UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Legal Leaders ME 2013: Talking law

THE IBC Legal Leaders Middle East Conference was held on 21 and 22 May 2013 at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai. The event was designed especially for high-level legal professionals to provide a clear understanding of the effects of economic environment on the law, legal system and legal market of the region. The meeting aimed to tackle the effects of economic and political changes in the legal arena and introduced various practical approaches in this regard for regional and international law firms by way of interactive sessions and presentations. Some of the fundamental topics addressed were on impact of social media on the legal industry, competition law, development of local talent and the future of the legal market, the growing use of IT in the deliverance of legal services, cross border legal services, the boutique law firm experience and so on. 

The event brought together prominent legal minds of the region and eminent speakers from law firms and conglomerates such as Omar Shteiwi of Nestle Middle East, Tom Levine of Allen & Overy, Rany Sader of Sader & Associates, Husam Hourani of Al Tamimi and Company, Osama Abu-Dehays of Bird & Bird, to name a few. 

The two-day event ended with a presentation by Nasser Ali Khasawaneh of Eversheds on the changing landscape of regional legal service provision. The conference was also an opportunity for lawyers to enhance their professional network and share ‘best practices’ with other law firms and also a platform to share the latest Middle Eastern legal and strategic developments. The next IBC Legal event in Dubai is the ‘2nd Annual Intellectual Property Law in the Middle East 2013’, scheduled for September 23 and 24, 2013.