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'A wealth of International
experience'
Our team includes lawyers from
the United Kingdom, United States, Australia,
Ireland and the United Arab Emirates. Our team
collectively has over 30 years experience in the
UAE, having previously trained and practised in
well known local and international law firms as
well as UAE government companies, NASDAQ and
FTSE listed
organisations. |
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Jonathon
Davidson | Partner
Jonathon is a dispute
resolution lawyer and Managing Partner at Davidson & Co. Jonathon has 13 years dispute
resolution experience and has acted in all
manner of disputes for institutions, developers,
investors and public companies, as well as for
private companies and individuals.
Jonathon’s first arrived in
Dubai in March 1999 and prior to founding Davidson & Co. in October 2008, was a
legal consultant at Clyde & Co, the
international legal practice, based at its Dubai
offices and, more latterly, Associate Legal
Director of Sama Dubai, the international real
estate arm of Dubai Holding.
Jonathon has significant
experience of the GCC real estate market, in
particular in the area of dispute resolution,
having acted for many years for a range of
clients in the conduct of mediations,
arbitrations (DIAC, LCIA and UNCITRAL), local
litigation (Dubai Court of First Instance, Court
of Appeal and the Federal Court of Cassation)
and the High Court of England and Wales
(Admiralty, Queens Bench and Chancery Division).
Jonathon is particularly well known for his wealth of experience litigating in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts and the Dubai World Tribunal (DWT) and is often seen in the local and international business press providing case commentaries. Jonathon and his team have acted in relation to the majority of cases brought before the DWT since the tribunal’s launch and acted as counsel for the Claimants in the ground breaking case of Diamond Developers & Ors –v- Nakheel PJSC & Jumeirah Village LLC (DWT/0091/2010).
In addition to
managing the firm, Jonathon is a Director of
Dubai based charity Best4Orphans and also sits as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the British Business Group of Dubai and the Northern Emirates: www.britbiz-uae.com. |
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Ewan Sherriff | Partner
Ewan is a commercial lawyer with 16 years experience and is a Partner with Davidson & Co. Ewan acts for many of the firm’s GCC based clients including listed companies, government entities and private equity houses. Prior to joining Davidson & Co, Ewan practiced as a solicitor in the UK with a highly regarded firm specialising in private equity work.
Ewan regularly handles large scale transactions and projects for many clients associated with or based in the Middle East and has been a regular visitor to the region since 2002. Ewan’s experience is focused on the fields of investment, PPPs, developments (infrastructure and real estate), corporate restructuring, banking, finance and asset management.
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William
Frain-Bell | Consulting Counsel
William Frain-Bell is an external counsel who regularly consults with Davidson & Co's dispute resolution team . William deals with all types of commercial dispute avoidance and resolution. Having qualified as a solicitor (1998), he was called to the Bar firstly in Scotland (1999) and then in England & Wales (2000 Middle Temple) and has extensive advocacy experience in courts and tribunals at every level in the UK. He has full rights of audience in the DIFC Courts in Dubai and is also a Fellow
of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and
has been involved in a number of high level
arbitrations and adjudications.
William has a
post graduate diploma in international
commercial arbitration from the School of
International Arbitration in London and has
lectured extensively in contract law and dispute
resolution to oil and gas executives from the
UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Sudan.
William is regularly called upon
to provide immediate advice to operational
directors in the field to assist with dispute
avoidance and management. He is currently
advising a UK oil services company with the
implementation of a joint-venture drilling
project in Latin America.
Described as
"reliable" by Chambers & Partners, William
is an expert in the provision of a versatile,
discrete, effective and rapid response to
problems and is accustomed to travelling at
short notice to assist parties around the world.
He is also listed in the prestigious Legal 500
as a leading counsel in commercial law.
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Joe Durkin | Associate
Joe was trained and qualified in Ireland and has worked for both leading financial services companies and international law firms. Joe is a commercial litigation lawyer based in the Dubai office of Davidson & Co since 2008. He is qualified to practice in three jurisdictions and acts regularly for banks and companies in a wide range of both contentious and non contentious matters including corporate, energy, private equity, aviation and international transactions. Prior to joining Davidson & Co, Joe was an Associate with the international law firm Maples and Calder.
Joe has advised Indian and UAE companies including private enterprises, investment banks and funds on the regulatory environment of setting up new businesses in Ireland. He is author of the Ireland chapter of the Reuters Thompson publication of the World’s Leading Offshore Jurisdictions.
Joe has acted in a number of high profile tribunals and arbitrations in Dubai and High Court and Supreme Court proceedings in Ireland. He has acted as counsel in the Dubai World Tribunal for the successful Claimants in the leading case of Diamond Developers & Ors –v- Nakheel PJSC & Jumeirah Village LLC (DWT/0091/2010). He is currently advising several other United Arab Emirates and offshore based companies in actions before the Dubai World Tribunal, the Dubai International Arbitration Centre and the London Court of International Arbitration. Joe has also acted as external counsel for a number of international banks based in the United Arab Emirates.
Joe has a degree in Actuarial and Financial Studies from University College Dublin. He qualified as a solicitor through the Law School of the Incorporated Law Society of Ireland. He is admitted to the roll of solicitors in Ireland (non practicing Irish solicitor) and the Supreme Court of England and Wales. Joe is a member of the London Court of International Arbitration and the International Bar Association.
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Alex
Watson | Head of Corporate Services
Alex is a non-lawyer and runs
the firm's very successful Corporate Services
Department. Alex has over 10 years experience in
Dubai and works closely with a large number of
senior officials across the various UAE
government departments.
Alex's team
provides a variety of corporate services, to the
highest standards, including turnkey company
formations (Free Zone and onshore UAE),
government department lobbying and practical,
solutions driven assistance with all company
registration, labour, immigration, residency and
regulatory issues, all of which impact upon the
efficient day to day running of our clients'
businesses.
Alex's clients include a
huge range of SME, owner-managed and blue chip
companies who, with the assistance of Alex's
team, have set up a branch, Free Zone or UAE
onshore company and continue to use the firm's
Corporate Services Department for their every
day business requirements. |
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Kate Williams
Kate works alongside Alex Watson in the firm's Corporate Services Department.
Kate has over 5 years experience in the UAE and has extensive experience in dealing with all government departments in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi including Departments of Immigration and Labour, Economic Departments and Municipalities. Kate’s role encompasses company formations, government liaison and lobbying services, visa procedures, immigration and labour dispute management.
Prior to coming to the UAE, Kate was the Administrative Manager for a leading Resort Group in the UK. Kate's administrative background has allowed the firm to implement cutting edge administrative and procedural practices in both the firm’s client facing and internal functions.
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Salem Al Hammadi
Salem is a Specialist Counsel with Davidson & Co. Salem is a UAE National and is a qualified Legal Consultant and Advocate with full rights of audience before the UAE Courts. Salem deals with all types of commercial dispute avoidance and resolution. Salem has a wide knowledge of the UAE Court system including the Dubai Courts, UAE Courts, Labour and Immigration Tribunals as well as all areas of government. Salem practices under the auspices of his own firm Rayaan Advocates & Legal Consultants and works exclusively with Davidson & Co. on all Arabic language issue and disputes. Prior to setting up his own practice and joining Davidson & Co., Salem worked as Legal Counsel for Sama Dubai, the international real estate arm of Dubai Holding.
Salem attended Paris 8 - Vincennes University (2002-2006), where he obtained a Bachelor in Law Degree. Salem returned to the UAE in 2006 where he obtained his Advocacy License before the UAE Ministry of Justice and Ruler’s Court of Dubai.
Salem is fluent in Arabic, French and English.
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Holly Howarth | Legal Coordinator
Holly coordinates the department’s regulatory, compliance, costs and legal management requirements in both our Dubai and Abu Dhabi offices. As an experienced legal manager with substantial costs assessment experience, Holly is main point of contact for many of the firm’s longstanding clients dealing with queries and compliance issues, disseminating case updates and keeping clients abreast of regulatory updates and legal developments. Holly’s strong case management background has allowed the firm to implement cutting edge operational and procedural practices in both its client facing and internal functions.
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Katherine Hornsby | Legal Coordinator
Katherine support’s the firm’s litigation and dispute resolution department. Katherine has dual experience of common law litigation conducted locally within the DIFC Courts and the Dubai World Tribunal, international and domestic arbitrations as well as local litigation in relation to which Katherine acts as client liaison for English speaking clients involved in local (Arabic) litigation. Katherine undertakes a range of paralegal, case management, administrative and government liaison responsibilities.
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Andy Lyons | Associate
Andy was trained and qualified in Scotland where he worked closely with our Specialist Counsel, William Frain-Bell. He was involved in a number of high profile litigation cases in the High Courts and Supreme Court in Scotland and was involved in many cases which shaped the law within that Jurisdiction. Since joining Davidson & Co, Andy has worked with all the members of our team dealing with a variety of matters ranging from Commercial and Contractual Litigation to Corporate Services. Andy works particularly closely with Joe Durkin, dealing with Litigation matters in the Dubai World Tribunal, the Dubai International Arbitration Centre and the London Court of International Arbitration.
Andy’s commercial experience and high value litigation background puts him in an ideal position to ensure our clients’ disputes are dealt with efficiently and succinctly which leads to early resolution. |
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