Interview with: Yasir Al Naqbi, Founding Partner

Founding Partner Yasir Al Naqbi explains how Al Naqbi & Partners leverages over two decades of high-profile litigation experience, deep local and international insight, to adapt to clients’ evolving needs and deliver practical, business-focused solutions.

 

What do you see as the main points that differentiate Al Naqbi & Partners Advocates and Legal Consultants from your competitors?

What makes Al Naqbi & Partners stand out is our ability to combine deep local knowledge with international legal experience. We also differentiate ourselves by taking a genuinely client-focused approach. We make it a priority to understand our clients’ businesses, industries, and long-term objectives. We work closely with clients to understand their business goals, not just their legal needs, and we always aim to provide advice that is practical and effective. Every decision we make is guided by what is in the client’s best interest—practically, strategically, and commercially.

What sets us apart is our responsiveness, accessibility, and the hands-on approach we bring to every matter. Regardless of the size or complexity of the case, we treat each client with the same degree of importance and care.

One of our core strengths is the level of involvement from all members of the firm. Our partners, senior associates, and associates work together seamlessly on every matter, ensuring that each case benefits from a blend of experience, perspective, and continuity.

Our clients value us for our integrity, responsiveness, and commitment. Many of them return to us repeatedly and view us as an extension of their internal teams.

 

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

We expect strong growth in our dispute resolution, construction law, and data protection practices. With the region continuing to attract investment and large infrastructure projects, especially in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, there’s a higher demand for legal support in handling contracts, claims, and regulatory compliance. At the same time, the increased focus on digital transformation and personal data regulations means that companies are seeking more legal advice in the areas of cybersecurity and data privacy. These changes in the market are creating new opportunities for us to support clients across different sectors.

In addition, we are witnessing a notable increase in disputes involving commercial fraud and misrepresentation, particularly in cross-border transactions and joint ventures.

 

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

One of the most impactful changes we’ve made at Al Naqbi & Partners is improving how we deliver and monitor the quality of our services. Beyond enhancing our internal workflows and client communication tools, we have also introduced structured quality control measures to ensure consistency and excellence across all client matters. This includes implementing client satisfaction surveys and regular feedback mechanisms, which help us understand how our services are perceived and where we can improve.

By actively listening to our clients and using their input to refine our processes, we are able to offer more tailored, responsive, and value-driven legal support. This focus on continuous improvement has strengthened our relationships and allowed us to better align our legal strategies with our clients’ evolving needs and expectations.

We have also introduced a dedicated client relationship model, where each client is assigned a primary point of contact who is fully familiar with all their matters. This ensures continuity, clearer communication, and a deeper understanding of the client’s objectives across all engagements. Clients benefit from having a trusted contact within the firm who can coordinate efficiently with the wider legal team and provide timely, well-informed updates.

 

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

Yes, very much so. Technology has significantly improved how we interact with clients and deliver our services. From virtual meetings and real-time updates to the secure exchange of documents through client portals, we are now able to work in a way that is faster, more accessible, and more transparent. One of the major advancements has been the integration of AI-powered legal research and document analysis tools. These tools allow us to process large volumes of information quickly and identify the most relevant legal arguments or precedents, which helps us provide more accurate and timely advice.

However, we are fully aware that with technological innovation comes the responsibility to use such tools ethically and securely. That’s why we’ve adopted internal protocols and guidelines to ensure AI is used to support—not replace—our legal expertise. We apply strict data protection measures, and all AI-generated outputs are reviewed by qualified lawyers before being shared with clients. Our approach is to embrace innovation while maintaining the highest standards of professional integrity and confidentiality. This way, we can deliver the benefits of modern technology without compromising the trust our clients place in us.

 

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

One practical example that reflects our value-driven approach involved advising a well-established private school in the UAE that was facing significant financial strain due to an increasingly burdensome rental obligation. The school was operating on leased land that was subject to a mortgage in favor of a local bank. Amid challenging economic conditions, the client was seeking a way to exit the tenancy agreement, which had become unsustainable, but was concerned about the legal and financial implications of terminating the lease prematurely.

We stepped in not only to manage the legal risk, but also to identify a commercially viable and long-term solution. By engaging with both the landlord and the bank, we successfully facilitated a tripartite negotiation, resulting in the school purchasing the land directly and assuming the existing mortgage. This solution allowed the school to eliminate future rental liabilities, secure long-term operational stability, and convert a recurring expense into a strategic asset.

This outcome demonstrates how our role extends beyond resolving legal disputes. We proactively protect our clients’ interests while helping them unlock tangible business value through creative, well-negotiated solutions that align with their long-term objectives.

 

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

Absolutely. Today’s clients are not simply looking for transactional legal support. They are seeking long-term strategic partners who understand their business, their risk appetite, and their internal decision-making culture. Stability, consistency, and deep sector knowledge have become more valuable than ever, particularly as businesses navigate increasingly complex legal and regulatory landscapes especially in the UAE.

At Al Naqbi & Partners, we position ourselves as an extension of our clients’ teams, not just external counsel. We invest the time to understand their operations, challenges, and strategic goals, which enables us to deliver legal advice that is not only technically sound but also commercially attuned and forward-looking.

In the next three years, we plan to strengthen our presence across the UAE and the wider MENA region, grow our international client base, and continue building a team that reflects the diverse needs of our clients. Our goal is to stay a step ahead by combining legal expertise with strategic insight, always putting our clients’ success first.