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.

Lori Baker

Vice President- Legal & Director of Data Protection, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)

Lori Baker, FIP, Member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Data Protection and Privacy is an experienced attorney with expertise in data protection and regulatory compliance, as well as broad practice in commercial contracting. She is qualified in both the USA (in the states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania) and the UK, and is a Fellow of Information Privacy as certified by the International Association of Privacy Professionals. Lori now provides data protection and security strategy and support in one of the leading financial centers in the MEASA region, while in her own time she writes and speaks on various data protection and compliance topics.

Prior to relocating to Dubai in 2016, Lori was based in London, UK for 10 years, having worked most recently for Fieldfisher LLP in the technology and outsourcing team as a senior privacy and cybersecurity associate. She held in-house roles as Senior Compliance and Privacy Counsel at Dun & Bradstreet, Head of Ethics and Compliance at Orange Business Services and Global Regulatory/Privacy Specialist at BT Global Services.

Lori attended DeSales University, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in politics with a minor in philosophy, followed by Widener University School of Law (the Delaware Law School), where she was awarded a Juris Doctor with an emphasis in international business transactions. While at Widener, Lori enrolled in the Geneva International Law Institute, directed by instructors from the WTO, the UN and other international organisations.

Theuns van de Merwe

Partner, CWB Legal

For more than a decade, Theuns has served as counsel for some the largest businesses in the world advising on IP licensing, strategy, risk assessment, clearance, prosecution, litigation, marketing, and alternative dispute resolution work. Theuns advises in a wide range of industry sectors, including in entertainment, consumer goods, cosmetics, clothing and apparel, technology, hospitality, real estate, tourism, food and beverage, manufacturing, and construction.

Dr Majdouline Scheit

Corporate Counsel, Alghanim Industries

DR MAJDOULINE SCHEIT is a Lebanese-qualified lawyer with nine years of experience. She earned a master’s degree in International Business Law from Filiere Francophone De Droit in Lebanon with an accreditation from the University of Aix-Marseille III in France.

She subsequently earned a PhD in International Law from the Lebanese Doctorate School of Law and Political Science with a focus on the joint development agreements for common offshore oil & gas deposits.

She has taught Energy and Environmental Law at the University of Phoenicia in Lebanon. Before joining Alghanim Industries, Majdouline was a private practice lawyer and provided regular support to companies and in-house legal teams across corporate transactional matters, commercial contracts and other compliance and regulatory matters.

Sheila Shadmand

Partner-in-Charge, Jones Day

Sheila Shadmand is the Partner-in-Charge of Jones Day’s Middle East Region. She specialises in investigations, arbitration, and cross-border litigation. Over her nearly 25 years of practice, she has defended and counseled multinational companies in anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, anti-boycott, and sanctions matters, including defending companies facing enforcement action by the DOJ, SEC, OFAC, and/ or the DFSA. She has led investigations in over 30 countries throughout the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia region. In addition, Sheila has served as counsel or arbitrator in numerous high-value ICC, LCIA, DIFC-LCIA, and DIAC arbitrations, and appears as an advocate in the DIFC Courts. She was lead counsel in International Electro-Mechanical v Al Fattan, which provided a pro-arbitration foundational precedent in the DIFC Courts. Sheila is recognised in Chambers (Band 1) and The Legal 500.