Galadari Advocates & Legal Consultants

Chairman: Ziad Galadari
Managing Partner: Ahmed Galadari
Senior Partner: Abdulla Galadari

Firm Overview:
Galadari Advocates & Legal Consultants is one of the UAE’s oldest and leading full-service law firms that has grown and evolved over the past 39 years in parallel with the growth and advancement of the nation. The firm's understanding of the region and its commitment to client satisfaction is at the heart of its engagement to clients and the business community in the region.

The firm's three offices located in the UAE’s and its team of 12 partners and 60+ local and international lawyers allow it to assist clients across the seven emirates and appear before all UAE courts.

The firm's expertise and services can assist clients in all business requirements, including contentious and non-contentious construction and real estate, energy and infrastructure projects, corporate, commercial, banking and finance transactions and disputes, regulatory and compliance, anti-bribery and white-collar crime. Clients praise the litigation, arbitration and dispute resolution team as one of the strongest in the region.

Galadari Advocates & Legal Consultants delivers legal advice to clients in English, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Spanish, Italian, French, Greek and Afrikaans.

The firm has supported a diverse range of clients across sectors, of which some include:

· Government and Government-Owned Entities
· Banks and Financial Institutes
· Real estate developers and investors
· Construction and Engineering firms
· Family Conglomerates
· Private Clients
· Hospitals, Clinics and Pharmaceutical/Life Sciences companies
· Maritime and Logistics Companies
· Media and Telecommunications providers
· Oil and Gas, Related Services and Renewable Energy companies

Main Areas of Practice:
Arbitration, Litigation and Dispute Resolution
Corporate and Commercial
Compliance and Regulatory
Intellectual Property
Insurance and Reinsurance
Healthcare and Medical Malpractice
Employment
Construction
Real Estate
Finance
Maritime

Banking & Finance:
• Represented Kuwait-based billionaires Kian Saadat and Hassan Saadat (major shareholders of utility company Pacific Controls) on a fraud and forgery case including a bank syndicate. This includes more than 38 cases in UAE Courts, involving over 20 major regional and international banks and finance houses. The bank syndication has raised claims in excess of AED 700 million against the client, and various banks have also raised claims individually against the client and against the previous company managers who have fled the country and are wanted internationally by the banks involved. Galadari has filed numerous cases on behalf of the client and has successfully proven several the forgeries in court to date. The total amount of claims by the banks involved exceeds AED 2 billion. In relation to this, we tackled a first-of-its kind case. Application for recusal of three judges for bias and prejudice: Galadari filed in Dubai courts for a request for recusal of three judges in Dubai Courts, in respect of claims brought against our client by various banks. This was due to accused prejudice and unfair preferential treatment towards the banks and against the firm's client. This is an extremely rare occurrence in Dubai courts and to date it is not aware of any similar publicly known request.

Corporate/M&A:
• Representing a multinational industrial manufacturer in the restructuring of its regional activities and divestment of certain industry sectors by means of asset transfers

Arbitration, Litigation & Dispute Resolution:
• Representing a major sub-contractor in its claim amounting to AED 3 billion against the main contractor

• Representing a major UAE developer, defending a claim for over US$ 2 billion brought by a sub-developer, and counterclaiming over US$ 2 billion

• Representing an international construction company employed on the region’s largest PPP project for social housing, and the disputes that arose from it

• Representing numerous contractors and sub-contractors in final account disputes against employers and main contractors and defending numerous employers and main contractors in final account disputes brought against them by main contractors and sub-contractors

Real Estate & Property:
• Represented Trident Global Opportunities Fund (“Fund”) in relation to their USD 240 million private equity fund investment in Trident International Holding (Dubai registered property developer). Trident Holding’s stalled project Pentominium was referred to Tanmia (RERA) which handle the restructuring, reinvestment and restarting of stalled projects

• Instructed by the ruler and executive council of Um Al Quwain to study and review the existing laws and institutional framework governing the land rights in Um Al Quwain. The project saw the firm rework the existing regulations and develop the land regulations with a focus on improving foreign investment within Um Al Quwain. The regulations are currently in the process of being implemented within the real estate sector in Um Al Quwain

• Representation of the Government of Umm Al Quwain in negotiating and signing a joint venture agreement for a US$4 billion mixed-use development in Umm Al Quwain

• Represented with Almoayed Chambers (Bahrain), the Royal Family of the Kingdom of Bahrain for the commissioning of a hotel project within Dubai. Galadari provided advisory services on the structuring of the entity, the acquisition of the land valued at AED 50 million and entered negotiations with TECOM for the issuance of hotel licenses

• Represented and advised ERAA Hotel Management LLC with relation to their widely popular gastropub in Dubai that faced dispute under their Hotel Service Agreement entered with the lessor of the property.

Employment:
• Representation of BPG (Bates Pan Gulf L.L.C) Vs. Hammed Yousuf Mohamed – claim amount AED 227,440 + return home ticket by AED 3,500

• Representation of IMH (International Modern Hospital L.LC) Vs. Mahmoud Mohamad Azzam – claim amount AED 84,764 + return home ticket by AED 2,000)

Construction:
• Representing an international bank based in an unstable middle eastern country, drafting the tender and construction contract documents for the various phases of the project, including bomb defences and bunkers

• Representing a leading international entertainment events company, preparing a suite of standard contract documents for use when appointing consultants and contractors within the UAE

• Expert witness work in an arbitration on an infrastructure project in the Middle East region.

Maritime:
• Representing a Russian oil and gas tycoon in relation to cases before the Dubai courts and DIFC courts, as well as applications before a joint judicial committee of the ruler’s court, in respect of arrest of one of the world's most expensive yachts in the UAE (USD 450 million)

• Representing a major shipping and logistics company and their manager in a customs duty evasion claim of AED 500 million

• Successfully defended the firm's client’s legal position with respect to the claim of ownership of Oil cargo of over 175,000 M/T stored by a sovereign government at our client’s storage facility valued at AED 439 million

• Handling recourse recovery action on behalf of an international insurance company against Managers of the vessel and others to recover AED 92 million being the value of the vessel that was declared as a total loss

• Overall supervision of a construction of one of the biggest Pleasure Yachts in the Middle East and associated legal advisory services to one of the ruling family members of Dubai, in a yacht building contract valued at US$ 50 million entered with one of the world’s largest Yacht manufacturers in the US

• Handling a complex multimillion-dollar trade dispute involving shipping of Agro commodities by a Turkish commodity major, from Europe to Middle East and South Asia.

Projects & Infrastructure:
• Representation of the Umm Al Quwain Ports, Customs & Free Zone Corporation on its award of a long-term concession to operate Ahmed Bin Rashid Port in Umm Al Quwain to Hutchison Ports, the Hong Kong based port operator

Energy & Renewables:
• Representation of the government of a Northern Emirate on the removal of, and subsequent farming in of, third parties relating to an existing Petroleum Concession Agreement in that Emirate