Interview with: Yousef Yaqoub AL-Sanea, CEO

What do you see as the main points that differentiate Dr. Yaqoub AL-Sanea and Partners Office fromyour competitors?

As a law firm, Dr. Yaqoub AL-Sanea and Partners Office, we differentiate ourselves from our competitorsin several key ways:

1. We are amongst one of the oldest law firms in Kuwait, with decades of experience.
2. Exceptional level of service: Our attorneys and staff are dedicated to providing personalized and responsive service to each and every client. We take the time to understand our clients’ unique needs and goals, and work closely with them to achieve the best possible outcome.
3. Highly experienced and specialized attorneys: Our team of attorneys has a wealth of experience and expertise in a wide range of legal practice areas. We are able to provide clients with in-depth and specialized legal advice and representation to suit their interests.
4. Staying at the forefront of Kuwait and global business developments and trends: We are committed to staying abreast of the latest developments and trends in the Kuwait and the world, and to adapting our services and approach as needed to best serve our clients and the stakeholders.
5. We have built our reputation by understanding the clients’ issues and putting our legal expertise to help them get the desired results.

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

Kuwait’s 2035 vision aims on transforming Kuwait into a financial and trade hub regionally and internationally, and becoming more attractive to investors. Kuwait’s national development plan is linked to international goals and factors by adapting them to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) 2030 agenda.

This vision opens up Kuwait to key partnership with various entities across various domains to collaborate to achieve the desired results.

Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA) is the focal authority for the new key projects that promotes FDI into Kuwait for key sectors / projects of national importance.

We see a substantial growth and development in Infrastructure, Oil and Gas, banking, technology, investment, insurance, retail, FMCG, Telecom, Electronics, Sustainability, Healthcare, Environment, Hotel, Housing, Urban Development, Logistics, etc. in this year and this decade.

Kuwait is a fertile ground for experts across these domains to setup business and provide their services.

As legal and business consultants, we work with various govt bodies, regulators like KDIPA. It is our aim and vision to facilitate a cordial and fruitful business relationship for all the stakeholders, by protect their interests.

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

In line with the vision of the new initiatives for a New Kuwait, we have invested in upgrading our office with new technology to be always available to the clients.

We have also expanded our teams with professionals in the new fields envisaged. Our experts have a view of the core issues and also have an outlook of the future.

We are also considering expansion of our legal services beyond Kuwait and are thinking of having strategic collaboration with reputed law firms from across the world to synergize our strengths to benefit our clients to include various jurisdictions.

We are also increasingly investing participating in various events and forums in order to interact with the business and legal communities from across the globe.

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

Yes, technology is changing the way we interact with our clients and the services we can provide them.

We are constantly upgrading our in-house legal management system and customer engagement platform to use technology to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our services.

We use new methods such as implementing e-signature, virtual meeting and document management software.

We also use technology to conduct legal research, which allows us to provide clients with more accurate and up-to-date information.

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

We helped a prestigious client to recover large amount of money (millions of dollars) from a Ministry in Kuwait. The client had won the case 30 years ago but was not paid for almost 30 years.

The client wanted to revive the case but was not able to do so due to time bar as per the law.

The other law firms had given up and felt that it was not worth working on.
But our team proved our expertise and understanding of the Kuwait laws, by rigorously following up in the court and citing specific aspects of the law that validates the case.

Ultimately, we managed to get the funds transferred to the clients account.

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 looking for stability and strategic direction from their legal consultants. We see the firm positioning itself as a trusted advisor to clients, providing a full range of legal services and continuously adapting to the changing legal landscape.

Given our three-decade long expertise in Kuwait, we are well connected with various stakeholders which helps us open doors, facilitate communication, iron out differences, and make the relationship meaningful and fruitful for all the parties concerned.

In three years’ time, we see the firm continuing to grow and expand while maintaining its commitment to exceptional service and client satisfaction.
We also aim to increase our footprints in the American, EMEA and APAC regions. We also look forward to being a strategic legal partner to businesses and other parties who are strategically aligned towards the development of a NEW KUWAIT.