Senior Legal Counsel (Head of Legal)
Jeddah Historical District Program
مجموع سنوات الخبرة :11 years, 3 أشهر
Established the Legal Department to provide legal support to three main clients:
1) JHD, a government program responsible for preserving, developing, and regulating Jeddah Historic District, which is a UNESCO-listed heritage site;
2) Al-Balad Development Company (BDC), a PIF company established to be the primary developer and investor of JHD’s jurisdiction; and
3) the Center of Development Projects (CDP), which is a center within the Ministry responsible for the development of multiple heritage and cultural sites in KSA, including Yanbu, Duba, Al-Wajh, and Ad-diriyah Biennale.
\[Amer AlAmr Law Firm "AALF"; ex-DLA Piper Operations in KSA\]
❖ Areas of Practice:
• Public Policy & Regulatory Practice.
• Corporate & Transactional Practice.
• Commercial Dispute Resolution Practice.
❖ Office Management:
• Re-establishing the firm's branch in Jeddah.
• Business Development: Managing Client relationships & Responding to RFPs.
• Financials: Managing client billings and office accounting matters.
• HR: Supervising employees, providing legal training, arranging secondments for trainee and junior lawyers, coordinating leave requests, reviewing and approving medical insurance packages.
• Property management: Supervising property contracts.
\[DLA Piper Middle East LLP\]
★Litigation Team of the Year★ - by the Middle East Legal Awards, 2019.
❖ Led the Regulatory & Commercial Litigation Practice in the Jeddah Office.
❖ Regulatory & Government Advisory Practice:
• Main advisor to the Ministry of Culture (Historic Jeddah Program) on its regulatory and contractual matters.
• Advised SAMA on drafting a new law in relation to banking secrecy.
• Advised MiSK on drafting a new foundation bylaws.
• Main advisor to the Red Sea International Film Festival Foundation on its regulatory and contractual matters.
❖ Corporate & Commercial Practice:
• Main attorney and representative of Amazon in Jeddah, KSA, for Jeddah-legal-related matters.
• Main advisor and representative of Mondelez on KSA legal matters.
• Main advisor of Diversey on general KSA legal matters.
• Advised Lycamobile, the British mobile virtual network operator, on a JV agreement and SAGIA/CITC-MVNO licenses.
• Advised, Naseej, a Saudi-listed company, on a unique shares-assets-swap arrangement.
• Advised a major real estate group on corporate restructuring for IPO preliminaries.
• Advised a multinational company on SAMA regulations on insurance/reinsurance brokerage licenses.
❖ Commercial Dispute Resolution Practice:
• Managed and provided bi-jurisdictional (Saudi and Dutch) advice to a major pharma multinational company on a SAR 200 million claim.
• Managed and provided tri-jurisdictional (Saudi, English, and French) advice to the largest telecommunication company in the MENA region on a potential multinational dispute.
Advised the following major corporations on commercial contracts and potential lawsuits matters: Mcdonalds, CERAFILTEC, SALAMAH Insurance, ANABEEB, and Hilton International Group.
• Successfully represented Fleishman Hillard Group (UK) in a lawsuit settlement with a consultancy firm in relation to advising MOH.
• Successfully represented the following MN corporations in their local disputes: Pfizer, Booz Allen Hamilton, Mondelez, Diversey, and AstraZeneca UK.
★Best Law Firm for Mergers & Acquisitions★ - by IFN Awards, 2017 & 2018.
❖ Litigation Practice:
• Successfully represented Zahid Group in a major real estate battle.
• Successfully represented AlHomrani United (Former Nissan Agent in Saudi Arabia) against Falcon Trade Corporation on which I succeeded to nullify a SAR 60-Million Financing Agreement and all the guarantees raised from it to stay all enforcement measures.
• Successfully represented an academic expat in a major Article-(77) labor dispute.
• Successfully represented heirs of a shareholder in a corporate dispute to rectify their shareholder rights.
• Successfully represented a Binladin entity on 11 lawsuits filed in one year.
• Successfully represented a manufacturing company that owns a major factory in Jeddah against the Civil Defense Directorate in an administrative case on which I succeeded to rescind several civil defense fines.
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• Advised Unilever KSA, Huawei, EA (FIFA Game Producer), Souq.com, Czech Airlines, Tetra Pak, Bayer AG, MenaBev (PepsiCo Agent), Zahid Tractor, Kinan, and other major companies on litigation issues and potential lawsuits matters;
• Advised a leading Arabic entertainment network on YouTube on media lawsuit;
• Managed a comprehensive corporate investigation of a family-business company to investigate the poor profitability of the company.
• Advised multinational companies on agency law issues in relation to Anti-cover up law.
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❖ Small & Medium Entrepreneurship Unit:
• Advising startups on structuring unique partnerships, company formations, and reviewing investment and commercial agreements.
• Drafted The terms & conditions for a new coming e-tailing mobile application.
• Drafted an unincorporated joint venture agreement between an entertainment company and a famous actor.
★ Saudi Arabia Law Firm of the Year ★ - IFLR Middle East Awards 2016
★ International Law Firm of the Year ★ - CCME Awards & IFLR Middle East Awards, 2016
★ Saudi Arabia Deal of the Year ★ - IFN Awards 2016
(M&A, Commercial, and Privatization):
• Assisted in advising the Public Investment Fund on its assets-swap acquisition of King Abdullah Financial District.
• Assisted in Advising Almana family on the sale of a 20% stake in Almana General Hospitals to Sanabil Direct Investments (PIF’s venture capital arm).
• Assisted in advising a Saudi-American joint venture on a reverse subsidiary merger transaction.
• Participated in drafting a trade mark license agreement for Patchi.
• Assisted in drafting the executive program to privatize sport clubs.
(Foreign Investment):
• Advised the entities of General Electric, the largest foreign investor in KSA, on SAGIA applications.
• Advised a food additives company on regulations related to GCC and KSA requirements to import additives into Saudi.
(Litigation):
• Managed the enforcement of 28 judgments in an amount of SAR 10 billion against AHAB and Saad Trading.
• Advised a European oil and gas contracting company on a possible litigation issue under the Companies Law.
(Real Estate):
• Drafted and revised a set of real estate agreements for a $170 million housing project: Drafted the real estate marketing agreement, revised the real estate sale agreement, and reviewed the real estate development agreement.
(Employment):
• Revised an employee virtual stock ownership plan for MASIC Company.
• Revised a consultancy services agreement and a procurement terms & conditions document for the HRDF.
• Drafted employment contracts and termination letters based on the new amendments of the Labor Law.
(CMA & Securities):
• Participated in advising SIDRA Capital on its new investment fund whose objective is to invest in money market instruments.
• Participated in revising the customer agreements of a CMA authorized person.
Law School Teaching Assistant Specialized in Commercial & Corporate Law - (Pre-scholarship assignment).
• Represented the Royal Commission in the Council of Ministers Panel of Experts for drafting the Anti-Smoking Bill
• Revised and redrafted the Royal Commission's administrative contracts forms
• Represented the Royal Commission in Administrative and General Courts Sessions
• Solved the issue of disposing Royal Commission official documents by drafting legal guidelines
• Redrafted the Royal Commission Hospital Employees Regulation
• Provided legal advice to Royal Commission departments
• Participated in bid opening committees
• Reviewed the consistency of contracts, legal notices, and deed issuance recommendations with the applicable laws and regulations
• Prepared the department's 2012 Annual Business Plan
• Proposed administrative, economic, and development plans to the CEO for the enhancement of Yanbu Industrial City
• Submitted proposals for developing the Legal Affairs Department
• Worked on licensing foreign investments in Saudi Arabia through full ownership and partnering with a local investor
• Assisted in advising clients on Investment and Corporate Laws Issues
• Participated in mediation sessions over commercial and family disputes
• Tracked and reviewed lawsuits statuses, provided support to partners, and drafted legal documents, and corresponded with clients
★The Most Profitable Company in the World★ - Bloomberg.
Land Affairs Department:
• Reviewed cases with regard to Saudi Aramco concession contract over Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia
• Prepared lawsuit files and referred them to appropriate departments
• Reviewed government requests of land acquisitions
★The Most Profitable Company in the World★ - Bloomberg.
Governmental Affairs:
• Received requests from courts and government agencies, translated them, and distributed them within the company's departments
• Followed up on implementation of requests from courts, government agencies and companies
• Coordinated with senior managers
★Georgetown University was ranked No. (5) in Best Law Schools in the United States in International Law★ - by US News 2015 Law School Rankings. • Degree: ★ LL.M. in International Business & Economic Law (IBEL), Class of 2015 • Certificates & Additional Programs: ★ Certificate in International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution, May 2015; ★ Summer Program on Professional Responsibility Law in the United States; ★ Certificate in Legal English for International Lawyers, May 2014; and ★ Certificate in Foundations of American Law and Legal Education, Summer 2013. • Awards: ★ “Distinguished Graduate” Award - by the Saudi Ministry of Education for graduating from a top-five school in my major, May 2015.
• Awards: ★ Class Honors, 2010. ★ “Star of the College” Award (for superiority and excellence in general knowledge tests, elections campaign, capacities exam results, student activities record, and personal interview, 2008).