Jacques Visser

Chief Legal Officer, DIFC Authority

Jacques Visser heads the Legal Affairs division of the DIFC Authority. In addition, he holds the position of Secretary to the DIFC Higher Board and the Boards of the DIFC Authority and DIFC Investments LLC. Mr. Visser also currently serves as DIFC’s Security Registrar and Commissioner of Data Protection.

With over 20 years of experience as a financial services lawyer, Mr. Visser’s expertise lie in multi-jurisdictional investment structures, funds, asset management and regulatory matters in emerging markets, as well as investment strategies and related M&A transactions. During his expansive career, he has established a number of landmark funds and investment structures relevant to the MENA region.

In his previous role, Mr. Visser worked as National Partner at Dechert LLP in Dubai. During his tenure at Dechert LLP, The Legal 500, an international guide to top-tier legal firms and practitioners, listed him as one of the top three most notable lawyers in the UAE investment funds industry, while MENA Fund Manager recognised him as one of the 50 most influential individuals in the industry in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Prior to Dechert, Mr. Visser ran his own consultancy firm, where he focused on advising a number of emerging and frontier market investment boutiques. He was also a founding partner and Managing Director of DIFC-based firm Algebra Capital, which was sold to Franklin Templeton Investments in 2011. Following the acquisition, Mr. Visser served as the Executive Managing Director and supervised the merger of the two firms.

He has in the past, and continues to serve outside the UAE, as a board member and advisory board member of funds, financial institutions and a technology startup.

Mr. Visser holds a Master’s degree in Banking and Capital Markets Law (LLM) from the University of Johannesburg, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Competition Law from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. In addition, he holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law (LLB) degree from the same university.

Muhammad Mahmood

Muhammad has a broad disputes practice, ranging from shareholders’ disputes to technology and telecommunications disputes. He has worked on some of the DIFC Courts’ landmark cases, including DNB Bank ASA v Gulf Eyadah Corporation and Other (CA-007-2015) and the DIFC Courts’ first IT hacking case. He has a particular specialism in conflict of laws, regularly advising on complex issues of jurisdiction and enforcement.

Muhammad’s practice at Clyde & Co is comprised primarily of commercial proceedings in the DIFC Courts and arbitration.

Ayyappan Palanissamy

Ayyappan Palanissamy has obtained two post-graduate degrees (LL.M & MHRM), and two under-graduate degrees (LL. B & Psychology) from Pondicherry University, India. Currently, he is a Coordinator for the Commercial Law program and a faculty teaching commercial law and management courses at Modern College of Business and Science, Oman. He has taught previously in the international universities in Malaysia and has 16 years of teaching and research experience in the field of law. His research interests include intellectual property law, artificial intelligence and law, and cyber laws. He is a professional member of the Bar Council of Tamilnadu, India, as well as a member of the International Association of Computer Science and Information Technology (IACSIT), and the International Economics Development and Research Centre (IEDRC). He is a reviewer for International Journal of Knowledge and Learning published by Inderscience Publishers.

Rim Hamacha

Rim Hamacha is a Senior Lecturer at Middlesex University who specialises in Commercial and Banking Law. Rim is a module coordinator on the LLM Business Law and LLB Honours programmes, where she delivers lectures in Intellectual Property and the World Trade Organisation Law.

Prior to joining Middlesex University, Rim worked as a Lecturer at Brunel University where she taught Legal research skills, Tort, Equity and Business Law. As part of her research, Rim worked as a project assistant for the International Chamber of Commerce on the role of Arbitration in the Middle East and North Africa. Rim started her career as a trainee analyst at the European Investment Bank where she specialised in investments projects for the MENA and Eastern European markets.

Rim obtained a PhD in Comparative Competition Law from Brunel University London and an LLM in Corporate Finance Law from the University of Westminster. Her research interests focus on the interaction between Law and Finance and the evaluation of the performance of regulatory agencies in the UK, EU and emerging markets.

 

Lubna Masood Khan

Lubna Khan is a UK qualified solicitor specialising in commercial property and corporate work. Lubna has practiced at various firms in London and during this time was also part of establishing a niche practice focusing on this area of legal practice.

Lubna has also been involved in legal training and producing CPLD conferences across Europe, which were aimed at legal professionals from around the world. These were on such diverse areas as insurance, finance/banking, media, and intellectual property.

Prior to moving to Middlesex University, Lubna was a Lecturer on the Legal Practice course at BPP University, School of Law in London where her main areas of specialism were Property Law & Practice, Private Acquisitions and Solicitors Accounts. At Middlesex her main teaching interests include Contract Law and Criminal Law .

 Lubna Khan received her Master’s in International Law & Economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London) and also holds a Postgraduate Certification in Higher Education.

 

Sara Koleilat-Aranjo

Partner, Al Tamimi & Company

Sara regularly advises and represents clients in arbitration and arbitration-related court proceedings, including recognition, enforcement and set aside proceedings. She also sits as an arbitrator and acts in mediation proceedings, both as mediator and counsel.

She was the first MENA-based woman to be elected to serve on the Board of Directors of ArbitralWomen in 2018, a Paris-based NGO founded in 1993 seeking to promote women in arbitration.

Sara is a member of several professional organizations. She is appointed as a Member of the ICC Commission on Arbitration & ADR and serves as a Track Leader on its Task Force on Arbitration & ADR. Sara is appointed as an IBA Officer of the IBA Arab Regional Forum as well as a Member of the IBA Subcommittee on International Arbitration Case Law. Sara has been recently appointed as an expert member of the DIFC Courts’ Arbitration Division Working Group.

Sara is featured in Who’s Who Legal – Arbitration (2021) and has been selected as the recipient of the Middle East Rising Star Lawyer of the Year Award (2019) by The Association of Corporate Counsel, the American Lawyer and the Legal Week (UK).

Sara is an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Université Paris II – Panthéon-Assas where she lectures on comparative judicial systems (civil law and common law) and Islamic law.

Sara holds an LL.B. in French and Lebanese Law from the University of Saint Joseph (USJ), a M.A. in International Business Law from the University of Paris, a M.S. in Finance and Management from the ESSEC Business School in Paris and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School. Sara is admitted to the New York, Paris and Beirut Bars. She speaks English, French and Arabic.

Dr Asma Al Rasheed

Partner of Al Rasheed & Partners, United Arab Emirates

Dr. Asma Al Rasheed is a member of the Executive Committee of Sharjah International Arbitration Centre (TAHKEEM) and Partner at Al Rasheed & Partners law firm.

She received her PhD in Maritime Law from the University of Sharjah in 2017. She also holds an LLM in Commercial and Maritime Law, University of Hertfordshire, UK and a Bachelor of Law from University of Sharjah, UAE.

She is a practicing lawyer licensed to appear before the UAE Courts of all levels. Her practice areas are focused on commercial, corporate, and maritime matters.

Mahmood Hussain

Mahmood Hussain is the founding partner of the Mahmood Hussain Law Firm, a leading legal services provider in the UAE. He has extensive knowledge in Dispute Resolution and International Commercial Arbitrations, Civil and Commercial Litigation and Corporate Governance. As an experienced litigant, Mahmood has successfully settled several money-spinning shareholder disputes. He has also acted in more than 30 International Arbitration proceedings under the ICC, LCIA, ADCCAC and DIAC rules. He is often appointed as sole arbitrator, co-arbitrator or chairman of arbitral tribunals in International Arbitration proceedings. Mahmood has set a benchmark for effective representation involving complex issues. Mahmood has received recognition the Dubai International Arbitration Center (DIAC), where he was awarded as the most rising arbitrator in the region.   Mahmood is arguably a fast rising legal expert with extensive experience that cuts across Dispute Resolution and International Commercial Arbitrations, Civil and Commercial Litigation, as well as Corporate Governance.   He has a deep understanding as well as vast knowledge on matters that touch on Civil law, Sharia law, and Arbitration. His unmatched expertise in these three key areas makes Mahmood one of the most sought after lawyers in the region.

 

Robert Stephen

Robert Stephen is the Registrar of the DIFC-LCIA Arbitration Centre (DIFC-LCIA). He is an arbitration specialist who has been based in the UAE since January 2011 and practised with Herbert Smith Freehills for more than 10 years before joining the DIFC-LCIA on 1 May 2017.

During his time at Herbert Smith Freehills, Robert advised and represented clients on international disputes across a wide range of industry sectors, including the oil and gas, energy and natural resources, construction, real estate, and finance and banking sectors.

He has advised and represented clients in international arbitrations under the DIAC, DIFC-LCIA, ICC, LCIA, and SIAC Rules as well as in ad-hoc proceedings and DIFC and English Commercial Court litigation.

Prior to moving to Herbert Smith Freehills’ Dubai office in January 2011, Robert had also practised from Herbert Smith Freehills’ offices in London, Moscow and Paris.

He is the former Chair of the UAE Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Young Member’s Group Committee and is a member of the Global Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Young Member’s Group Committee. Robert is also a member of the ICC Young Arbitrators’ Forum, and the LCIA Young International Arbitration Group.