Speakers Archives - Page 6 of 9 - LexisNexis Middle East

Abdulziz Alrashdi

06/11/201806/11/2018
by Benjamin Filaferro

Abdulaziz is a Partner based in BSA Muscat office in the Sultanate of Oman, specialising in litigation and dispute resolution matters. His expertise encompasses a wide range of industries including commercial, civil and administrative disputes, as well as thorough procedural advice with regards to local laws.

Pursuant to the enactment of the US Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”), Abdulaziz performed a full assessment of conflicting obligations under both FATCA and the local laws related to the protection of private data and information exchange. Abdulaziz was part of a team which presented full methodical advice to a major Insurance client in respect of its exposure and set out a mechanism which ensured the compliance with both FATCA and the local privacy laws.

Abdulaziz holds an LL.B from Sultan Qaboos University in Oman with an emphasis on Private and Public Laws.

Laurent Bertin

25/10/201825/10/2018
by Benjamin Filaferro

Adviser Aurifer Middle East Tax Consultancy.

Laurent Bertin is a tax lawyer with more than six years of experience, including two years in the VAT department of a renowned French law firm, followed by four years in the group tax team of a multinational French CAC 40 company dealing with national and international tax matters.

Early 2018 he joined Aurifer and has been assisting businesses in the GCC with their intentional taxation issues and the implementation of VAT.

Laurent holds the Paris Bar certificate, possess a LL.M from McGill University, and a Master in Tax Law from Paris II University.

Thomas Vanhee

25/10/201831/08/2020
by Benjamin Filaferro

Founding Partner Aurifer Middle East Tax Consultancy

In Thomas’s tax career spanning more than a decade, prior to coming to the Gulf, he has worked at tier 1 tax law firms in Brussels and Paris. He provides high quality and innovative tax advice to clients.

He has been involved in several high profile deals and has worked for blue chip and quoted companies and institutions in various sectors (financial sector, real estate sector, retail, manufacturing and the public sector).

In recent years he was heavily involved in European tax policy projects, as well as in projects with several European governments. Thomas also played a key role in drafting the current Saudi Arabia VAT Law.

Thomas teaches VAT in the first Tax LL.M in the Gulf at Paris Sorbonne Abu Dhabi. He also joined his former university, the renowned Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, in teaching an introductory course on tax law to master students. He publishes regularly in international books and tax technical magazines and is a regular speaker at international events.

Thomas holds a law degree of the Catholic University of Leuven (cum laude) and a tax masters degree of Solvay Business School (magna cum laude). He is hands-on, proactive and combines an extensive technical skill set with a sound understanding of what makes businesses tick.

Guillaume Deroubaix

04/10/201809/11/2020
by Madelein Du Plessis

Mr. Deroubaix holds a Master degree in private law, a master degree of International Business and a Post graduate in International Business law.

He has been editorial Director for more than 7 years at LexisNexis before becoming a member of the LexisNexis executive committee, Business Development Director for EMEA and Managing Director Middle East & North Africa since 2014.

Mr. Deroubaix is also a member of La conference des presidents, is president of the Groupe Droit/ Edition juridique et fiscal and created the Paris Mena Legal Club Association.

Finally, Mr. Deroubaix is a professor at the prestigious University Panthéon-Assas (Paris II).

Leonora Riesenburg

04/10/201820/02/2020
by Madelein Du Plessis

Chair of the UAE Branch for the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb)

Leonora Riesenburg is an International Arbitrator and Commercial Mediator, registered with arbitral institutions worldwide including AIAC, CRCICA, DIAC, DIFC-LCIA, EMAC, ICC and LCIA, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), the presiding Chair of the UAE Branch of the CIArb and an Independent Member of Board of Management of the CIArb. Dual qualified from the UK as a barrister and a solicitor, Ms. Riesenburg has been in the MENA region since 2007.

She is invested in the advancement of private dispute resolution in all of its forms; including through strategic collaborations, and education and training initiatives. Recognised as a leading female figurehead, Ms. Riesenburg’s professional contributions are marked by many prestigious awards and honorary roles. She is celebrated as ‘Outstanding Woman of the Year’ amongst the international arbitrators and engineering experts community in the UAE (IAEE UAE 2019), ‘Most Influential Woman in ADR in the Middle East’ by Acquisition International Legal Awards 2019, ‘Mediator of the Year in the UAE’ by Acquisition International Dispute Resolution Awards 2018, ‘Arbitrator of the Year in the UAE’ by Acquisition International Dispute Resolution Awards 2017.

Benoit Le Bars

26/09/201826/09/2018
by Madelein Du Plessis

Benoit Le Bars, co-founder and Managing Partner of Lazareff Le Bars, is a recognized expert in international arbitration, with respect to institutional and ad hoc arbitral proceedings, international dispute resolution, and disputes in Africa. His practice focuses principally on commercial and investment arbitration involving complex trade relationships between businesses, investors and States, and spans a broad range of jurisdictions and arbitral institutions (more than 70 countries to date).

In addition to his work as counsel, Benoit is often appointed as arbitrator and has extensive experience in arbitral forums worldwide.

PhD in private law, Benoit Le Bars is also a Professor of law in the United States and in France.

His international arbitration expertise is recognized in leading international legal directories, including Chambers, Legal 500.

Benoit speaks French, English, Spanish and Russian and is a citizen of France.

Gary Born

25/09/201824/10/2022
by Madelein Du Plessis

Chair of the International Arbitration Practice Group at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP

Gary Born, Chair of the International Arbitration Practice Group at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, is one of the world’s preeminent authorities on international commercial arbitration and international litigation. He has served as counsel in over 650 arbitrations, including several of the most prominent arbitrations in ICC and ad hoc history. He has sat as an arbitrator in over 200 institutional and ad hoc arbitrations.

Mr Born is the President of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) Court of Arbitration and serves in an advisory capacity in other institutions worldwide.

He is a member of the American Law Institute and the Board of Trustees of the British Institute for International and Comparative Law. He has served on the Executive Council of the American Society of International Law, the Advisory Committee of the ALI’s Restatement of US International Arbitration Law, the Advisory Committee of the ALI Restatement of US Foreign Relation Law (Fourth) and as co-chair of the ABA International Section, Committee on International Aspects of Litigation.

Mohinderpal Sethi

11/09/2018
by Madelein Du Plessis

Barrister and Head of Employment, Littleton Chambers

Mohinderpal Sethi is ranked in the top 10 by Chambers & Partners, Legal 500 and Who’s Who Legal and was shortlisted for Employment Junior of the Year at the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2016.

His expertise spans the full range of commercial and employment disputes in the DIFC Court of First Instance and Court of Appeal. He appeared in the first ever DIFC injunction application. He has considerable experience of injunctions and speedy trials to enforce directors’ and fiduciaries’ duties, restrictive covenants, trade secrets and confidentiality, database rights, garden leave and economic torts (often involving team moves).

His clients include investment banks, private equity firms, hedge funds, inter-dealer brokers, insurance brokers, senior executives and equity partners. He “frequently acts for some of the biggest clients in the financial services industry. He specialises in complex international business protection litigation in the context of restraint of trade and team moves. Very impressive, he is highly intelligent, quick, commercially astute and responsive to clients. He is very comfortable in dealing with clients and impresses them.” (Chambers & Partners 2017).

Helga Breen

11/09/201831/05/2020
by Madelein Du Plessis

Head of Employment (UK), DWF

Helga has specialised in employment law for more than 30 years. She has particular expertise in advising on complex cross border and domestic HR projects (including redundancy and change programmes); regulatory investigations and inquiries; disputes and litigation; mergers and acquisitions; business transfers and outsourcing; boardroom disputes; and executive compensation and employee benefits. Helga advises clients across all sectors. Helga was the lead adviser on a number of high profile business start-ups and restructurings, all of which involved legal and commercial advice on a wide range of complex issues including TUPE and other means of transferring people from one employer to another, collective redundancies, harmonising terms and conditions, pensions and employee benefits, employment relations and collective consultation with TUs and employee representatives.

Helga has strong credentials in conducting internal and external inquiries, investigations and compliance audits and has acted as an independent expert in both the private and public sector. Helga led the high profile investigation on behalf of the British Bankers’ Association (now part of UK Finance) into the alleged manipulation of Libor by a number of major banks. She has undertaken several major investigations for a national body in the health service including a 12 week inquiry into a security breach in the context of a long running and high profile industrial disputes.

Haytham Alieh

10/09/201811/09/2018
by Madelein Du Plessis

Partner at DWF

Haytham is a Litigation Partner at DWF Middle East and is a central point of contact for all litigation related matters. Prior to joining DWF, Haytham was Counsel and Sector Leader of the Litigation Department in Baker & McKenzie.Habib Al Mulla’s Abu Dhabi office. Haytham is an experienced lawyer and legal counselor and has over 21 years’ experience in the Middle East, Haytham has extensive wide-ranging experience specializing in litigation across a variety of sectors and he is a registered Lawyer and member of the Beirut Bar Association in Lebanon since 1996.

Haytham has in-depth experience in civil, criminal, banking, real estate, transportation and commercial law in a contentious and advisory capacity and is an expert in drafting and reviewing complex commercial documentation and has advised several national authorities, he has also participated in amending and drafting several UAE laws and regulations.

Haytham has co-authored five legal books regarding business, commercial and criminal laws and their interpretation and implantation in the Middle East, he has also published several articles on new laws that were introduced in the UAE. He also specializes in the enforcement of the arbitral awards within the UAE courts.