Gateley Middle East welcomes six key additions to corporate practice

Gateley Middle East has significantly bolstered its corporate offering with the appointment of a six-strong team led by new Dubai managing partner and head of corporate, Darren Harris.

Harris has been joined by corporate partner Nora Al Muhamad, legal directors Amun Bashir, Nadine Wilson and Gemma Kotak, who is a former Gateley trainee, and associate Norlisa Hanlon Rosslee.

All six join from the Dubai office of Clyde & Co and have a strong track record of successfully advising regional clients. The new team will work alongside existing Dubai partners Amrik Sangha (corporate), Thenji Moyo (employment), Mark Tiggeman (construction), senior counsel Anthony Frances (commercial dispute resolution) and colleagues in Gateley’s Corporate Platform under the leadership of UK based, Beth Mather.

Harris has over 20 years’ experience advising corporates, private equity houses, venture capital investors and entrepreneurs, founders and owner-managers of homegrown Middle East businesses on M&A, joint ventures, corporate restructuring and general corporate law. He has significant experience of growing firms in the Middle East region having previously held managing partner and senior partner roles in the region.

Nora Al Muhamad is a highly-regarded lawyer with over 16 years’ experience advising prominent family-owned businesses on succession and legacy planning, family office structuring and investments, governance, private client and corporate restructuring.  She is accredited by the DIFC for governance and succession planning.  Her clients span the education, healthcare, infrastructure, real estate, retail and consumer sectors.

The appointments are supported by Gateley’s planned relocation of its Dubai office to the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

Rod Waldie, CEO of Gateley, said, “The arrival of Darren, Nora and the team is a coup for us, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise that will significantly enhance our corporate practice and deepen our regional capability.

“The recruitment of best-in-class lawyers underscores our commitment to establish a Middle East hub that will provide clients with unrivalled integrated legal and non-legal business services.