People Archive - Page 35 of 41 - LexisNexis Middle East

Prof. David Russell AM, KC

18/03/201920/03/2025
by Madelein Du Plessis

Prof. DAVID RUSSELL AM, KC

Barrister | Outer Temple Chambers

David commenced legal practice in 1974. He is admitted to practise in Australia, England and Wales (Lincoln’s Inn), the Courts of the Dubai International Financial Centre, New York (as a Legal Consultant), New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

He currently practises in Dubai, London, and Abu Dhabi (Outer Temple Chambers), Sydney (Ground Floor Wentworth Chambers) and Brisbane (Sir Harry Gibbs Chambers). He has acted for Commonwealth and State Governments as well as individuals and corporations. David was President of the Taxation Institute of Australia from 1993 to 1995, and of the Asia Oceania Tax Consultants’ Association from 1996 to 2000.

He has lectured at the University of Sydney for the Master of Taxation course, the University of Queensland for the Master of Laws course and served as an Adjunct Professor of the University of Queensland. He is the co-editor of the Oxford University Press Journal Trusts & Trustees.

He was the Inaugural Chairman of the STEP International Client Special Interest Group, was Deputy Chair and a director of STEP and a member of its World Wide Council and various Committees, and is a co-chair of the United Arab Emirates Chapter of the International Section of the New York State Bar Association, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Section, an Academician of The International Academy of Estate and Trust Law, a Member of the Middle East and North Africa Branch Committee of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (UK), a member of the Worshipful Company of Tax Advisers, a Freeman of the City of London and an Honorary Member of the Taxation Institute of Hong Kong. In 2016 he chaired the DIFC’s Wealth Management Review Working Group.

David is listed in the Taxation Category in the Australian Financial Review/Best Lawyers review of the Australian Legal Profession in 2008 and all later years and in 2014 was the Tax Institute’s Chartered Tax Adviser of the Year. In 2010 he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun (with Gold Rays and Neck Ribbon) for his services to Australia-Japan relations. In 2012 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for, among other things, “service … to taxation law and legal education.” Since 2016, he has been recognised by Legal Week and The American Lawyer as part of the Private Client Global Elite.

Michael Patchett-Joyce

18/03/201918/03/2019
by Madelein Du Plessis

Michael Patchett-Joyce FCIArb is a barrister, arbitrator, mediator with over 30 years’ professional experience.

His expertise is focused on commercial litigation, international commercial arbitration, and indirect tax (VAT).

As well as practising at all levels of the courts and tribunal hierarchies in England and Wales, he acts as Counsel in cases before the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts, and the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) Courts. He has also acted in four cases heard by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in Luxembourg.

He is experienced as an arbitrator or arbitration Counsel in institutional arbitrations, including cases under the ICC, DIFC-LCIA, DIAC and LMAA rules.

He is a frequent speaker at international conferences on all aspects of his practice – commercial litigation, arbitration and VAT. In the DIFC, he has presented seminars on the DIFC Court Law at the launch and follow-up events for the publication of the Laws of the DIFC: Volume 1.

He has also spoken on the rise of international commercial courts at both academic and practitioner Conferences. He has recently been commissioned to write a chapter for a forthcoming book on the topic.

He is a member of the Scientific Board of the LexisNexis MENA Business Law Review, and a member of the Advisory Board for the Center for International Commerce and Dispute Resolution (CICDR) in Lebanon.

He is Vice-Chair of the Bar Council International Committee, of which he is a long-standing member.

He practises from Ely Place Chambers in London.

MARIE POTEL-SAVILLE

21/02/2019
by Madelein Du Plessis

Marie is the founder & CEO of the Paris office of Dot., the leading legal design agency in Europe. She combines her 15+ years of in-house and private practice experience with her passion for Legal Design, to provide clients with user-centric, engaging and real-life solutions.

Prior to Dot., Marie was Vice-President Legal EMEA at Estée Lauder Companies, and she previously served as Legal Manager for Chanel. Her private practice experience includes 12 years in Magic Circles law firms in London, Brussels, Paris and Mexico.

Marie specializes in EU competition law, and her expertise spans compliance, litigation, M&A, commercial agreements, distribution and data privacy. Marie is also one of LexisNexis Middle East’s key authors in our latest practice guide on Skillsets for Lawyers.

Connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-potel-saville/ and marie@dot.legal

MEERA KLEMOLA

21/02/201921/02/2019
by Madelein Du Plessis

Meera Klemola is a leading expert in Legal Design and human skills for legal professionals and teams. With qualifications in law, design and business, and a former founder at Dot. Meera has been a trusted advisor to multinational brands, legal innovation teams, top-tier law firms and universities helping them tap into design as a strategic tool to modernize legal thinking, introduce collaborative ways of working and innovate new-to-market legal services and products.

Known for her fresh insights on the legal sector and where it’s going, Meera is a sought-after keynote speaker and panel member at company retreats and global conferences including Legal Geek (Europe’s largest legal tech conference), Daimler’s ‘Digital Life Day’, AltaCon (Australia’s largest legal tech conference) and Germany’s Brand & Design Congress. Meera is also one of Lexis Nexis Middle East’s key authors in our latest practice guide on Skillsets for Lawyers.

Connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meera-klemola/

Floriane Lavaud

19/12/201822/11/2022
by Benjamin Filaferro

Counsel, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

FLORIANE LAVAUD is a member of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP’s International Dispute Resolution Group in New York and Paris. Her practice focuses on public international law and international arbitration, particularly in the Middle East. She is admitted to the New York and Paris Bars and is a solicitor in England & Wales.

With over fifteen years of experience, Ms Lavaud advises and represents multinational corporations and sovereign States in various jurisdictions and on civil and common law, public international law, and treaty and contract interpretation. Ms Lavaud advises and represents pro bono clients on domestic and public international law issues.

From 2009 to 2011, she clerked for the Hon. Douglas P. Woodlock of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Ms Lavaud is among the few civil-law-trained attorneys who served as a federal law clerk and therefore has substantial experience in U.S. litigation. She was involved in various civil and criminal cases during her two-year clerkship.

Before joining Debevoise in 2007, Ms Lavaud worked at Total, one of the world’s leading international oil and gas companies. As a member of Total’s Exploration & Production legal division, Ms Lavaud gained in-depth experience with the oil and gas industry and the agreements specific to this industry.

Ms Lavaud serves in several leadership positions. In 2022, she was elected to the Board of Directors of ArbitralWomen, an international organisation that promotes women and diversity in international arbitration. Ms Lavaud also serves as Co-Chair of the International Arbitration Committee of the American Branch of the International Law Association (ABILA) and as Co-Chair of International Law Weekend (ILW) 2022. She is also a member of numerous arbitration organisations, including the Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA) Advisory Board representing Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. She also recently served as a New York Regional Representative of the ICC Young Arbitrators Forum.

Ms Lavaud regularly speaks and publishes on international law-related issues. Ms Lavaud received an LL.M. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2007 and an M.A. in Litigation and Arbitration from the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas with honours in 2005. She is a native French speaker, is also proficient in Spanish, and has basic knowledge of Dutch.

Jamie Gibson

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

Jamie is a partner in Trowers & Hamlins’ International Corporate team and he has been based in Oman since 2008. Jamie specialises in corporate and commercial law and advises clients on a wide range of matters including mergers & acquisitions, corporate set-ups and structuring, corporate compliance and general advisory. He has advised clients in many sectors including ports, power & water, defence, construction, engineering, FMCG, financial services, mining, oil & gas, real estate and manufacturing. Jamie has extensive experience advising foreign investors into Oman and he has a particular interest in the ease of – and barriers to – doing business in Oman for foreign investors

Cheryl Cairns

06/11/2018
by Benjamin Filaferro

Cheryl Cairns is a partner in Trowers and Hamlins’ International Construction team and has been based in the region since 2007, working across all of the firm’s Middle East offices which include Oman, Bahrain and the UAE. Cheryl’s practice provides contract advisory services for all aspects of construction, engineering and oil and gas projects (especially those procured on an EPC basis) to employers, main contractors, specialist subcontractors and engineering and architectural consultants. Cheryl has extensive experience of advising upon procurement issues, amendments to redress the balance of risk in standard form (in particular FIDIC) and bespoke building contracts, consultancy agreements and forms of ancillary security relating to significant international infrastructure and development projects. Cheryl also frequently advises clients (both claimants and respondents) in relation to construction dispute resolution, which includes amicable settlement assistance, drafting settlements agreements, mediation, dispute resolution boards and arbitration proceedings conducted under various arbitration rules (ICC, LCIA, UNCITRAL, ADCACC) as well as being regularly appointed to sit as an arbitrator. Cheryl also holds a Masters Degree in Construction Law and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Naif Khalid Humaid Sulaiman Al Qari

06/11/201826/02/2020
by Benjamin Filaferro

Executive Director at Mohammed Ibrahim Law Firm, Sultanate of Oman

Naif Khalid Humaid Al Qari is a lawyer and employment law specialist based in Muscat.

Presently he is working as the Executive Director of Mohammed Ibrahim Law Firm. After passing graduation, Naif was trained under the law firm of Dr. Salim Al Shukeili. Thereafter, he worked with the Ministry of Man Power as a legal Inspector and was promoted to an Inspector Counsellor to deal with the labour disputes, after 3 years of service.

He later joined Mohammed Ibrahim Law Firm as Advocate and Executive Director in the year 2010. In the year 2011 he went to Australlia to study in La Trobe University, Melbourne. Then he moved to United Kingdom and pursued LLM from University of East Anglia in Employment Law.

Naif is an expert in employment law, and especially the area related to unfair dismissal and redundancy. He is regularly gives radio talks at Oman radio and TV. He has attended several numbers of International Conferences globally. His profile includes handling highly complicated employment disputes, dealing with both national and international clients, actively participating in resolving labour union registered disputes for various companies etc.

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.

Ouarda El Ghannouti

25/10/2018
by Benjamin Filaferro

Senior Associate Aurifer Middle East Tax Consultancy.

Ouarda El Ghannouti is a tax expert with 5 years of experience in tax policy advisory at the Ministry of Finance in the Netherlands and government representation to the EU. She has provided technical support and policy advice to the Dutch State Secretary for Finance and the Minister of Finance on indirect tax policy issues (VAT and real estate transfer tax). She was also responsible for the preparation and writing of tax policy and legislation.

As a tax consultant, she is currently providing tax advice and assistance to companies from diverse sectors and with international operations.

Ouarda holds a bachelor and master degree in Fiscal Economy from the Erasmus University Rotterdam and a Post-Master Indirect Taxation, from the same university. She has been working combining her knowledge in both fields working for the Dutch Ministry of Finance and working with the European institutions.