Addleshaw Goddard expands Middle East disputes practice with new hire

Addleshaw Goddard has announced a key hire for the firm’s regional construction practice. Arun Visweswaran joins from Clifford Chance where he worked across both construction and commercial disputes, including technology related disputes and advisory work.

Visweswaran is the eighth new partner to join AG’s Middle East business in recent months as the firm looks to target growing market share, including through a new office in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (the fourth in the region alongside Dubai, Oman and Qatar) and build on the 43 per cent income growth delivered in the year ending April 30, 2023.

Visweswaran has over 10 years’ experience working in the Middle East and specialises in international and domestic arbitration with a focus on construction, infrastructure, and projects disputes. He has worked on complex cross-border disputes under the arbitration rules of the ICC, LCIA, DIFC-LCIA, DIAC, ADCCAC, SIAC and ad-hoc arbitrations and has appeared as counsel before arbitral tribunals, the DIFC Courts and dispute adjudication boards. Arun also advises on technology disputes and risk advisory work relating to data protection and cyber security.

Welcoming Arun Visweswaran, Andrew Johnston, head of Middle East and Asia, Addleshaw Goddard said, “Our Middle East construction practice remains a top priority, and we are delighted to have Arun join AG to help us deliver on important and profitable opportunities in the UAE, KSA, Qatar and Oman.”

Arun Visweswaran, partner, Addleshaw Goddard, added, “I am delighted to join Addleshaw Goddard and to work within the market leading construction disputes practice headed by Bevan Farmer and Stephen Burke. I look forward to working with the wider team and contributing my skillset honed over 10 years to broaden and galvanize relationships with existing and new clients.”

Visweswaran is one of very few construction disputes lawyers in the Middle East market who are also qualified engineers, enabling him to understand both the legal and the technical issues in advising clients. Moreover, his expertise in technology disputes and advisory work is an important selling point to construction clients who are increasingly deploying complex tech in large projects and in their supply chains.