Shahram Safai

Shahram heads the firm’s real estate and tax teams. He has been highly sought after by boards and shareholders for strategic legal advice. He is active in lobbying for and providing constructive feedback to government organisations regarding regional laws and regulations pertaining to private equity/venture capital investment, corporate governance, tax and real estate.

Advises on real estate, construction law and related litigation and arbitration. Extensive experience advising on sale and purchase transactions, hotel management structuring and transactions, leasing, jointly owned property strategies and documentation, as well as joint ventures and shareholder transactions. Regularly represents master developers, sub-developers, property owners, architects, engineers, contractors and government entities in all stages of the real estate and construction processes. Shahram Safai was selected by the Dubai Land Department (DLD) to research and report on the issue of cancelled real estate projects, one of the most important issues facing the Emirate of Dubai. The DLD also asked Mr Safai to issue a report with recommendations on how developers can adhere to UAE real estate laws at international real estate exhibitions.

Shahram also advises clients with respect to joint ventures, acquisitions and doing business in the region. Such advise involves investment fund formation, compliance advice, sanctions advice, anti-money laundering implications, and agency matters.

He is a regular speaker at seminars on legal developments and current issues in doing business, private equity, real estate and construction law. At the invitation of the Government of Dubai, Shahram regularly lectures on legal matters and policy. He was Chairman of the Board for the Canadian Business Council of Dubai and the Northern Emirates in previous years.

Prior to joining Afridi & Angell in 2002, Shahram was an associate at the law firm of Cooley in Palo Alto, California advising clients with respect to private equity / venture capital and mergers and acquisitions.

Partner and head of the real estate and tax practices.

State Bar of California

Law Society of England and Wales

Association of Professional Engineers of British Columbia

Corporate Real Estate: Market and Regulatory Overview (Practical Law Multi-jurisdictional Guides).

JD, University of British Columbia

Bachelor of Engineering, University of British Columbia

MBA, Missouri, USA

University of British Columbia

Juris Doctor

University of British Columbia

Bachelor of Engineering