Independent Senior Counsel
Independent
Total years of experience :19 years, 10 Months
Providing General Corporate Legal Consultation relating Corporate matters, Mergers and Acquisitions, Compliance, and Governance covering GCC, Europe, and United Kingdom covering Real Estate Investments and Developments, Funds and Private Equity Investments, Hospitality and Educational Investments, Agricultural Investments.
Providing General Family Legal Consultation relating family affairs matters, succession planning, trust funds, and complex International family matters with multiple jurisdictions' conflict.
Senior Legal Counsel (Head of Legal)
at Al Ain Holding
at Al Dahra Holding
Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Company Industries: Diversified in investments, real estate, hospitality and Education.
Job Role: Law/Legal
November 2011 - November 2017 Al Ain Holding is a diversified investment group of companies. http://alainholding.ae/
November 2011 - March 2015 Al Dahra Holding is a diversified Agriculture group of companies.
http://www.aldahra.com/
Role
• Senior Legal Counsel for Al Ain Holding and its subsidiaries Al Ain Capital, Al Ain Properties, Al Ain Hospitality, and Al Ain Educational Investments (Head of Legal).
• Senior Legal Counsel for Al Dahra Holding and its subsidiaries (Head of Legal).
• Member of the Executive Management Committee that is responsible for the Group’s overall operations and day-to-day business activities (Sep 2014 to November 2017)
Key Responsibilities
Corporate and Board Affairs
• Manage all legal aspects related to corporate affairs ensuring adherence to applicable laws, rules and regulations, and further complying with the Group’s corporate governance and best practices.
• Deal with all Board affairs of the Group and function as the Secretary to the Board of Directors of the Group and several other subsidiaries.
• Participate in corporate restructuring to adopt best practices.
• Assist in structuring the Group’s corporate governance and its related affiliates and further prepare bilingual standard corporate documents reflecting and implementing such governance.
• Prepare and implement few policies and procedures enabling the Group to function as per the best practices.
Legal Services and Advisory
• Head and manage the group’s legal department and deal with legal matters the Group’s diversified day-to-day businesses and operations.
• Manage and lead all legal negotiations related to the group’s projects.
• Manage and lead Mergers and acquisitions locally within UAE and internationally.
• Assure effective management of all legal risks and its mitigation.
• Monitor and assure compliance with applicable legal provisions in the UAE and other global locations in all matters related to the Group’s functions.
• Supervise and manage the process of mergers and acquisitions including acquisition of existing companies and assets, merging of companies to ensure compliance with the business objectives.
• Prepare and negotiate joint ventures agreement, partnership agreements and memoranda of understanding to support the Group’s new activities.
• Negotiate assets management agreements, hotel management agreement and similar class of agreements whereby managers are appointed to manage assets and implement the group’s governance and policies into such agreements.
• Draft, review, and negotiate comprehensive range of legal and non-legal documents and agreements required for the group’s operations and new business.
1.Drafting, reviewing and negotiating all types of Agreements, including and limited to Property Reservation Agreements, Joint Venture and Partnership Agreements, Sale and Purchase Agreements, Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreements, Memoranda of Understanding, Contracting Agreement, Service Providing Agreement, Service Level Agreements, Settlement Agreements, and such other Agreements related and separated to the here above mentioned, taking into consideration the bilingual of drafting and preparing such agreements.
2.Corporate related matter, including but not limited to, preparing board resolutions relating to the business of the company, shareholders resolutions, and such other matters related to the above mentioned matters.
3.Acting as a permanent member of the Internal Defence Committee, and providing this committee with the appropriate legal advise towards any dispute between the Company and third parties.
4.Acting as a focal point between the internal departments of the Company and the external lawyers/counsels and carry out the coordination and operation in order to achieve the required outcome.
5.Attending meetings, including but not limited to meetings with clients and investors as such is required by the relevant department from time to time, executive committee meetings (representing the legal department).
6.Carrying out the internal management, operation and handling of the companies files and documents within the legal department, and creating a mirror of the files as electronic version to facilitate retrievals and further requests.
7.Provide the Company with analysis, recommendations and advises about any issue which legal department is meant to intervenes,
1. Property and Real Estate related matters including but not limited to negotiating the terms and conditions of the Sale and Purchase Agreements with the developer and drafting, reviewing and amending current Plot Sale and Purchase Agreement.
2. Providing Legal Support and advises to Property and Development Department, Procurement and Contracts Department, Business Support Department and such Departments that may require legal support from time to time.
3. Negotiating, reviewing, and Drafting various kind of Agreements, including and limited to Property Reservation Agreements, Joint Venture and Partnership Agreements, Sale and Purchase Agreements, Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreements, Memoranda of Understanding, Concession Agreements, Service Level Agreements, and such other Agreements related and separated to the here above mentioned, taking into consideration the bilingual of the Drafted Agreement.
4. Assisting in founding the rules and regulations implemented on the Free Zone Companies and Establishment incorporated within Dubai Maritime City, and preparing the template draft for all corporate documents that might be required by the applicant.
5. Labour Dispute resolutions as am appointed a member of the Mediation and Arbitration Committee to settle any dispute arise between any employee and their respective company.
6. Working closely with various entities and Authorities in Dubai, such as Land Department, JAFZA, Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation and Dubai International Financial Centre relating to various legal matters and potential JVs.
1. Group Corporate related matters within the UAE and Free Zones such as JAFZA, Media City, British Virgin Islands, Jersey Islands, and Marshall Islands, including and not limited to incorporation the of new companies from A to Z. Drafting Board Resolutions, Shareholders Resolutions, Amendments to Memoranda, Transfer of Shares, merging and acquisition of Companies and such other related matter.
2. Acquisition of Properties by Individuals and/or by Companies within the Freehold Zones in Dubai, UAE including but not limited to Memoranda of Understanding, Sale and Purchase Agreements, Premium Agreements, Conditional Assignment Agreements of Properties.
3. Providing the Legal Advise for the various sector of the Group about acquisition of Companies, Properties, and businesses using the shortest and perfect way to complete such transactions including and not limited to Acquiring Properties and Companies, preparing and negotiating and drafting (English/Arabic) Legal Documents and Agreements related to the matters mentioned here above.
4. Acting as the representative of the JAFZA Registered Agent carrying all activities to handle Offshore Companies with the various matter related to the subject mentioned herein.
5. Negotiating, reviewing, and Drafting various kind of Agreements, including and limited to Property Reservation Agreements, Loan Agreements, Investment Agreements, Employments Agreements, Joint Venture and Partnership Agreements, Sale and Purchase Agreements, Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreements, Board Resolutions, Shareholders Resolutions, Shareholders Agreements, Memoranda of Understanding, Brokerage Agreement and such other Agreements related and separated to the here above mentioned, taking into consideration the bilingual of the Drafted Agreement.
Incorporation of Companies within Dubai, and the Free Zones including and not limited to the Preparation of Documents, Application Forms, etc
Practiced as a Lawyer in the following: Commercial and business law, Criminal law, Civil law, International Arbitration, Banking Law, Corporate Laws, and Real Estate. Prepared more than three hundred and fifty law suits in all Fields such as commercial, civil, criminal, Real Estate and bankruptcy not limited to Preparing Initiatory pleadings, Memoranda, Management of the Lawsuits to achieve the aimed purpose, attending session to plead and defend. Prepared more than 400 Commercial Agreement within the here above mentioned period related to Property Sale and Purchase, land acquisitions, Shareholders Agreements, Memoranda of Understanding, Settlement Agreements.
Practiced and cooperate with several Lawyers and Law firms in Beirut such as Maitre Aline Khoury, Maitre Bilal khalil, Maitre Elias El Murr, Maitre Ghassan El Kouri, and Maitre Robert Salamouni, in Business and Commercial Law, Banking Law, Civil Law, Insurance and re-insurance, and drafting Commercial Contracts and Agreements related to various business matters
General degree in law, allowing general legal practising