Dentons strengthens Middle East Employment practice with hires of Shiraz Sethi and Ali Al Assaad

Dentons has announced the joining of Shiraz Sethi in the firm’s Dubai office. Bolstering our employment capabilities across the Middle East, Shiraz will assume the role of Regional Head of Employment, bringing a wealth of experience to the position.

With more than 10 years of expertise in the Middle East, Sethi is known for his contentious and non-contentious employment experience and advises multinationals and local companies on all aspects of UAE labour law and DIFC employment law issues.

“I am delighted to be joining the Dentons team as regional head of employment for the Middle East,” said Sethi. “Dentons has a strong presence throughout the GCC and a talented Employment and Labour group. I’m excited to be a part of this journey and welcome the opportunity to service our clients across the region. As the work landscape evolves during these unprecedented times, Dentons is in a unique position to provide cross-jurisdictional legal advice to help employers navigate the challenges in a new dynamic.”

Prior to joining Dentons, Sethi served as regional managing partner and head of the DWF employment practice. He has also been instrumental in the development of key legislation related to UAE labour laws, including drafting the commentary of the DIFC Employment Law, amendments to the DIFC and ADGM employment laws, drafting the DMCC COVID-19 guidelines and appointment to the working committee to draft the DIFC Presidential Directive. Shiraz is also ranked in Chambers and Legal 500. He is one of the region’s foremost thought-leaders on employment law, appearing on various media platforms including Dubai One, CNBC News and Dubai Eye radio, contributing to news outlets such as Gulf News, The National and Khaleej Times, and authoring articles for Lexis Nexis Middle East, the Oath and Thomson Reuters.

In assuming his new role at Dentons, Sethi is joined by Employment and Labour legal manager, Ali Al Assaad, also formerly of DWF. Ali has more than seven years of experience in advising on employment matters and has advised and represented a considerable number of clients in employment disputes.