Stephenson Harwood Middle East LLP strengthened its disputes offering with the 2024 hires of John Lewis, formerly of Charles Russell Speechlys, who now leads the team, and Mohamed ElHawawy and Khurram Ali, who both joined from Ince & Co. Additionally, construction specialist Ron Nobbs relocated from the firm’s London office in October 2024. These additions add to an already deep team of advisors well-positioned to act on the full range of disputes, often multi-jurisdictional. Lewis has longstanding experience in professional negligence claims, and Rania Tadros is sought out for supply chain and shareholder issues. A specialist in the shipping sector, Mark Lakin is valued by clients for his expertise in fraud disputes. Philip Clarke brings further capabilities in contentious regulatory matters, internal investigations and cross-border enforcement proceedings to the fore, while Saif Almobideen’s practice focuses on civil law matters. Magda Kofluk adds support on construction disputes.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The Dispute Resolution team have a strong focus on outcomes; not just to litigate as an act per se, but to focus on likely results.’
‘Saif Almobideen is first rate. He is intellectually able and discusses matters sensibly. This gives a rounded analysis.’
‘Excellent, hard-working, responsive, diligent.’
‘John Lewis is a pre-eminent litigator who can help to see around corners and make a genuine difference when it counts the most.’
‘They easily get what I want them to do. They're consistently my first choice.
‘I mostly work with Saif Almobideen and he is great disputes lawyer.'
Key clients
- ICICI Bank Limited
- Samsung SDS Europe ME & Africa
- Stikeman Elliott LLP
- SPL Guernsey ICC Limited
- responsAbility Investments AG
- Orwell Offshore
- Dada Enterprises Private Limited
- Union Insurance Company PSC
Work highlights
- Representing Indian multinational bank and financial services institution, ICICI Bank Limited in pursuing a claim against Mr Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty valued at AED477,425,000 relating to alleged fraud and financial issues involving NMC Healthcare Ltd and Modular Concepts LLC.
- Representing the Claimant, a South Korean electronics manufacturer in DIAC arbitration proceedings against a government entity based in Abu Dhabi within the technology and defence sector, as the Respondent. The dispute concerns the alleged wrongful termination of a contract by the Respondent.
Lawyers
Next generation partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
John Lewis
Other key lawyers
Rania Tadros; Mark Lakin; Mohamed ElHawawy; Khurram Ali; Phil Clarke; Saif Almobideen; Magda Kofluk