Obeid & Medawar Law Firm LLP

Managing Partner

Amer F. Obeid is a Lebanese attorney and the founding and managing partner of Obeid & Medawar Law Firm LLP, a leading law firm with offices in Abu Dhabi, Manama, and Beirut.

He has earned a Bachelor of Law from Université Saint-Joseph, followed by a Master’s in Political Science from the same institution. He went on to obtain a DEA (Master of Advanced Studies) in Banking and Financial Law through a joint program with Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas, and a DESS (Master’s in Specialized Studies) in Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution. He also added a specialized qualification in Islamic Finance from ESA Business School. He also completed the Advanced Management Program at INSEAD Business School in France.

After completing his studies, he was admitted to the Beirut Bar Association in 2003. He began his legal career with Assha & El Khoury Law Firm before founding Obeid & Medawar in 2007. In parallel with his early practice, he served as a lecturer in Consumer Protection Law at Université Saint-Joseph from 2006 to 2011, reflecting his commitment to academic engagement and knowledge-sharing.Since 2003, he has served as legal counsel to the Lebanese Parliament, and since 2007, to the country’s Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR), advising these key public institutions on legal and regulatory matters. He also frequently advised the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economy and Trade on legislative and policy issues, contributing significantly to the development of financial and economic regulations in Lebanon.

He has played an instrumental role in drafting major legislative reforms, including laws regulating financial markets, enhanced consumer protection laws, and frameworks for municipal electricity provision. His legal expertise extends beyond Lebanon, as he serves as legal counsel to various governmental entities in both Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates. In private practice, he represents a broad range of clients, including leading banks, financial institutions, insurance companies, major corporations, and high-net-worth individuals across Lebanon and the Middle East. His international reach extends to emerging markets, particularly in Africa, where he advised consortia of investors on securing and managing large-scale concessions. His advisory work spans diverse industries such as banking and finance, construction, secure printing, border control and biometrics, telecommunications, transportation infrastructure (ports and airports), power generation, and gaming (casinos and lotteries). In these ventures, he has been instrumental in negotiating and structuring complex agreements with government authorities, safeguarding his clients’ interests while facilitating successful cross-border partnerships.

In addition, he has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), advising clients on deal structuring, due diligence, and regulatory compliance. His expertise also extends to business structuring, wealth management, and re-domiciliation, assisting high-net-worth individuals and corporate entities in optimizing their corporate setups and asset protection strategies across multiple jurisdictions.

He has an extensive expertise in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) regulations and frameworks, and actively advises clients on a wide range of legal and regulatory matters within the jurisdiction. His practice includes the incorporation and structuring of businesses, wealth, financial institutions, investment funds (Hedge Funds, Venture Capital Funds, Private Equity funds, etc...), and asset management firms, as well as drafting fund documentation and ensuring regulatory compliance.

Dispute resolution is a cornerstone of his practice. He has extensive experience in litigation before all levels of the Lebanese courts and has developed particular expertise in arbitration. He has represented clients in numerous arbitral proceedings under the rules of leading international institutions, including the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), and the OHADA arbitration framework. He is adept at navigating complex multi-jurisdictional disputes and has successfully enforced arbitral awards against both private entities and public-sector bodies, and Sovereigns.

Moreover, he is an accredited mediator before the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR).

To provide his firm’s clients with a seamless and comprehensive service, he incorporated Assiss LTD in 2023, a sister entity for Obeid & Medawar Law Firm LLP specializing in entity formation services, fund and financial entities formation, registered address and domiciliation services, company secretarial services, fiduciary services, re-domiciliation of companies, compliance services, and management consultancy services.

Beyond his legal expertise, he is committed to cultural and philanthropic initiatives, recognizing the transformative power of law, finance, and culture in shaping societies. He collaborates with non-profit associations in the United Arab Emirates to develop robust legal structures for public welfare associations, ensuring their sustainability and compliance with evolving regulatory frameworks.

His interest, knowledge, and dedication to the arts is equally profound. He earned a Diploma in Art Management, graduating top of his class with a thesis on the regulatory framework of the art market in 2020.

He is committed to the preservation and sustainability of artistic legacies, and supports artists in safeguarding their work, structuring their estates, and ensuring their creative contributions endure for future generations. His work extends to advising artists, collectors, and cultural institutions on legal mechanisms for estate planning, copyright protection, and the long-term management of their archives and collections.

He sits on the board of many artistic and cultural associations. He continually seeks to engage in initiatives that promote social innovation, economic empowerment, and community-driven change. He regularly publishes articles on his firm’s website and on different legal related platforms and forums such as Legal 500 and Chambers.

Arabic; English, French

Member of Beirut Bar Association Since 2003

BA in Lebanese and French Law in 2002 (Université Saint-Joseph - Beirut) Masters in Political Sciences in 2003 (Université Saint-Joseph - Beirut) LLM Equivalent - DEA - in 2004 (Université Saint-Joseph in affiliation with Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas France)