Karim Nassif has more than 20-years of experience in arbitration, mediation, civil law, contract law, commercial and corporate law, banking and finance, real estate and construction law.
He has acted as counsel, mediator, adjudicator and arbitrator in many complex disputes under leading international and regional arbitration rules, including the rules of the ICC, LCIA, DIFC-LCIA, DIAC, AAA-ICDR, GCC, UNCITRAL, IICRA and ADCCAC; in various cases seated in the UK, France, USA, Switzerland and throughout the Middle East; and governed by a variety of national laws.
Karim has authored and co-authored several publications in English, French and Arabic and he is frequently a speaker in international conferences and seminars on international arbitration, civil code, mediation, commercial contracts, property, family structuring and legislative reform matters
Sara Koleilat-Aranjo leads Morgan Lewis’ international arbitration, dispute resolution, and global investigations practice across the Middle East and Africa.
Her practice is focused on international arbitration and dispute prevention and resolution, primarily in cases with cross-border elements. She advises and represents the interests of governments, semi-governments, and corporations in proceedings arising out of inbound and outbound investments in the Middle East and Africa across a range of sectors, including energy, real estate, hospitality, construction, banking and finance, distribution, and technology, media, and telecommunications.
Sara has experience with arbitral proceedings conducted under the ICC, ICSID, LCIA, DIAC, UNCITRAL, ADCCAC, and OHADA rules, as well as with ad hoc proceedings.
Sara supports several international organizations and initiatives. She serves as a member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration in Paris. She is a member of the Court of Arbitration of the Swiss Centre and the inaugural Arbitration Court of the Saudi Centre for Commercial Arbitration. Sara serves as a deputy secretary-general of the International Bar Association (IBA), where she co-chairs the IBA Arab Regional Forum and the in-house counsel group of the IBA Arbitration Committee.
Dr Mahmood Hussain is Founding Partner at M&CO Legal and has over 20-years of experience in the public and private sectors. Mahmood has acted as counsel in more than 30 international arbitration proceedings under the ICC, LCIA, ADCCAC, and DIAC rules. He is often appointed as sole arbitrator, co-arbitrator or chairman of arbitral tribunals in international proceedings.
Mahmood played a key role in establishing the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts and later as its first Deputy Registrar.
He is a Board Member of ICC-UAE, Vice Chairman of ICC-UAE Commission in Arbitration and ADR and serves as a member of the ICC International Court of Arbitration in Paris.
Described as a “highly respected figurehead and operator” and a “very composed practitioner”, Robert Stephen is the Registrar of the Dubai International Arbitration Centre; a former Partner and Chief Operating Officer of specialist arbitration boutique, Ghaffari Partners; and the former Registrar of the DIFC-LCIA Arbitration Centre and Dubai Financial Services Authority’s Financial Markets Tribunal. Prior to that, he practiced with Herbert Smith Freehills in London, Paris, Moscow, and Dubai for more than a decade.
Robert has acted as counsel in international disputes across a wide range of industries and sectors. He has represented clients from Asia, the Middle East, North America and Western and Eastern Europe in international arbitrations under all the major institutional rules, as well as in ad-hoc proceedings, seated in various jurisdictions and subject to civil and common laws. He also sits as an arbitrator.
Robert has been repeatedly recognised in the 2021-2025 editions of Who’s Who Legal Arbitration. Peers say he is “professional, thorough and meticulous” and “extremely good at explaining complex issues to people who do not have the detailed knowledge he possesses”. He is said to be “excellent to deal with”, possessing a “real depth of knowledge” and he is further described as a “leading figure” that is said to have “raised the standards of arbitration in the [MENA] region”. He was also featured in Legal 500’s inaugural Middle East International Arbitration Powerlist 2022.
He is a current vice-president of the Asia Pacific Regional Arbitration Group; an Ambassador of the Scottish Arbitration Centre; Vice-Chair of the Advisory Committee to the Board of Directors of Dubai International Arbitration Centre; a member of the Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge Middle East Sub-Committee; the former Chair of the UAE Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Young Member’s Group; and a former member of the Global Steering Committee of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Young Member’s Group.
Sami Tannous is Regional Managing Partner for MENA and a partner in Freshfields’ International Arbitration Group.
He is an international arbitration specialist focusing on international commercial arbitration and investor-State arbitration. He has represented clients in international arbitrations under all major arbitration rules including the ICC, LCIA, DIFC-LCIA, ICSID, DIAC, SCC and UNCITRAL rules, regularly sits as arbitrator and is an accredited mediator.
Sami has expertise of disputes involving the Middle East and North Africa. His experience includes advising clients on a broad range of commercial disputes including joint venture and shareholder agreements, SPAs, production sharing agreements and distribution/agency agreements, across a broad range of industry sectors.
Sami also sits on the LCIA Court and the court of the Abu Dhabi International Arbitration Centre (arbitrateAD).
With over 20-years of experience, Ritta Saoud is Events Manager for Dubai International Arbitration Centre.
Every year, the Centre administers hundreds of international arbitrations, but it also conducts and supports an international program of events and courses. Ritta manages a team that plans and executes events and courses, often involving over 1,000 delegates.
Ritta oversees all aspects of Dubai Arbitration Week, from logistics and on-site operations to stakeholder engagement.
Nassif BouMalhab, is the co-chair of the International Arbitration Group of Greenberg Traurig.
Nassif BouMalhab represents clients in international and domestic arbitration and mediation including under the ICC, LCIA, DIAC, arbitrateAD, SCCA, AAA, and UNCITRAL rules. He has advised investors on dispute resolution between investors and States under investment treaties, including under the arbitration rules of ICSID.
Nassif has served as party counsel in more than 50 arbitration cases and assisted clients in hundreds of court proceedings before the courts of the United Arab Emirates, including the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts, Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) Courts, and the Abu Dhabi and Dubai Courts.
In addition to his advocacy work, he serves on arbitration tribunals for corporate and commercial disputes and advises lawmakers on reforming international and domestic arbitration legislation and rules. Nassif is a member of the Executive Committee of the Sharjah International Commercial Arbitration Centre (TAHKEEM), a committee member of the ICC UAE Commission on Arbitration and ADR and an observing member of the LCIA Users’ Council.
Michelle Nelson is a specialist arbitration lawyer with over 30-years of experience. Her practice focuses on the Middle East, advising on major oil and gas and construction infrastructure disputes.
Michelle has represented clients in arbitration proceedings under major international and regional arbitration rules including the ICC, LCIA, UNCITRAL, DIAC and ADCCAC rules.
She acts for a variety of employers, contractors, consultants and subcontractors and phas advised on a wide range of projects including airports, process and power plants, roads, commercial and residential premises.
Michelle is a qualified Solicitor Advocate and undertakes her own advocacy, with rights of audience in the DIFC Courts. She also regularly sits as an arbitrator.
