Horizons & Co Law Firm

Managing Partner: Adv. Ali Al Zarooni

Number of partners: 5

Number of lawyers: 40 +

Languages: Arabic, English, French, Italian, Hindi, Tagalog, Urdu

Firm Overview:

Established in 1999, Horizons & Co. is an Emirati-founded firm of 75+ UAE, GCC, and international lawyers and support staff across offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. We are a disputes focused firm that uniquely blends local and global knowledge to rapidly and effectively deliver solutions for our clients.

Dispute resolution is our strength – litigation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) is what we do. As a client-centric firm, we are constantly evolving in line with developments in the legal and technological landscape. We are continuously expanding and honing our legal expertise with a forward-looking outlook and a focus on delivering innovative solutions to enable a better future for our clients, employees and community.

Horizons & Co. focuses on managing business critical and complex litigation, arbitration and all forms of ADR. Our lawyers licensed to appear before all levels of the UAE courts advising on commercial, civil and criminal matters, the DIFC and ADGM courts, and a range of Arbitration seats, both local and international including the DIAC, Arbitrate AD, SCCA, IICRA, LCIA and ICC among others.

Our expertise within dispute resolution encompasses:

Construction & Real Estate

Our comprehensive grasp of UAE construction and property law, coupled with extensive commercial real estate knowledge across all property types, positions us as industry leaders. We regularly represent developers, contractors, and state-owned entities in significant litigation and arbitration proceedings.

Joint Venture & Partnership

Disputes within joint venture and partnership arrangements often arise. We understand the avenues available and the crucial need for prompt and decisive action to safeguard assets and ensure equitable entitlements for all parties.

Commercial

Effective legal representation is imperative in managing commercial disputes, given their potential for complexity, especially with the intricate UAE legal landscape. Leveraging our expertise, we offer tailored support to efficiently address client concerns and support them in achieving their desired commercial objectives.

Insolvency & Restructuring

Specialists in resolving complex and often high-profile disputes relating to insolvencies and financial restructurings, our lawyers assist multinational banks, financial institutions and corporations navigate challenging scenarios. Regularly instructed to act for both claimants and defendants, we are the firm of choice for providing on-the-ground advice.

Financial institutions

Representing financial institutions has been a central focus since our firm's inception. Through extensive engagement in complex disputes, we have gained unparalleled insight into the distinct regulatory requirements and unique commercial operations of the sector.

Employment

Our strong track record encompasses representing multinational corporations, family-owned businesses, individuals, and governmental entities, we offer comprehensive guidance on the full range of employment law matters, with our expertise spanning UAE Labour Law, free zone regulations, and DIFC and ADGM Employment Law.

Enforcement & Asset Recovery

With a dedicated enforcement and asset recovery practice, our team integrates substantial expertise in litigation and arbitration, investigative insight, and strategic thinking to guarantee that our clients' successes translate into tangible outcomes.

White Collar Crime

Managing white collar and corporate crime matters involves a proactive and sensitive approach. We actfor a range of clients, including financial institutions, government-owned entities, multinational corporations, high-net-worth individuals, and family businesses, as well as the clients of international law firms, providing unparalleled support while minimising reputational damage.

Regulatory & Compliance

The regulatory landscape in the UAE is constantly changing, with an increasingly complex framework of established and evolving legislation across all sectors as well as ever more active regulators. Our expert team focus on managing risk, ensuring compliance and facilitating the best possible outcomes.

Energy & Infrastructure

Energy and infrastructure disputes present unique challenges, requiring particular technical and procedural expertise.We have decades of experience representing both local and international clients in this space,preventing and resolving disputes for operators, developers, suppliers, contractors and others in both the governmental and private sectors.

Data protection & Privacy

With data-related disputes increasing as well as new issues brought by the advent of AI, the accompanying threats to businesses have grown exponentially. Our experts guide clients through the maze of regulatory, litigation or arbitration procedures required to navigate this fast-changing area.

Technology & Licensing Disputes

There are known difficulties with disputes in this space, particularly as the landscape is constantly changing due to digital transformation and technological advancementsOur team of local and international experts adeptly harnesses various dispute resolution mechanisms to effectively assist clients in resolving their issues in the most favourable manner.

Investigations

With the increased diligence of regulators in the UAE and globally empowered to investigate and fine, our team of contentious practitioners leverage their deep experience to counsel clients on these risks. Offering support with internal investigations and advice on managing outcomes, we are ready to defend clients should regulators or authorities investigate their activities.

Private Client

As seasoned experts, our practitioners prioritise resolution in sensitive private and professional matters, aiming for the effective and cost-conscious protection of business interests or personal affairs. Acting as our clients’ trusted in-house counsel, we provide strategic, creative, and bespoke guidance with succession and estate planning, private wealth and family law issues.

Criminal Defence & Extradition

Criminal charges and extradition requests carry substantial ramifications. We specialise in representing often high-profile individuals facing serious, life-altering charges, prioritising the provision of top-tier defence while safeguarding their rights under the UAE Constitution and Criminal Procedure Law.

Expert Opinion

Our experts are frequently called upon by international law firms, corporates and individuals, to provide expert opinion on intricacies of UAE law. Their nuanced but practical approach means they are renowned for skilfully detailing the legal implications or interpreations of often complex legal issues and identify risks and practical advice.

Private Notary

The privatisation of notary services in Dubai aligns with the smart Government transformation process and enables our experts to offer clients efficient solutions for processing their commercial or private transactions swiftly and seamlessly.