M&CO Legal

Founding Partner: Mahmood Hussain

Managing Partners: Hafidh Thani

Number of partners: 5

Number of lawyers: 17

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

Firm Overview:

Mahmood Hussain Advocates and Legal Consultancy (MHLF) was founded in September 2012 by Mr. Mahmoud Hussain. Since then, the firm has grown to be one of UAE’s leading legal service provider, an active boutique law firm with international exposure and expertise that focuses on select clients and quality mandates. The firm expertise includes dispute resolution, arbitration, employment, corporate and commercial such as M&A and hospitality.

Main Areas of Practice:

■ Litigation

■ Arbitration

■ Corporate Commercial Law

■ Construction and Engineering

■ Franchise and Company Set Up

■ Family and Personal Status

■ Employment and Labour Law

■ Intellectual Property

■ Banking and Finance

■ Insurance

Litigation:

Dispute Resolution, Domestic 2 partners; 7 fee earners based in Dubai

■ Representing a real estate case against a major property developer based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with a claim amount of AED 31M.

■ Representing an individual on embezzlement case with a claim amount of AED 43M.

■ Representing a financial company on a commercial case with a claim amount of AED 56M

Key Contact: Mahmoud Hussain

Tel: +55 508 0908 Email: [email protected]

Corporate: TMT

1 partner; 6 fee earners based in Dubai

■ Acting as lead counsel for a client who will be entering into a joint venture with a third party investor to establish a new digital streaming platform for the Middle East region, which shall initially run approximately 540 episodes of original TV series every year and 1000 episodes of original TV programs every year. In addition, it is envisaged that new content shall also be produced and created for this digital streaming platform by the client. The firm's role consists of advising and negotiating on the joint venture arrangement with the client’s partner in this project, advising on the corporate and management structure for the joint venture, including the ownership of the assets, digital platform and IP rights, and the jurisdiction in which the entities should be set up, and all related matters up to the launch of the digital platform

■ Acting as a lead counsel for a client who has developed a mobile application under the name of “Novio” which acts as a hub connecting consumers with service providers that provide salon, laser hair removal, spa and home services. MHLF has provided the client with it legal consultancy services pertinent to the required permits, structuring, and the required commercial agreements. MHLF has drafted the master mobile application listing agreement alongside the relevant schedules, terms and conditions and the privacy policy for the application

■ Acting as a lead counsel for a client engaged in trading in food products online through electronic marketplaces and mediums. MHLF has provided extensive legal consultancy services to the client in relation to the structuring and the commercial agreements to be drafted for the operation of the companies including but not limited to logistics and transportation, management agreement, NDAs, privacy policies for the websites, terms and conditions for the websites, product agreements, website management and marketing

Corporate: F&B Sector

■ Acting as lead counsel for a client that operates in the food and beverage sector and who now wishes to expand its horizons and focus on digital sales, predominantly in the MENA region by, including but not limited to, developing new brands for digital restaurants, investing into “cloud kitchens” to organise and facilitate the production of food for such digital restaurants and launch its own digital application for the online sales and delivery of food. MHLF’s role consists of advising on the corporate and management structure for this project, the arrangement between the client and other third party investors, advising and negotiating on all material contracts for the project, and assisting on all compliance and regulatory issues for the client to set up such a business in the UAE Key Contact: Hafidh Thani

Tel: +50 559 44192 Email: [email protected]

Arbitration:

1 partner; 4 fee earners based in Dubai

■ Counsels for an international and globally recognised company specialising in turnkey projects for the energy, industrial and oil & gas sectors against a strategic UAE governmental entity, in an arbitration involving disputes in the amount of over 2 billion AED of claims and counterclaims in relation to a national turnkey project. The firm is handling parallel proceedings before the UAE Courts as well as negotiating on behalf of its clients before the Legal Affairs Department for an amicable resolution.

■ Counsels for the largest hospitality group in the UAE in a DIAC seated arbitration against one of the most prominent contractors in the UAE, for a dispute in construction of a luxury hotel in the Jumeirah Beach Residences. The quantum of the dispute is evaluated to be over 200 million AED for termination of the agreement, the reimbursement of purchase price of the property and consequential damages.

■ Counsels for a well-known construction company in the UAE against a foreign developer having a branch office in the UAE in a DIAC arbitration concerning a dispute in construction, commissioning and maintenance of a community in the UAE. The disputed amount is evaluated at 42 million AED for non-payment, extension of time claims and prolongation claims

Key Contact: Dr.Mahmood Hussain

Tel: +56 803 8483 Email: [email protected]