K&L Gates acts on international litigation and DIAC-seated arbitration proceedings on construction disputes for JVs, contractors, and suppliers. Commercial disputes in the oil and gas sector are another area of emphasis for the group, which has also acted on intellectual property disputes.. ‘A pleasure to work with’, Jonathan Sutcliffe is widely regarded for his strengths in arbitration, while Nazanin Aleyaseen acts on contractual disputes in the DIFC.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Lawyer & team quality
Client satisfaction: Billing & efficiency
Client satisfaction: NPS ®
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘From a very technologically complex project and case that requires specific skills and expertise, K&L Gates managed to break it down into manageable workshops to address different aspects of the claim. When necessary, they brought independent experts that went through deep analysis of the project with their own understanding and perspective, that made it easier for us to handle and reflect our own position into witness statements. K&L Gates legal expertise and explanation of the main contract was of immense help when it came to identify what can be claimed, how it can be claimed and what clause of the contract is applicable or not in term of LD's, Delay analysis, VOWD etc.’
- ‘Each of K&L Gates' resources had a very professional approach with fast response time, very clear instructions on how to handle different claims with respect to the contract and to what extend our arguments could be used to submit valid claims. They also prepared us for the hearing in LCIA by providing a Witness familiarization training that proven very useful.'
- ‘The team are a very long-standing presence in the UAE, meaning they have built up a lot of knowledge and experience of how to conduct disputes in the region. They have native Arabic language capability, which is really very important, both in dealing with Arabic clients but also in researching and writing in Arabic when needed. They are equally well-versed in arbitration, DIFC court litigation and managing local onshore litigation along-side local lawyers.’
- ‘Jonathan Sutcliffe is a pleasure to work with. He has great experience as an arbitration lawyer, he has been in the UAE for very many years, meaning he grasps the essential nuances of arbitrating in the region. I have never seen him put a foot wrong in terms of strategy or tactics in a dispute. And he is also very approachable and easy to work with, he makes us feel that we are his most important client (even when I know we are not!).’
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
Jonathan Sutcliffe; Nazanin Aleyaseen
Other key lawyers
Jennifer Paterson