Interview with: Ali Al Hashimi, Regional Managing Partner

Ali Al Hashimi, Regional Managing Partner at Global Advocacy & Legal Counsel, shares how the firm is responding to evolving client needs and a rapidly changing legal landscape.

 

What do you see as the main points that differentiate Global Advocacy & Legal Counsel from your competitors?

What differentiates us is that we are genuinely partner-led and strategy-focused. Our work tends to involve complex, sensitive, and high stakes matters, and those require consistent senior involvement from start to finish.

We also structure our teams around the issue, not around hierarchy. When a matter requires corporate, regulatory, arbitration, and employment input at the same time, we bring those capabilities together early. This allows us to give consolidated advice rather than individual opinions.

Another key point is our regional grounding combined with international frameworks. We are deeply familiar with the UAE and wider regional legal systems, including the interaction between onshore courts and free zone jurisdictions such as ADGM and DIFC. At the same time, many of our lawyers are internationally trained, so we are comfortable operating within cross-border and common law structures.

Most importantly, we focus on commercial outcomes. Legal advice in isolation is rarely enough. Our role is to protect value, reputation, and long-term relationships not simply to win a legal argument.

 

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

We see continued growth in arbitration and complex disputes. The UAE is increasingly positioned as a leading arbitration seat, with institutions such as ICC, DIAC, ADGM and DIFC playing a stronger role. At the same time, the dual legal system creates jurisdictional and enforcement complexity, which often results in parallel court and arbitration proceedings. With the continued growth of cross-border investment, infrastructure and energy projects, we expect high-value, multi-party disputes to increase.

Restructuring and insolvency will also remain active. The market correction and highly leveraged corporate structures have created pressure in certain sectors. There is greater use of formal restructuring mechanisms under the Federal Bankruptcy Law and within ADGM and DIFC regimes. Cross-border group structures often require coordinated insolvency strategies across jurisdictions, which is an area where we are particularly active.

We also predict growth in governance and succession-related matters within family-owned businesses, especially as businesses transition to the next generation and face increasing regulatory  compliance.

In employment, we are seeing ongoing impact from the implementation of the new UAE Labour Law, evolving executive contract frameworks, increased workforce mobility, and a rise in non-compete and confidentiality disputes. Internal investigations and compliance-related matters are also increasing, particularly where employment issues intersect with regulatory or criminal exposure.

Finally, white-collar and financial crime remain significant. As regulatory oversight increases and enforcement becomes more structured, companies and individuals are seeking experienced counsel early, at the investigation stage, not only when matters escalate.

 

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

We have strengthened our cross-practice and cross-jurisdiction model. This is not new to us, but we have formalised it further so that collaboration across offices and practice areas is seamless and structured.

In addition, we have introduced more tailored value-added services, including client-specific training programmes aligned with operational and regulatory needs. These initiatives allow us to support clients proactively,  and in a broader way.

Operationally, we have implemented more structured Legal Project Management methodologies. This improves coordination, transparency, budgeting accuracy and delivery timelines. For clients, that means fewer surprises, clearer communication and better value from our services.

We have also invested in transforming and optimizing our internal systems and processes to enhance responsiveness and efficiency.

 

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

 We see technology as an enabler, not a substitute for legal judgment.

We use technology to improve efficiency, speed and communication. It allows us to collaborate more effectively across teams and jurisdictions, manage documentation securely, and provide clients with clearer visibility on progress.

We are also actively integrating AI tools into certain aspects of our work, particularly in research support, document review and internal knowledge management. This enhances accuracy and reduces turnaround time. However, the strategic thinking, judgment and analysis remain entirely lawyer-led.

Our focus is not on replacing expertise with automation. It is about using technology to support better thinking, faster delivery, and more informed decision-making.

 

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

A great example is our role in advising on a major regional restructuring involving a large group in the healthcare sector facing severe financial distress.

The organisation had more than one hundred operating entities within an onshore structure, and there was no established legal framework capable of coordinating a restructuring of that scale. The risk was an uncontrolled collapse that would have disrupted operations and destroyed significant value.

We designed and implemented an integrated restructuring model anchored in a free-zone jurisdiction with a suitable administration regime. This required coordinating courts, regulators, creditors and advisers across multiple systems, while preserving day-to-day operations.

The solution ultimately fused assets under a new holding structure and enabled creditors to assume ownership in a controlled and legally enforceable way. The outcome was not simply legally compliant, it also preserved economic value, protected employment continuity, and stabilised a critical organisation at a time of systemic risk.

And the added value was protecting continuity and creating structure where none previously existed.

 

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

In complex and uncertain environments, clients look for steady and sound judgment. They want advisers who understand not only the law, but the broader commercial and reputational implications of each decision.

In three years’ time, we see the firm further strengthening its position as a trusted adviser on complex, high-profile matters. Our focus is not expansion for the sake of scale. It is deepening our core practices and maintaining quality.

Having said that, we may consider selective geographical expansion where it supports our client base and strategic direction, but growth will remain disciplined.

We will continue investing in talent, operational sophistication and internal management systems. Above all, we intend to maintain our reputation for discretion, rigor and clear judgment particularly in matters where the consequences go beyond the contract.