Dentons

The Kuwait Desk advisory function is led by Mary Ann, with more than 30 years' experience in advising on Kuwait law and practice (including 17 years with Dentons). She enjoys a sterling reputation in the market and among clients who note her responsiveness and local law expertise. Helping to navigate legal complexities and cultural sensitivities, her in-depth understanding of Kuwait's legal, business and cultural environment is supported by her decades of experience in advising clients seeking to enter, operate and invest in the Kuwait market as well as those pursuing claims or litigating disputes. Clients include the business and legal departments of many leading international companies, including franchisors, manufacturers, defense contractors, financial and technical service providers in the telecommunications, construction and oil sectors. Her unique expertise in the Kuwait tax regime and tax mitigation strategies has distinguished her from other practitioners and proven invaluable to international clients.

Recognized for many years by the Legal 500 and Chambers Global international legal directories, Mary Ann acted as lead local counsel for the winning consortium of international companies for Kuwait's flagship PPP project. She regularly authors the Kuwait chapter of the LexisNexis International Agency and Distribution Agreements treatise and the online LexisNexis Employment Law Q&A.

She has extensively advised on compliance with laws and regulations in addition to providing practical advice on doing business in Kuwait, including the impact of the agency and distribution laws, mandatory labor law and the immigration and insurance requirements for sending representatives into Kuwait and for assigning manpower to work in Kuwait, the corporate income tax law, anti-corruption and bribery laws, Kuwaitization, foreign direct investment, competition law, electronic transactions law, cybercrimes, and anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism law. She regularly advises clients seeking to pre-qualify, tender and contract in the vast public sector market.

Prior to moving to Kuwait in 1996, Mary Ann worked with Westinghouse (later Northrop Grumman) on the B1B Offensive Radar System subcontract to the Boeing Company and subsequently she served as General Counsel for a US defense contractor with various Foreign Military Sales contracts and offset obligations in the Middle East. Her experience with US government contracting and local Kuwait administration and operation of FMS contracts has given her a unique perspective in advising both US and non-US defense clients performing US government contracts in Kuwait and the region, in addition to advising those clients seeking direct commercial Kuwait Ministry of Defense, National Guard or Ministry of Interior public sector contracts. The first successful offset joint venture in Kuwait was achieved under her guidance and advice, including the establishment of a local joint venture company that has held FMS and direct KMOD contracts continuously since 1995 in Kuwait.

California, 1982

Maryland, 1982

University of Notre Dame, 1981, JD

University of California, San Diego, 1975, BA