Stephenson Harwood bolsters Dubai employment practice

Stephenson Harwood LLP has further strengthened its employment practice in Dubai, with formerly London-based partner Kiersten Lucas relocating to lead the firm’s employment team in Dubai.

“Our employment practice in Dubai has been involved in ground-breaking work and seen a real surge in activity over recent months and years,” said Rovine Chandrasekera, Dubai managing partner, Stephenson Harwood. “Kiersten has been an integral part of these developments, dividing her time between the London and Dubai-based employment teams for some time now. Bringing her expertise on board on a permanent basis in Dubai is key to maintaining – and building on – this momentum and our ability to remain at the cutting edge of developments in employment law and meet the increasingly complex needs of our clients in the region.”

Lucas is a highly regarded member of the firm’s international elite-ranked employment team. She advises on all aspects of the employment lifecycle, under both UAE and freezone-specific employment legislation (such as the DIFC), and is known for providing commercial, pragmatic solutions tailored to clients’ needs. Lucas has particular expertise in high value litigation, restrictive covenants and the employment law aspects and implications of regulatory contraventions (including LIBOR / FX manipulation and market abuse). Her work regularly involves matters spanning multiple jurisdictions, including parallel litigation or investigations.

Lucas is supported in Dubai by specialist associate Emily Aryeetey – who, after several years’ London practice, moved to the Middle East in 2015 – and by London partner Anne Pritam, who co-wrote the DIFC Employment Law commentary and has advised onshore and DIFC clients.