Abor Law expands UAE presence with senior lawyer appointment

Arbor Law has welcomed Josh Smith to its business in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Smith joins the commercial law firm as a senior corporate finance and commercial lawyer with extensive cross-border experience across multiple sectors and jurisdictions, including financial services, FinTech, technology, F&B, aviation and SMEs. Smith has held senior in-house positions at several businesses, from start-ups/scale-ups to multi-nationals.

Arbor Law co-founder and partner, Kate Bennett said, “At Arbor Law, we are renowned for our team of experienced, specialist lawyers who provide high quality legal services tailored to meet the unique business needs of its clients. With a track record that spans international law firms and in-house legal roles, Josh can offer our clients across the UAE and beyond a commercially focused and solutions-driven approach that fits perfectly with our ethos as a law firm. Josh’s presence in our UAE business is a significant and strategic step forward for us as we continue to expand our network in the region.”

Josh Smith, said, “I am delighted to be joining such an impressive array of talented, senior lawyers at Arbor Law. I have worked in the UAE for many years and am eager to deepen my relationships with the help of the Arbor team and support Arbor’s expansion into the market. As a lawyer who has worked as a purchaser of legal services, vendor of legal services and have board level experience (in UK and UAE), clients can be confident that I can often relate to their situation and the challenges they face.”

Arbor Law established its UAE offices in January 2024, when the firm opened an office in Dubai as a regional hub to support both existing and new clients across the region.