Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP

The firm: Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP, founded in 1830, was one of the first US law firms to develop a truly international practice. Dedicated to counselling clients involved with some of the most challenging transnational transactions and complex multijurisdictional disputes, Curtis represents multinational companies, international financial institutions, governments and state-owned entities, family and other privately held businesses, entrepreneurs and high-net-worth individuals. With offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Central and East Asia, Curtis is located in the key business centres where clients need the firm most.

Areas of practice: Curtis opened its Dubai office in 2008. The office is licensed in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

The Dubai office advises clients on a wide variety of matters in the United Arab Emirates and the region, working closely with the firm’s other Middle East office in Muscat. The team has particular experience in local and international arbitration, energy and infrastructure projects, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and private equity transactions, tourism and hospitality projects, real estate, and general corporate and commercial matters.

The disputes team is working on various active cases, primarily in the construction industry. These include matters under ICC, LCIA and DIAC rules as well as ad hoc proceedings under Omani arbitration law, focusing on commercial arbitrations in the region. The team has also worked on SIAC arbitrations and has been very active before the DIFC courts.

The corporate transactional practice continues to advise on numerous cross-border mergers, as well as UAE-based acquisitions and disposals with a particular focus on mid-market transactions.

The projects and project finance practice has acted on numerous infrastructure projects, including IPPs and IWPs in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman (in conjunction with the Muscat office), acting both for government authorities and for contractors.

The Dubai corporate team’s new clients include three prominent UAE family businesses, helping them initially on establishing best practice corporate governance tailored to fit the needs, customs and idiosyncrasies of the UAE local market, and progressing to transactional work. The fact that the first mandate was succeeded by two further appointments is evidence of the reputation that the Dubai corporate team has earned in terms of being able to marry international expertise with an understanding of the local market and local culture. The Dubai corporate team is proud that it acts as trusted adviser to some of the leading UAE families and their businesses, whilst continuing to advise a range of other clients in many different sectors.

The tourism and hospitality practice advises clients on all industry-related legal matters, from prominent tourism and development projects to discrete hotel projects. Clients in this sector include owners, government entities and lenders involved in such projects.

The Dubai office is a branch of Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP, a New York limited liability partnership.