Interview with: Adel Abdulhadi, Lawyer – Managing Partner

What do you see as the main points that differentiate Al Oula Law from your competitors?

At the firm, we understand people, and we understand business. We are totally convinced that when we grasp the true intentions of the client, whether in commercial transactions or in civil matters or in criminal cases, we deliver an outstanding service.

We love challenging cases, and we look for these cases. We believe that they build a strong foothold in the legal sector. Going back to our firm’s history, the firm rose in reputation due to many intricate cases that we handled after other firms have declined or lost at lower court levels.

I can say that we are not a conventional law firm. We certainly do the normal legal work, but when it comes to complex or intricate or extensive legal works, we approach the work with a different collective mindset. We follow an open knowledge exchange policy between the local law department and international law department, allowing every member the opportunity to learn and benefit from each other and to provide the best ideas and service to the clients. We have amazing strategists, competent and experienced and time-oriented members and all in all a fearless team.

 

Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?

Infrastructure, technology, e-commerce, and financial sectors are promising growing sectors in Kuwait. However, the country is currently facing political changes and new public trends that need some adaptation, so until the country reaches stability, I do not expect the promising business sectors to attain their potential growth in the next 12 months.

Meanwhile, the main practice I certainly see growing in the coming year is challenging and opposing newly issued administrative resolutions and newly amended laws. The government is adopting a new conservative approach in respect of public spending, and accordingly it has issued and continues to issue ministerial resolutions that are affecting the daily life of the Kuwaiti citizens and of public employees. Additionally, after the dissolution of the parliament in May 2024, the government is handling the legislative power, and until now it has amended many laws, and it has planned to amend a huge number of laws in the coming year. So, in front of such a mass amendment practice, this could also have some negative effect on the people and could affect constitutional rights. I expect that many people will file in the coming months administrative cases against ministerial resolutions and constitutional challenges against certain laws.

The above may seem pessimistic, but I believe this is a normal process when the country is facing political changes and new public trends.

 

What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients?

We are growing our team members. New lawyers and legal consultants have joined the firm, which has the greatest benefit to the clients, improving communication and responding quickly to their legal needs. Having a dedicated team member to each client creates a feeling of reassurance and trust and provides a personalized experience.

 

Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?

Yes, technology is significantly changing the way we interact with clients and the quality of services we provide them. In the legal sector, faster communication is a key factor. The wide array of online communication channels has improved hugely communication with the clients, whether we want to hold meetings, receive documents or information from them or deliver legal updates or progress reports to them.

Technology is also having a positive impact on reducing paperwork and on the archiving process. We can say that now we have a “travelling office”.

On this subject, I must also say that the digitization of the court system and the governmental procedures has also facilitated exponentially the work of law firms, enabling us to perform online many legal works and judicial procedures and therefore providing a more enhanced service to the clients.

 

Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?

As a general note, we believe that keeping clients up to date on the legal and regulatory framework in the country provides immediate added value to their business. So as rule number one, we ensure to update our clients constantly on all new legal amendments, legal trends, and regulatory framework in all sectors of the law, enabling them to ensure that they operate properly and avoid many legal complications or implications.

On a specific basis, we assisted a Kuwaiti established company to create the proper legal and regulatory strategy enabling it to expand its operations internally across multiple sectors, and to commence operations outside of Kuwait in several GCC countries. When a client seeks to expand, especially in a considerably short period, there are always several risks: financial, operational, strategic, unforeseen regulatory hurdles in new sectors and new markets, which if not properly legally planned and supervised, could lead to huge losses and suspension of business. So, it is always important to seek legal assistance in business expansion projects whether in Kuwait or outside, even if the financial plans and projections seem promising and tempting.

 

Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms – where do you see the firm in three years’ time?

Yes, clients are seeking stability and strategic direction from their law firm, which gives them this ‘trusting feeling’ that their legal needs are in safe expert hands. We notice that clients nowadays are looking more for trusted partners who can provide not only legal expertise but also strategic business advisory under the changing market legal trends and tendencies.

Al Oula in Arabic means ‘The First’, which refers to being ranked in a leading position. As written in our firm’s name, we see ourselves becoming the leading law firm in the GCC.