffe is an exceptional expert in the dispute field. His unwavering commitment to client success was also impressive. I have consistently valued his dedication, creativity, and strong communication skills in achieving outstanding results for our project. ’

‘This is an excellent arbitration practice. Highly collegiate, very well integrated, and hence exceptionally effective in the delivery of complex arbitrations. ’

‘The K&L Gates Dubai team gives advice that is practical and on time, which is key for our business. They get on top of the material quickly. They are very professional, efficient, approachable and knowledgeable. I have been impressed by the resources the firm can bring to bear quickly when needed from its global network of offices. From the outside, the firm seems to have a genuinely collaborative culture.’

‘Jonathan Sutcliffe has been in the UAE a long time, and brings a great deal of experience and knowledge to bear as a result. He is highly intelligent, a technically excellent lawyer and a very good strategist. His advice is also practical, and business oriented, which is important. He is calm and unflappable, even in pressured situations. He is approachable and easy to work with.’

‘The team members’ roles are seamlessly coordinated, ensuring that the final advice is meticulously crafted by considering various legal perspectives. This approach provides a well-rounded and pragmatic view of the matter under consideration, combining technical expertise with practical insights.’

United Arab Emirates > Employment Tier 4

With a full-service offering, K&L Gates represents clients on contentious arbitrary dismissal, discrimination, restrictive covenants, and unpaid dues matters. With over a decade of experience, Nazanin Aleyaseen is proficient in internal investigations surrounding fraud and misconduct. Mohammad Rwashdeh is also a key member of the team with broad contentious and non-contentious employment capabilities.

Leading individuals

Nazanin Aleyaseen – K&L Gates

Practice head(s):

Nazanin Aleyaseen

Other key lawyers:

Mohammad Rwashdeh

Key clients

Amadeus IT System SA

Sinch AB

Work highlights

Advising Amadeus IT Group SA on a range of employment law issues.
Advised Sinch AB on its acquisition of SAP Digital Interconnect.

The Firm: K&L Gates’ Dublin office provides a substantial offering for international, domestic and cross-border activities. As a globally significant market for the asset management and investment funds and broader financial services industries, the Dublin office helps to meet the global needs of our clients already operating or looking to do business throughout Europe and around the globe.

K&L Gates is one of the largest law firms in the world, with more than 45 offices located in key capital cities and world commercial and financial centres spanning five continents. Its many offices operate as one firm, offering clients local market knowledge and access to both national and international capabilities.

Main Areas of Practice

Asset Management and Investment Funds
The Dublin team provide advice on the establishment and ongoing operation to a broad range of investment funds and management companies. The team are especially well versed in the practical, technical and regulatory aspects of organising and operating fund vehicles and structuring management companies. They strive to create and develop innovative structures to address the specific needs of clients.

In addition to assisting the investment funds and managers themselves, clients include a wide range of service providers to the fund management industry–from fund administrators and depositaries to third-party management companies, platform operators, and distributors.

The firm’s Asset Management and Investment Funds practice has 50 years of experience in the financial services industry and comprises more than 150 lawyers in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and South America positioned to meet the global needs of our clients.

Areas of Focus

Funds
UCITS
Alternative investment funds
Private equity
Private credit and debt funds
Venture capital funds
ETFs
Money market funds
Master feeder and parallel structures
Platform solutions
Tax
Passporting and fund registration
ELTIFs
Fund mergers/redomiciliations

Financial Services and Regulatory
UCITS management companies
AIFMs
Super ManCos, additional permissions, and passporting
Establishment of branch offices
PRISM reviews
Administrator and depositary licensing
Ongoing Central Bank supervision
Sustainable finance disclosure regulation
MiFID
EMIR
Anti-money laundering

Global Funds Registration Services
The firm’s Dublin office has a dedicated global funds registration group that is integrated within the Asset Management and Investment Funds practice area. The team provides guidance and support to management companies, asset managers and promoters in connection with the global registration, passporting, private placement and distribution of investment funds in EEA and non-EEA countries.

A core component of the offering is the initial registration and annual maintenance of investment funds carried out pursuant to passporting or national private placement regimes in Europe. These services can be provided to both European and non-European funds. In addition, the team can carry out pre-marketing filings in Europe and coordinate distribution and reverse solicitation advices through our local counsel network.

Company Secretarial Services
The firm’s Dublin office also provides a complete range of company secretarial services to their investment fund and management company clients. The services include entity formation; registered office services; maintenance of statutory books; convening, attending and taking minutes at board meetings; preparation of board materials; and attending to ongoing statutory filings. The highly experienced company secretarial team ensures that meetings operate in accordance with applicable legislation, are documented to the board’s satisfaction and reflect a robust governance framework.

Dublin Managing Partner: Gayle Bowen

Offices

Europe: Berlin, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Milan, Munich, Paris. Middle East: Doha, Dubai. United States: Austin, Boston, Charleston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Harrisburg, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York, Newark, Orange County, Palo Alto, Pittsburgh, Portland, Raleigh, Research Triangle Park, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC, Wilmington. South America: Sao Paulo. Asia: Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo. Australia: Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney.

Name	Position	Profile
Nazanin Aleyaseen	Nazanin Aleyaseen is a partner in the arbitration team and has served…	View Profile
Jennifer Paterson	Jennifer Paterson is a partner in the International Arbitration and Litigation and…	View Profile
Mohammad Rwashdeh	Mohammad Rwashdeh is special counsel in the dispute resolution team of the…	View Profile
Jonathan Sutcliffe	Jonathan Sutcliffe is a partner in the firm’s Dubai office where he…	View Profile