Clyde & Co LLP
Clyde & Co has an eminent reputation in the UAE. With offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the firm has been operating in the region for over 25 years and has more than 130 practitioners on the ground across their Middle East regional offices.
In-house translation and government liaison services support the legal practice. The firm was established in London in 1933, making its name in the shipping, road and aviation sectors. Soon after, the firm gained a reputation for excellence in the field of insurance and reinsurance and these strengths are mirrored in its strong performance in this publication. The firm’s lawyers feature 18 times on the following pages across 10 practice areas, with three practitioners each in the shipping and maritime, and insurance and reinsurance chapters.
Wayne Jones, who heads up the firm’s insurance and reinsurance practice in the Middle East was the most highly nominated individual in the corresponding chapter. He recently advised Gulf Reinsurance Limited, successfully obtaining authorisation from the Dubai Financial Services Authority to undertake business as a new start-up reinsurer, in or from the Dubai International Financial Centre. This represented a significant development in the growth of the insurance market in the region. The “excellent” Alec Emmerson and Christopher Mills are also highly regarded in this field and also in the shipping and maritime area, where the “dynamic and accomplished” Brian Nash joins them. Emmerson also features in our arbitration chapter.
The firm’s finance practice is also well regarded. There are two “very well known and respected” entries in the capital markets chapter - Jonathan Silver and Niall O’Toole. Ashley Painter is featured in both the banking, and insolvency and restructuring sections of the following pages. O’Toole and Silver also contribute to the firm’s corporate reputation, featuring again in the mergers and acquisitions chapter.
Intellectual property is an area that currently has a small bar in the UAE; however, Clyde & Co is one of the few firms with an established practice in this area. With two practitioners listed in this chapter (Rob Deans and David Moore) Clyde & Co possesses one of the most comprehensive IP teams in the region, led by “IP specialist” Deans.
The firm also boasts a presence in the real estate and construction sections. The “fabulous dispute resolution capability” of the firm’s real estate practice was praised during research, with Alexis Waller rigorously complimented, as was Michael Grose, one of the most highly nominated individuals in the construction research and “probably the best-known construction lawyer in Dubai”.