Board of Directors' Welcome

Meet the board

Thank you for taking the time to visit the web site of the Dubai Corporate Counsel Group. We hope that this site will grow to be a valuable and important resource for in-house counsel in the region and serve as an effective introduction to our group, who we are and what we do. The site is intended to be a resource for you and we welcome your feedback, views and opinions on how we can improve it to better serve you.

Our group is a young one but ambitious one. We believe that the group fills an important niche in this area and have bold and imaginative plans to develop the group in many ways to serve our membership. We believe that we are the first organization for in-house counsel anywhere in the Middle East region.

Upcoming event

Arbitration Developments in the Middle East and Asia 2010 Web Seminar Programme: Fulbright international arbitration partners David Howell (London), Jonathan Sutcliffe (Dubai) and Richard Hill (Hong Kong) will present a live web seminar focusing on recent developments in arbitration that affect parties doing business in the Middle East and Asia. Topics to be addressed include: Choice of venue for international arbitration of disputes arising out of Middle East and Asian-related contracts Important developments in arbitration in Asian and Middle Eastern countries Arbitration in China : restrictions on the place and type of arbitration, and drafting suggestions for parties that are required to provide for "Chinese" arbitration The practical realities of enforcing arbitral awards in Asia and the Middle East Structuring investments in Asia and the Middle East to take advantage of investment treaty protection Speakers: David Howell is a partner and Co-Head of the firm's International Arbitration practice based in the London office, with more than 25 years' international arbitration experience. He has practised from London , Dubai and Singapore , where he was a member of the founding Advisory Committee of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre and the Law Reform Committee that drafted the 1994 International Arbitration Act. He is a Fellow of the UK Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Singapore Institute of Arbitrators and Hong Kong Institute of Arbitrators and a Solicitor Advocate of the English Higher Courts. He has acted as arbitrator under a variety of arbitration rules and is recommended for arbitration by Chambers UK, Legal 500, International Who's Who of Commercial Arbitration and Guide to the World's Leading Commercial Arbitration Experts. Jonathan Sutcliffe is a partner in Fulbright 's Dubai office. Jonathan has significant experience in international commercial arbitration, ADR and litigation matters in the construction, energy, defense, insurance and international joint venture sectors and on investor-state disputes. Jonathan also sits as an arbitrator. Jonathan is qualified in England and Wales and in New York and is registered as an advocate in the DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre) Courts. Jonathan is recommended for international arbitration and projects and energy disputes by various leading legal guides, Chambers UK, Chambers Europe, Legal 500 UK and Legal 500 Europe , Middle East and Africa. He is on the roster of arbitrators for the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (the international section of the American Arbitration Association) and is listed as an Arbitrator for the Dubai International Arbitration Centre. Richard Hill is a partner based in Fulbright 's Hong Kong office, having previously been a partner based in the firm's London office. He leads Fulbright 's Asian disputes practice. Mr. Hill has acted in over 60 international arbitrations under all of the major arbitral rules including CIETAC, HKIAC, ICC, ICDR, ICSID, LCIA, SCC , SIAC and UNCITRAL. He is on the Panel of Arbitrators of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre and also sits as an arbitrator under the ICC, UNCITRAL and other arbitral rules. He is a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Arbitrators and is recommended for arbitration by directories including The Legal 500, The International Who's Who of Commercial Arbitration and The Guide to the World's Leading Commercial Arbitration Experts. Registration: To reserve a space now, please click here. For more information please contact Jeff Kostelnik at +1 713 651 3549 . The Solicitors Regulation Authority has approved Fulbright & Jaworski International LLP as an accredited Continuing Professional Development (CPD) provider (registration number 3515/FUJA). Delegates attending this seminar and eligible for CPD may record 1.00 accredited CPD hour. Register	July 1, 2010 12:00pm – 1:00 pm Web Seminar


Latest event

International Networking reception for U.S. and Dubai in-house lawyers	14 June 2010 6:00 pm - 9:00pm Burj Al Arab Hotel

Fulbright's Annual London Energy Conference New Frontiers of Oil and Gas: Emerging Opportunities and Challenges Join the energy lawyers of Fulbright & Jaworski and our panel of industry experts for this half-day programme as we discuss the varied and often complex issues confronting the energy sector in some of the World’s new and challenging frontier regions of oil & gas exploration and development.	11 May 2010 The Waldorf Hilton Aldwych London WC2B 4DD

CORPORATE COUNSEL FORUM MIDDLE EAST You are cordially invited to participate at the Middle East's premier in-house legal event hosted by Legal Week – the third annual Corporate Counsel Forum Middle East will take place at Mina A'Salam, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai on Tuesday 11 May 2010.	Tuesday 11 May 2010 Mina A'SalamMadinat Jumeirah, Dubai

TAKING STOCK AND MOVING FORWARD: THE STATE OF ISLAMIC FINANCE AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE The American Bar Association Islamic Finance Committee, in cooperation with Hawkamah, the Institute for Corporate Governance at the DIFC, hosted a Forum, Taking Stock and Moving Forward: The State of the Islamic Finance Industry and Prospects for the Future	4 May 2010 CONFERENCE CENTRE, DIFC, Dubai

Paralegal Course

MELAT is currently welcoming enrolments for the part-time Paralegal Course, scheduled to commence on Sunday, 16 May. The course is run two evenings a week over a period of 10 weeks, and has been approved by the KHDA. Conducted by Leith Hoffensetz, a qualified Australian lawyer with over 15 years experience in law, 4 of which have been in the Middle East, candidates can expect to receive quality and practical legal education.

Topics include: the role of a paralegal; leasing concepts such as drafting agreements for lease and leases; differences between retail, residential and commercial leases, drafting simple correspondence; administration and tracking of large volumes of agreements; property and real estate transaction principles and the principles involved in establishing companies in the UAE.

The course is suitable for junior lawyers, paralegals, secretaries and other administration staff. Course cost is AED15,000.

Click her fore more details | Clcik here to get the registration form

News ...

UAE legal analysis, insights and news brought to you by Hadef & Partners.
June 2010, DUBAI

DISPUTE RESOLUTION
HADEF IN THE UAE COURTS
Monthly report based on practical experience of our team of advocates in the courts of the UAE. This month, Michael Dark explains the Restructuring Undertaking and Settlement Agreements associated with the Nakheel restructuring.

REAL ESTATE
NEW LEGAL OBLIGATIONS FOR DEVELOPERS
A number of “Directions” have now been issued which provide greater clarity and certainty for developers and owners in terms of achieving compliance with the Jointly Owned Properties Law in Dubai. Brent Baldwin provides further detail regarding the new Directions and analyses the implications of the new disclosure requirements for developers.

COMMERCIAL
termination of commercial agency under new amendments to the AGENCY law
Federal Law No 2 of 2010 amending provisions of Federal Law No. 18 of 1981 (Agency Law) has now been gazetted. The Agency Law (as amended), is the law regulating commercial agencies in the UAE. Melissa Murray outlines the new changes.

REGULATORY
ISLAM, NATIONALITY AND INHERITANCE UNDER THE UAE CONSTITUTION AND LAW: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
The fourth part in a series of papers assessing Islam, nationality and inheritance considerations under UAE law. Mohammed Al Salti and Tarik El Bakri discuss.

BANKING & FINANCE
UAE LAWS AND ISLAMIC SHARIA: SOME PRACTICAL ISSUES
The laws of the UAE and DIFC are designed to support the use of Islamic finance but in practice there are various issues regarding the practical implementation of Islamic Sharia which arise. Alan Rodgers highlights some of these issues.

DEVELOPMENTS IN DUBAI
LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS CHANGING BUSINESS IN DUBAI
In the first five months of 2010, we have witnessed changes which aim to improve the business playing field and renew confidence in Dubai as a global financial centre. This article highlights some of the key changes and expected legal developments for the remainder of 2010.