Law Firm Highlights
· The UAE Institute of Judicial Training and Studies in conjunction with Eversheds and Microsoft hosted a seminar examining the latest legislation for data protection in the “Cloud Computing” era.The seminar, which was organised by the UAE Institute of Judicial Training and Studies (ITJS) in conjunction with Eversheds and Microsoft, saw industry leaders and experts from the data security sector present discussion papers underlining the increasing importance of secure data protection in the world today.
Dr Kamali, director general at the ITJS and Minister of Justice opened the floor with an address, highlighting the key themes of the seminar including the importance of enhancing the legislative legal infrastructure to spur the growth of cloud computing. Dr. Ashraf H. Abdelwahab, corporate affairs manager, Gulf and Egypt, Microsoft discussed the issues relating to data protection challenges in the cloud computing era, whilst Hameed Hamdan Elghafery, head of the Legal Department, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) analysed the importance of data protection.
Nasser Ali Khasawneh
Nasser Ali Khasawneh, regional managing partner of Eversheds, presented a review of data protection issues in the UAE and also analysed matters relating to international best practice. He addressed the status of data protection regulations in the legal system in UAE, the GCC, and in other countries with particular focus on the experience of the EU. He also discussed the EU 95/46/EC directive, and the role of ISO standards in shaping data protection on the cloud.
· Eversheds also won Law Firm of Year at the Middle East Solar Industry Association’s annual solar awards presentation. In addition, Michelle T. Davies has been named Solar Woman of the Year for the second year running. The MESIA solar awards recognise and celebrate exceptional talent and achievements in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) solar market. MESIA’s awards took place on December 1, 2014 at a gala ceremony held in the Emirates Towers Hotel in Dubai, UAE.The firm advises on some of the most important solar power transactions in the region, and is currently advising on 10 of the 12 solar projects in Jordan Round 1. The awards selection was conducted by a panel of seven independent judges from across the industry and chaired by Dr. Abdulaziz Al Midfa, Chairman of Middle East Solar Industry Association and Vice Chair Person of the Emirates Environmental Group. Davies heads the Eversheds Clean Energy and Sustainability Group and advises with the team across all clean energy and sustainability projects.
Michelle T. Davies
· Galadari Advocates & Legal Consultants (Galadari) announced the opening of its DIFC office. The expansion comes in response to strong client demand as the firm drives the growth of its international non-contentious front-end capabilities, as well as significant onshore litigation and dispute requirements. The firm now boasts four offices in the UAE, the capital Abu Dhabi, onshore Dubai and two of the most significant freezones in the region, JAFZA and the DIFC.The new office will be led by Managing Partner Abdulla Galadari, and will comprise a heavyweight team including Corporate & Commercial Partner Ken Dixon, Energy & Renewables Partner Mike Wakefield, Compliance & Regulatory specialist Carlo Fedrigoli, Banking & Finance specialist Maymoona Talib and DIFC Litigation experts Daniel Brawn and Faridah Sarah. Over the past 18 months, the firm has made significant hires in construction and infrastructure, real estate, oil and gas, corporate and commercial, M&A, compliance and regulatory and banking. Aggressive recruitment will continue for the firm to further boost not only its sector expertise, but its jurisdictional reach and capability.
· Morgan Lewis welcomed 226 partners and more than 525 other lawyers, legal professionals, and staff from Bingham McCutchen. “Our strategic decisions have always been driven, first and foremost, by our clients’ needs,” said Morgan Lewis Chair Jami McKeon. “In welcoming more than 750 talented lawyers and staff from Bingham today, we continue to build a firm that is capable of mobilizing teams to partner with clients on their most pressing legal and business challenges wherever they arise around the globe.”McKeon noted that the two firms have a large number of clients in common, and in many areas have complementary practices and industries of focus. Clients will find in the expanded firm added resources to assist them in new ways and in new markets.
· Morgan Lewis further enhanced its practice in Japan with the addition of a 16-person team, including five partners, from Bingham McCutchen. The new team comprised of 10 lawyers and six staff significantly strengthens Morgan Lewis’s cross-border asset management, IP, financial services, and M&A practices in Japan. Together with the firm’s long-standing joint enterprise with TMI Associates, Morgan Lewis and its 29 lawyers and staff resident in Tokyo provide deep and broad capabilities for both in-bound and out-bound legal services in Japan. The partners joining from Bingham with their teams are international investment management and financial regulatory lawyers Christopher P. Wells and Tomoko Fuminaga; corporate transactional lawyers Lisa Valentovish and Tsugumichi Watanabe; and intellectual property lawyer Chris Mizumoto.
