Simmons & Simmons
Simmons & Simmons is an international full-service firm with over 2,000 staff and 20 offices worldwide.
The firm has been involved in the UAE for three decades and established its first outpost in the region with the opening of the Abu Dhabi office in 1994. Further expansion in the region led to the opening of a Dubai office in 2005 and the firm now offers clients a full range of services throughout the MENA region. The diverse nature of the practice is highlighted by the fact that lawyers from the firm feature in seven of the 16 chapters on the following pages.
Simmons & Simmons’ only dual listing comes in the construction chapter where both James Kwan and Adrian Cole appear prominently. Cole is based in Abu Dhabi and comes recommended as an “A-grade lawyer with fantastic clients”. His practice encompasses both the contentious and non-contentious sides of the industry and among other matters he advised a major Indian conglomerate on an EPC contract and related documents for the design and construction of a new steelworks in Iran. Kwan, a “good, quality lawyer”, recently joined the firm from Allen & Overy, bringing with him expertise in the infrastructure, power, civil engineering and energy sectors. His work on local disputes as well as ones in Thailand, Korea, China, Vietnam, Japan and Singapore also sees him listed in the commercial arbitration chapter.
Muneer Khan is another lawyer appearing more than once on the following pages. Khan advised the UK government on Islamic finance issues while sitting on HM Treasury’s Islamic Finance Technical Group and his reputation for shariah compliant investment funds sees him listed in both the private funds and Islamic finance chapters. Vanessa Owen joined the firm from Clyde & Co and comes recommended on the insolvency and restructuring front. Among other matters she advised a Dubai Financial Services Authority-regulated entity on its insolvency and withdrawal from the Dubai International Financial Centre.
The firm also features in the oil and gas chapter where the “exceptional” George Booth was praised by clients and peers alike. Booth’s portfolio of clients contains names such as Shell, BP and ExxonMobil to name but a few and he recently advised Aabar Energy on its sales of Dalma Energy and Pearl Energy, worth a combined US$1.2 billion. The firm’s final entry appears in the real estate chapter where David Nunn features prominently. Based in the Emirates and London, Nunn’s highlights include advising on the development of a residential block in the Pearl in Doha, Qatar.