Mazin Al Mardhi

Senior Associate, Charles Russell Speechlys

Mazin is a Senior Associate in the firm’s Middle East offices where he is a member of the Construction, Engineering and Projects team. Over the past 10 years, Mazin has advised and acted for a range of clients primarily based in the GCC in relation to various business sectors including amongst others construction and engineering, industrial manufacturing, general trading and hospitality. Such clients range from GCC family business owners to multinational construction companies, manufacturing and technology companies, hotel operators as well as high net worth individuals.

More recently, Mazin has focused his practice in commercial and construction disputes under arbitration. Mazin has acted for clients in high value disputes conducted by the ICC, DIFC-LCIA, DIAC and ADCCAC providing all-inclusive legal services. He has also advised on commercial acquisitions, commercial agency agreements and employment matters.

Mazin also works closely with local advocates and litigators in the national courts of the UAE and Bahrain. Mazin is dual qualified in Bahrain and the UK and is fluent in both English and Arabic.

James Dunne

Head of Trade Marks & Brand Protection, Hadef & Partners

James Dunne heads our Trade Marks and Brand Protection practice in Dubai and has over 10 years’ experience in intellectual property law in the United Kingdom, Australia and the Middle East. He has practised in Dubai since 2014.

His practice focuses on all aspects of intellectual property with a particular focus on trade marks and brand protection. He has extensive experience in brand counselling; trade mark portfolio management; trade mark clearance, prosecution and enforcement across the Middle East and internationally.

James has advised brand owners ranging from small businesses through to market leading multinational companies across various industry sectors including hospitality and leisure; entertainment; personal care and beauty; transportation; energy and resources; aviation; technology; construction; pharmaceuticals and luxury goods areas.

James is registered as a legal consultant at the Dubai Legal Affairs Department and is a dual-qualified solicitor admitted in New South Wales (Australia) and England and Wales (United Kingdom). He holds a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws and, in addition to his private practice experience, has also undertaken a secondment in the trade marks department of one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies.

Nick O’Connell

Partner, Head of TMT – KSA, Al Tamimi & Company

Nick has been with Al Tamimi & Company for about ten years, initially specialising in intellectual property, but for most of his time with the firm as a key member of the Technology, Media & Telecommunications team. Nick’s practice area includes technology transactions (including procurement, software licensing, consultancy services and outsourcing), technology and intellectual property aspects of corporate and commercial transactions, privacy and data protection, e-commerce, media and advertising, and telecommunications. Nick is the author for the UAE chapter of Data Protection & Privacy, 3rd Edition (the Sweet & Maxwell International Series).

Andrew Fawcett

Ruth Stephen

Senior Associate, Pinsent Masons

Ruth advises clients across the Middle East and North Africa and has extensive experience of compliance with UAE Federal Labour Law, as well as advising on regulations in the free zones. Ruth works closely with the Pinsent Masons associate firm in Saudi Arabia to give clients the ‘on the ground’ advice that they need for their employment matters arising under the KSA Labour Law.

Ruth has a particular specialism advising clients in the DIFC on the DIFC’s separate common law employment regime. Ruth is the ‘go-to’ person for all matters connected with the DIFC Employment Law and works closely with various groups and associations in the DIFC including the DIFC Data Protection working group. Additionally, Ruth sits in on the “DEWS” pension scheme meetings led by the DIFC Authority in conjunction with the relevant pension stakeholders. Ruth has co-authored numerous DIFC employment law articles and delivered client webinars on the updated DIFC Employment Law.  This experience leads itself to Ruth advising finance and insurance sector clients operating in the DIFC.

Marie Chowdhry

Financial Services Senior Associate, Pinsent Masons

Marie is a versatile financial regulatory and payments lawyer with experience advising banking and insurance clients, payment service providers, and FinTech start-ups on all aspects of their business and operations throughout the Middle East.  Marie provides advice on all licensing matters arising across the GCC, with particular focus on KSA, UAE and Bahrain (including both onshore and freezone regimes).  Marie’s extensive experience acting on regulatory-led transformation programmes, for both established financial services players and new FinTechs entering the GCC market, gives her an excellent overview of what is required to bring complex regulatory-led programmes to successful completion. Marie has been identified as a Rising Star in the recent UAE 2020 Legal 500 rankings, which describe her as ‘exceptional in her field of expertise’.

Helen Tung

Barrister

Helen Tung is a dual qualified barrister and Founder of NewSpace2060, an advisory service for NewSpace startups and investors. 

Helen has experience in reinsurance, maritime law and commercial disputes in London, UAE and advised clients globally. She was previously a policy legal advisor for the UK Maritime Coastguard, was an advocate for the Home Office with experience in Court of Appeals and also had secondments with leading shipping law firms in Seoul and Shanghai. Helen has also advised the European Commission, METI and UAE Space Agency in relation to space law and policy.

Helen is a member of the Dubai Courts of the Future Working Group, Founding member of the Maritime Autonomous Regulatory Systems Working Group (MARSWG) and member of the SmartShip ISO standards committee. She is also committee member of the Knowledge Management group of the International Bar Association addressing the role of AI and emergent technologies in law. She is the Co-Chair of Space Debris & Space operations, VP in Enterprise Risk Management Committee at the International Aeronautical Congress and Advisor to the Board of Global Green, Green Cross & 7Pillars.

Helen is a TedX speaker and has delivered over 50+ talks globally including at IBA, IPBA and in the startup/investor scene.

She is a UK trained Barrister with 13 years of Post qualification experience. Helen attended University of Sheffield, University of Tilburg and University of Law in which she obtained her law degrees. Helen furthered her studies at the University of Greenwich for PhD studies (completed coursework only) in maritime security and international law and undertook Directed Studies on International Private Law at The Hague Academy. She further took part in the Global Solutions Program at Singularity University, based at NASA Ames and attended the International Space University Summer Space Program with the Aerospace Engineering Department at the University of Delft in The Netherlands.

She featured in the ALB MENA Super 50 lawyers for 2021.

Campbell M. Steedman

Partner, Squire Patton Boggs

Campbell has more than 30 years of experience representing major clients on complex M&A, joint venture, privatisation, ECM and corporate/commercial transactions across emerging markets throughout the Middle East, Central and Eastern Europe, and Africa. His long-standing and deep knowledge of these markets has made him a valued asset for clients around the world, who look to him for his noted deal-making skill, and his ability to navigate the complexities of intricately structured, multijurisdictional transactions.

Robert Flaws

Partner, CMS (UAE)

Robert is a partner in the Technology, Media & Telecommunications Department with over 10 years of international experience supporting the delivery of private and public sector technology and communications projects. Since relocating to the Middle East in 2011, Robert has been engaged on numerous projects including mobile network procurements and rollouts, managed services outsourcing for mobile operators, business process outsourcings and tower sale and lease-back initiatives. Most recently, Robert spent time on secondment working with one of the largest mobile, telecoms and media services providers in the UAE, as a key part of their technology and procurement legal team. Robert is a regular participant at industry events and enjoys sharing trends, experiences and best practices with participants in MENA’s vibrant and ever changing telecoms industry.

Luke Tapp

Partner, Pinsent Masons

As head of our Middle East Employment Practice, Luke advises clients based in the United Arab Emirates and Gulf region on all aspects of employment and labour law issues.

Luke regularly advises clients on contentious and non-contentious matters, including before the DIFC courts”.

Luke is ranked as a “Next Generation Lawyer” and an “Associate to Watch” by Legal 500 and Chambers respectively, and was awarded Young Lawyer of the Year at the 2017 DIFC Gala Dinner.