Naji Hawayek

Practice Areas

Naji is Head of Corporate across our four offices in the Middle East and is based in the Dubai office. Bilingual in Arabic and English, he has over 18 years’ experience advising on cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A), joint ventures (JVs), private equity, investment funds, private placements, corporate restructurings, corporate licensing and foreign direct investment, primarily across the Middle East and North Africa.

Naji has advised on some of the largest and most complex corporate transactions across the region, working with clients operating in most business sectors, including education, energy, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, media, technology, telecommunications, tobacco, consulting and financial services.

Naji holds academic qualifications in common law, civil law and Shariah law. He graduated from the University of Westminster in London with a Master of Laws degree (LLM) in International Commercial Law ("Merit" awarded). Naji completed his undergraduate law degree (LLB) at Sagesse University in Beirut and a postgraduate degree in Islamic banking at the Institute of Islamic Banking & Insurance in London. He is admitted to the Beirut Bar Association, is a "Registered Foreign Lawyer" with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in the UK, and a member of the International Bar Association (IBA). Naji was recently named in Legal 500’s Private Practice Powerlist 2024: M&A - Middle East.

Naji joined Clyde & Co’s Dubai office in June 2006.